With Your Family in Mind

If you have been thinking about getting a new computer, consider the following statements from Apple on their website.
“Today’s Mac is powered by the latest Intel processors. 

Last month, we asked writers to express their love and appreciation for their Mother’s in the form of an essay.  After careful scrutiny, we’re named the winner of The Magazine of Santa Clarita Mother’s Day essay contest.

I am excited about a new venture of mine that I’d like to share with you.  I recently joined a non-profit speakers bureau called the Society for Financial Awareness.  Not only does it help me get out into the community, but it also helps educate the general public about the very important topic of estate planning.

It’s almost vacation time for school-age children and while they’re looking forward to going without homework until fall, you’re probably wondering how to keep them busy and learning.  The Child Care Resource Center (CCRC) can help you keep those boredom blues away, by providing you with tips, ideas and a place that will keep kids learning while they have fun.

Today, the majority of domestic adoptions in the United States are open adoptions. During the month of May, children in open adoptions honor their mothers and their birthmothers. 

There are more blended families today than ever before.  Estate planning for families where one or both spouses have children from prior marriages requires special considerations.  The desire to provide for a current spouse and any mutual children may conflict with the desire to provide for children from a previous marriage. 

The Parents of a Castaic fifth grader find the special efforts of a dedicated teacher worth writing about.  Here is what they had to say:

“If you have a water well with a hole in the bottom and the water drains out and dries up, you won’t be able to give any water to anybody, the same is true with giving of yourself.  

Many dream of owning a home, sending their children to college or retiring sometime down the road.  Where does the money come from to make these dreams come true?  Mostly the money comes from investing over a period of time.  Putting your hard-earned money to work for you now may mean a better future.

If you want a living trust to protect your loved ones, but hope to avoid legal fees, you have several choices.  You could buy a do-it-yourself book or a computer software package and fill in the blanks.  Or, you could attend law school, study estate planning, practice for years and then, equipped with expertise and experience, draft your own living trust and appropriate related documents.

In addition to beautiful weather all year long, Californians are fortunate enough to have a very strong consumer law protecting California vehicle owners from hopelessly defective vehicles, boats, motor homes and motorcycles.  This law is known as the California Lemon Law.

Spring came early this year and is now here in full swing.  We are preparing for a busy month at Newhall Presbyterian with our annual Family Camp and it’s swashbucklin’ theme of Treasure Hunt.  

Great questions about the voiceover business continue to come in from The Magazine of Santa Clarita readers.  Here’s a recent one:

ot long ago, a Santa Clarita working Mom heard about my work and decided to call me in for a consultation of her home.  She told me that life just wasn’t going along as smoothly as she had hoped for.

With the proliferation of families in which there is a substantial age difference among the children (so-called “split-level” families), attorneys and financial advisors are increasingly dealing with a set of unique estate planning problems.

What is Community Property anyway?  California is one of nine states to practice the theory of community property in a marriage.  The idea is that a marriage is like a partnership.

Children look to parents for love and guidance in life’s basic lessons.  A child’s sense of self is shaped by the cues received from parental opinion.  To a child, a parent’s word is gospel. 

The need for life insurance varies depending on your personal life circumstances.  If you have dependents and generate a significant portion of your family’s income, life insurance is probably essential.  You need to consider how important your income is in regards to such things as paying your mortgage, handling the bills and sending your children off to college.