With Your Family in Mind

The Santa Clarita Veteran Services Collaborative (SCVSC) is preparing for the day we can reopen the Vet Center and we would like to request additional people to volunteer to staff the desk during the weekdays. Volunteers do not have to have military experience. The shifts can be arranged to...

There are two types of support in California. One is child support and the other is spousal support. There are two types of orders in California dissolution cases. One is a temporary order during the pendency of the case, called a pendente lite order. And the other is an order after judgment....

Our Law Firm handles many “post death” matters. We help Trustees, surviving spouses, and Executors administer a loved one’s estate. Sometimes it is very easy. Other times, it is complicated, and expensive. What makes the difference? PLANNING. Consider one of our cases:Mom and dad had a...

Readmission after an illness or injury is a serious health issue for seniors. However, it is important for seniors and their loved ones to remember that in many cases, readmission is avoidable and can be prevented with a thoughtful post-hospital care plan.Nearly one-fifth of all Medicare...

I get asked this question quite often. And my answer is always no: You do not get creditor protection from a revocable living trust. This upsets people sometimes because they really want that protection and they have “heard” they can get it with a trust.I believe people are confused because...

The Date of Separation in a dissolution of marriage action can have a financial impact on the parties. The Family Code states that the “earnings and accumulations of a spouse and the minor children living with, or in the custody of the spouse, while living separate and apart from the other...

During this public health crisis, many parents are concerned about their children’s’ health and wellbeing. While many can comply with the “Stay at Home” orders issued by the Governor, there are also many who work in “essential businesses” and are at higher risk of exposure. Leaving many parents...

One of the more horrific stories in the news this week was the salon shooting in Seal Beach, California. It was alleged that at least eight people were killed by a man enraged over a custody battle. Issues of custody commonly arise in Family Law cases. But they do not all have to be bitter...

One of the greatest fears of our elderly is that they may require nursing home care. This not only means a great loss of personal autonomy, but also a tremendous financial expense. Depending on location and level of care, nursing homes cost between $48,000 and $170,000 per year. The average...

Our world has changed due to Covid-19. The death toll is staggering, as well as the number of victims who have been unable to make their own medical decisions due to the illness. People now realize that estate plan documents are critically important. Trusts, Power of Attorney documents, Advance...

  With Vine2Wine, To Go poised to start on May 30 with wine, food and a goodie bag for ticket holders there is one thing non-ticket holders can get their hands on to enjoy the fun as well: Circle of Hope has announced their first online auction to start Saturday, May 23 and will close a...

The Internal Revenue Service has extended the deadline to file and pay federal income taxes to July 15, 2020 due to the financial impact of COVID-19. In addition, you can obtain up-to-date information for taxpayers via the Treasury Department at https://home.treasury.gov/coronavirus.How Long...

Not only do the public and my clients ask me this question, but sometimes estate planners ask me this question! So why the confusion? Well, for starters, both terms, “elder law” and “estate planning” are misnomers. Estate planners are not advising people on how to become rich. Similarly, elder...

My kids and I were sitting around a week or so ago and one of them proposed that we play a game. The game is each person asks a question to everyone else in the room and the person asking the question has to answer it also. It was just the three of us. My oldest asked what is a quality that you...

It goes without saying, these past months have been a dramatic contradiction to how everyone managed their day to day lives. We didn’t live with the concerns we have today. Now that everyone is under the “stay at home” orders, schools are closed, small business, restaurants, malls and the like...