With Your Family in Mind

Divorce causes financial stress. Families who are accustomed to living on two incomes are forced to live on one. Sometimes a spouse who has not worked throughout the marriage is forced to find employment, which may be difficult. In any case, if you are going through a divorce, it is important...

 The term “incapacity” means the inability to make reasonable decisions regarding one’s financial and personal affairs. Individuals typically are incapacitated when they have a traumatic brain injury due to an event such as an accident or stroke; or experience a mentally debilitating illness....

 Caring for someone with Alzheimer’s or dementia can be stressful enough but add on the holidays and it can be a challenge. Below are see some great tips on how to survive the holidays. • Decide which holiday activities and traditions are most important, and focus on those you enjoy. Try not to...

 Drugs and alcohol play a large role in many custody fights. Sometimes they involve DUI’s and sometimes they involve casual, social drinking.  Assuming that we are not dealing with the issue of drug or alcohol abuse, custody orders are commonly drafted to permit a parent to drink so long as the...

Print, EBook and Audio (read by the author) Step by step, detailed instructions how to be certified, get office space, marketing, billing, appearance, rapport, legal protection… All the details, big and small. This book teaches everything you need to know, from business cards, to marketing to...

Have you ever thought of becoming a foster parent or wanted to adopt a child in need of permanency? Koinonia Family Services is now serving the Santa Clarita and San Fernando Valleys, and is looking for families who want to provide safe, caring, and nurturing homes for children who are in need...

 Q: Do you pay taxes on child support? A: No, you don’t claim child support you receive as income. Q: Can I deduct child support payments? A: No, what is paid cannot be deducted by the payor. Q: Why must I claim spousal support income but not child support? A: California spousal support is...

A while ago, I was with a client on an ex parte application in Department 2 at the Hill Street/Stanley Mosk Courthouse.  For those of you unfamiliar with the way that things work, the Presiding Judge in Department 2, Judge Gordon, supervises all of the judges in Los Angeles County.  He has this...

As an Elder Law Attorney, I handle many issues involving chronic long-term illness, dementia, and the dying process.  Some issues are very complex, while others are not. Some issues involve health crises, and asset protection from nursing home care that exceeds $8,000 per month.  Some involve...

If for any reason you become unhappy with the person you’ve appointed to make decisions for you under a durable power of attorney, you can revoke the power of attorney at any time. But you must take a few steps to ensure that the document is properly revoked. First, you should put the...

 Many people (perhaps including ourselves) want to do something to protect their loved ones, such as prepare a will or trust, but procrastinate with excuses, such as: “I’m waiting for the house to sell,” or, “I’m waiting to buy the new house.”v“I’m going on a trip, so I’ll do it when I get...

November is National Diabetes Month and a lot of attention will be focused on the many wonderful resources, support and latest breakthroughs available for those who are diabetic.  Preventive measures are equally important especially since it is estimated about 25 percent of Americans are at...

Like many living things, bacteria are prone to random mutations, including those that can render antibiotics ineffective against them. The more often a child takes an antibiotic, the greater the chance that a resistant strain will colonize in his system. Even if he doesn’t develop symptoms...

 You know the story... the kids come back from a weekend with the ex; they show off the latest toy, brag about how late they stayed up and the junk food they were allowed to eat for breakfast. It can be infuriating to deal with an ex who gets the short parenting shift and then tries to buy the...

PRINT, EBook and AUDIO (read by the author) A comprehensive, usable guide to alter the course of addiction —every addiction. Every addictive drug and behavior is as unique as the individual caught in it. This book abandons the recovery-industry “one-size-fits-all” mentality by separating each...

Time, again, for my annual sharing of an important message. Thanksgiving and the holidays are fast approaching, and are a wonderful time of the year, and frequently they are the one or two times a year we are able to spend time with parents or other aging loved ones. If we do see them daily,...

 PRINT, EBook and AUDIO (read by the author) A hedonistic descent from innocence to narcissism into the dark culture of IV methamphetamine, psychedelics, organized drug crime and sex in 80s Los Angeles. Pot & alcohol at 14, LSD by 15 and slamming-dope by 17. Scott’s high-school friends...

For many people the holidays are a cheery and fun time of year; for others it can also be busy, demanding, overwhelming, and stressful. Here are some tips for surviving the demands of the holidays. 1. Make time for your exercise. It is easy to get out of your routine during the festivities of...