With Your Family in Mind

There are many reasons a person (or couple) decides to adopt. The most common adoptions are the potential parent adopting a family member’s child or a step-parent adopting their spouse’s child. These types of adoptions are most similar to an independent adoption (as opposed to an agency adoption, where an agency or California Department of Social Services places a child with adoptive parents, or international adoption, where a child is adopted from another country).

How often should you review your will or living trust? There’s no firm rule on this, but common sense applies.
You should probably reread your estate planning documents yearly, or whenever you review your financial plan. (Unless you are indigent and intend to stay so, or single, childless and so wealthy that money is of no further interest to you whatsoever, you probably need at least some kind of financial plan, a budget and a summary of your investment goals, however modest.

June was National Safety Month and thousands of seniors each year experience injuries and trauma that could be avoided with proper home safety measures. These preventable accidents cause financial, emotional and physical stress and even death. Many people are not aware of the precautions that need to be taken as our loved ones age and/or become disabled. A bad situation is often made worse when a fall or other injury occurs.

When a person has Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, or another illness that affects mental function, a well-thought out plan for the future should be created and implemented by the family.  This plan should include the input of an Elder Law Attorney, and perhaps a CPA and financial planner, depending on the assets involved. 

When you file for divorce nothing really happens as it relates to agreements you may have with your spouse and no orders of the court exist.  Unless you ask for the court to get involved, nothing other than filing of paperwork happens.

Join The Magazine of Santa Clarita is wishing Corder Hudson and Ebony Blaine Hudson many years of health, happiness and success in their marriage. 

This summer, resort living is on the minds of many seniors! Retirement is the prime of life; kids are grown, careers are completed, and it’s time to enjoy the best of everything – including food! Retirees used to jet off to new destinations for a taste of the good life, but now they can enjoy delicious, epicurean cuisine right at home in their luxury retirement community.

You guys remember George Harrison, right?  The former Beatle?  In 1970 he released his first solo album, “All Things Must Pass”.  A triple album in fact.  Hands down for me at least was his hit track My Sweet Lord, otherwise known to rock afficionados as the “Hare Krishna” song.  The song topped charts worldwide and according to Wikipedia, was the biggest-selling single of 1971 in the UK.

Alzheimer’s disease affects almost 44 million people worldwide, but only one in four people have been officially diagnosed. Alzheimer’s involves more than simple memory loss.  In fact, a recent study found that memory loss is not always the first symptom in younger individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, making it all the more important to recognize other symptoms. Remember, early intervention may delay onset of symptoms of the disease.

In response to an increase locally in mental health issues, attempted suicides and domestic violence-related law enforcement calls, the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s station, in conjunction with the L.A. County Department of Mental Health, are rolling out the “Mental Evaluation Team” on July 15. 

Kids are excited because summer is here. You on the other hand being either recently separated or divorced, or years into the co-parenting cycle, have a different take on summer break. Getting used to the idea of visitation schedules is hard enough, doing so with the ever changing summer activities is a never ending rotation of planning. Why?

“Trees with strong roots survive even violent storms.” – Paraphrasing Joseph Worthlin
Well-known author, researcher, professor and therapist, John Gottman, made the following statement in a recent Huffington Post interview: 
In all kinds of relationships, people have conflict and disagreements and hurt one another’s feelings. What determines the success of the relationship is the way people deal with conflict, the nature of their friendship and intimacy, and their shared meaning system. 

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 of short-term or long-term placement.

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 of short-term or long-term placement. Children in need of placement range from newborns to 18-year-olds.

So you have a revocable living trust. (Good for you!) You have funded it: you hold title to your house, your rental units, your bank accounts and your stock accounts as Trustee of your Trust. (Excellent!) You have told your Successor Trustee how to find your estate planning documents, in case of emergency. (Well done!)

“Risk comes from not knowing what you’re doing.” – Warren Buffett
To understand how divorce affects your relationship with your children; how property and debt are divided; and how to manage finances for two households when before there was one; it makes sense to have a knowledge base for each of these issues.

As our parents age, we often take on the role of caregiver to provide them the support they need. The added role of caregiving in an adult child’s already busy life can be disorienting and stressful. Combine this with the additional challenge of communicating with a loved one who has dementia and your role can become even more frustrating and at times confusing.

I am a member of a local networking group for professionals.  At our last meeting, our group leader shared a horror story that one of his client’s had experienced about rampant employee embezzlement and theft.  The vast majority of our members were able to relay a similar horror story.  The consensus was that embezzlement was occurring on a much larger scale than any of us had imagined.  Trusted employees, managers and family members were robbing their company’s blind.