With Your Family in Mind

Have you ever wondered could my life be any better?  Could I be experiencing a fuller life?  Am I missing what God intended for his sons and daughters to enjoy everything that the Bible says that we can enjoy?  III John, verse 2 says, “Beloved, I wish (I pray) above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in good health, even as thou soul prospereth.” 

I am often asked what I do as an Elder Law Attorney.  Perhaps it is easier to give two examples of matters our Law Firm handled recently:
• Mr. Smith (fictitious name) underwent a routine scheduled surgery.  During surgery, he suffered an unexpected stroke.  Not knowing if he would recover, but far from death, he was transferred to a skilled nursing facility.  He required a ventilator and feeding tube, and his care costs exceeded $30,000 per month (insurance was exhausted after 100 days).

Readers of The Magazine of Santa Clarita are always sending me terrific questions about the voice-acting business.  This is the seventh part of my answer regarding voice-over demos:
Q:  I’ve voiced a number of commercials, and think I’m ready to make a demo.  But do I really need to?  Any suggestions as to how to go about it?  –Roberta K., Santa Clarita, CA

“Mathematics is written for mathematicians.” – by Nicolaus Copernicus
How do courts calculate child support in California?  The overriding principle is that the support be in the children’s best interest, while a key component is a guideline which is determined by a somewhat complicated formula.

Have you been waiting to sell your home until the market turns?  The time is now!
Low interest rates and low inventory, combined with extremely high demand have created the ideal seller’s market.
We are often seeing properties being sold with multiple offers, over list price.  It is very important when selecting an offer to make sure that it is solid.  The highest offer is not always the best offer.

If your child is nearing the end of their junior year, there are some important things to consider to make sure you maximize financial aid.
1. Have your child apply to at least six to eight colleges and universities.
Pick an assortment of “safety schools,” “competitive schools,” and “reach schools.”
Pick several schools where your child lies in the top 25 percent of the incoming freshman class.  Otherwise, it’s likely schools won’t give you a good financial aid package.

We often create our own prisons.  Slowly constructing the walls that bind us in.  It’s all too easy to spend years creating the walls of our prison without even realizing it.  Trapped in a cycle of poor habits, an unsatisfying relationship, an unrewarding job or even as much as an unfulfilling life.
What started out as harmless or a good idea, slowly became a set of circumstances that now deprives us of freedom and independence. 

The Alzheimer’s Association Walk to End Alzheimer’s is coming to Santa Clarita!   This fun and inspirational event will take place on September 21 at Bridgeport Park and we need team captains to register now!  A team is any group (families, friends, co-workers, church members, etc) who participate together in the event.  They can fundraise together and walk together to honor someone with Alzheimer’s Disease or simply to make a difference to those in our community who are dealing with this tragic illness. 

As an experienced lender, I’m sensitive to the needs of today’s buyer. It isn’t as easy as it used to be to secure a home loan, but it is possible.
There are options. Whether you’re self-employed, looking to invest, or trying to refinance (with or without equity), and even if you’re a first time home buyer unsure whether you’re able to qualify, there’s probably a program for you.

A growing number of websites now allow people to plug in information about themselves and write their own will.  But doing so can be very dangerous and can lead to big problems, according to an independent review by Consumer Reports.  The magazine analyzed three such sites LegalZoom, Rocket Lawyer and Quicken WillMaker Plus - and ran the results by a law professor who specializes in tax and estate law.  All three websites had a variety of problems, according to the study.

“I need to stand by my sister; we can’t be friends any more.”
This is a moment Lisa had with her friend—and soon to be ex-sister-in-law.  A bond nourished for over 13 years was broken.  There were tears and hugs, but the closure was hard to accept.  Why does divorce lead to this kind of moment over and over?
When some people are faced with a friend or family member who is going through divorce, it just seems easier not to have to take sides.  For others, the relationship is severed because it was never really all that important.  And there are people that try to maintain a relationship with both, and continue the link with grace.

Many people spend one to three years litigating their cases.  That is time, money, and emotional energy that could possibly be saved.  Even if you cannot solve your entire case at one time, it is possible and even advantageous to “bifurcate” some issues. 

When I began as a foster parent, I stated, “I did not want to adopt.”  I already raised a daughter alone and was quite adamant about not raising anymore children as a single parent.  If someone had told me that I would care for over 30 children, I would not have believed them.

People in general wait until the absolute last minute to do everything.
That’s why very few people end up financially prepared to pay for weddings, homes, retirement, and college educations for their children.
Here are three little-known reasons why you should start planning for your child’s college education in their junior year of high school (if not earlier).
Reason one: Money saved in the wrong places could cost you a fortune in lost financial aid.

According to research by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, June and July are the most popular months for teens to try smoking pot for the first time.  The study indicates there is a 40 percent first time use not only smoking pot, but there’s a spike in the number of underage drinkers and cigarette smokers.  There’s also a high rate of teen pregnancies during the summer months as well.
As far as I am concerned, summer time is the toughest time of year for our teens.  While summer tends to be less stressful for both teens and adults, teens get bored without a structured school day and some teens wander down the wrong path.

When I think of my own father I think of daddy; a hard worker who would sacrifice anything for my family, someone who dresses up as Santa Claus, a Christ-like example, and someone I would call my hero.  But I know that not everyone on this earth has had the same positive experiences with their father as I have.  I came across an article about a nun giving cards to inmates in a prison.  One prisoner wanted to send a card to his mother for Mother’s Day so he asked the nun if she could help him out. 

As well qualified buyers are consistently finding themselves in a multiple offer situation, also known as a “Bidding War,” sellers are reaping the benefit.
We are now in a seller’s market.  Low interest rates and limited inventory are the main contributing factors to our current market conditions.
It is essential, when entrusting a real estate professional that you ask the right questions.

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.  The sheer magnitude of the money being taken was staggering.