With Your Family in Mind

Wouldn’t life be grand if it came with an illustrated map to get us where we want to go?  I think this each time I work on a jigsaw puzzle using the box cover to figure out where to put my next piece.  Imagine if we had to put one of those 1,500 piece puzzles together without the cover to guide us?  What a chore; it would seem next to impossible and we may give up after a few fruitless tries to fit one piece into another.

Divorce presents many traps for the unwary, as illustrated by the recent case, People versus Gill, which has some interesting implications for people going through a divorce.  The Court in Gill convicted Mr. Gill of burglarizing his own home.  Mr. Gill was a title owner of this house and his wife had no court order for exclusive use of the residence.  The Gills were experiencing marital difficulties, and Mr. Gill chose to move out of the residence.  The next day Mr. Gill returned to remove some belongings then was convicted of burglary.

One of the most challenging decisions a family may face is when a loved one is no longer safe to live alone.  This situation confronts our seniors nearly every day, and identifying when is the right time to make these decisions is usually the first hurdle in getting our seniors the care they need.  Seniors may no longer be safe at home for a variety of reasons, including memory loss, increased fall risks, transportation needs, malnourishment and even depression due to lack of socialization.

With nearly 85,000 children in California removed from their parents’ homes due to abuse or neglect and 9,000 foster children in California waiting for adoptive homes, there is a great need for caring adults to provide loving, nurturing homes as either foster or adoptive parents.   A parent information meeting will be held Thursday, March 19 from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Bethlehem Lutheran Church located at 27265 Luther Drive, Canyon Country,  for those interested—adults single or married are welcome (English and Bilingual Spanish speaking).

In tough economic times, many people find themselves with more debt than they can handle due to job loss, unexpected expenses, or other unforeseen events.  Many of these families or individuals may consider bankruptcy as a solution to resolve their debt issues.  While bankruptcy is a good option for many, there are some basic things to evaluate prior to filing:

The first step in determining if a home loan modification is right for you is to look at the big financial picture not just the home loan issues.

When someone dies with a valid will, but without a Living Trust, their estate is subject to Probate.  This can also happen where there is no will at all.  Probate means, “to prove the will.”  The probate process was designed to prove that the decedent actually had died, and that the will in question was the actual will belonging to the deceased.  Today, probate is best described as a court-supervised process by which a decedent’s assets are gathered, valued, and distributed according to the decedent’s wishes, as stated in his or her will.

It has certainly been a fun journey over the past seven months discussing the power of unity.  I believe that a greater awareness has been brought to the need for us to come together and join forces toward a common goal as opposed to getting sidetracked and trapped in competition and tearing each other down.

And stand together yet not too near together:  For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress grow not in each other’s shadow.
— Kahlil Gibran

Most of our clients are familiar with the concept of “co-parenting.”  It implies that after divorce, the separated parents continue to parent together.  While it is true that they continue to parent, it is often not together. 

The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers send me questions every day about the voiceover business.  Here’s an interesting one:

As an insurance agent, we’re too often saddened by client losses that could have been prevented.  Last month, I discussed 20 actions you can take to prevent serious injuries and fires.  I would like to share another 20 things that you can do to help prevent accidents and disasters in your home.

According to the Associated Press, “Officials in Sacramento say a jump in the number of people losing their jobs is pushing California’s unemployment rate to its highest level since 1994.”  What might that mean to you?  As Harry Truman once said, “It’s a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it’s a depression when you lose yours.”  Even if times are good with your employer, here are some tips to plan for a rainy day:

For the past 12 years Jeff Lee, education director at Steve Martin’s Working Wildlife, has help develop and establish one of the most unique and diverse wildlife education outreach programs in the country.  Attending schools, churches, civic events and fundraisers to enlighten and entertain audiences that now number in the tens of thousands. 

When a person dies leaving gross assets in California in his/her name alone, and the aggregate value of such assets exceeds $100,000, those assets must be subject to probate.  Many people avoid probate by creating and funding a revocable living trust.  Thus, the first purpose of a revocable living trust is probate avoidance.

The National Council on Aging (NCOA) and the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) have conducted studies that conclude adult children of older parents are providing dramatically more care to their parents and they are making significant financial sacrifices to do so.  Elders are typical of all Americans; they abhor unfairness and do not want to see their life’s savings go down the drain just because they had the bad luck of needing to be in a nursing home. 

Did you know…

• 70 percent of Americans allow their companion animals to sleep in bed with them.

• 37 percent of Americans carry photos of their companion animals in their wallets.

• 80 percent of Americans brag about their companion animals to others.

Delicious and nutritious meals make a big difference in our health.  There is something about a home-cooked meal that makes every dish taste extra special.  For people in need of assisted living, it is often difficult to plan and receive meals designed specifically for them.  Meal services are great because there is no cooking involved and they are delivered straight to you, but they aren’t always designed with specific needs in mind.  A great option for anyone that has a certain diet that they must follow is home-cooked meals.  They are definitely hard to beat.  Having someone make meals according to your specific diet is perfect for picky eaters or people who need special foods in assisted living.

For most expectant mothers, pregnancy is an experience that they blissfully share with their partners.  For many of our military families, the call to duty leaves expectant mothers behind to face delivery alone.  Stork Vision together with CAPPA has a plan to provide “A Hand to Hold ‘til They All Come Home.”