With Your Family in Mind

Creative gift ideas are the best types of gifts.  These can show your originality and provide a great bond with the gift recipient.  Not only does finding just the right gift work out well for the gift receiver, it also can be a source of pride for the gift giver.  We know how valuable this can be which is why we are providing some tips to help you get this same benefit.

1. Consider the interests, hobbies, and the setting of the individual.

So, you met with your estate planning attorney.  You signed your trust, wills, and other related documents.  Mission accomplished?  Not quite.  There’s more to be done, once the documents are executed and then periodically thereafter,

your trust needs to be nurtured, just as if it were a pet puppy or cat.  (It’s not called a “Living Trust” for nothing.)

Each month I browse this magazine and see the dozens of ads and editorials that offer treatments for everything imaginable.  It’s great that we live in a time that a service is available for almost everything you can have wrong with you, but... we can easily get the sense that no one is offering anything innovative or new.  We can begin to lose hope as our society encourages us to medicate and try to “reason” our troubles away.  Many people suffer and remain unhappy and unresponsive to the dozens of treatments being offered until they begin to feel that all these methods are all too similar and your own goals will remain unattained and your issues unresolved.

Most people do not anticipate filing bankruptcy.  In fact, many try so hard to avoid filing that they end up waiting too long and losing some of the advantages and protections afforded to them by the bankruptcy code.  In some cases, prospective debtors seek bankruptcy advice only after they have depleted all their assets, emptied their bank account, and possibly even used some or all of their retirement savings.  While that may be morally admirable, it is not always the best course of action from a financial standpoint.

Jim Morrison, the lead signer of the popular rock band The Doors, died in 1971, at age 27.  Before his death, he had signed a simple, one-page will that left everything to his girlfriend, Pamela Courson (or if she died before he did, to his brother and sister).  As a result of the Will, Pamela inherited his entire estate.  Pamela herself died shortly afterward of a heroin overdose.  Because Pamela did not have a will, most of Morrison’s fortune then went by law to Pamela’s closest living relatives - her parents.

When you decide to go into business with someone, it is important for you to define your rights and responsibilities so that both parties know exactly what is expected of them.  A well-drafted contract can actually prevent certain disputes from arising in the first place.  The mistake I see my clients making time and time again is failing to memorialize their business agreements with a writing signed by both parties.  Oral partnership agreements are legal and enforceable here in California.  But without writing, if litigation is necessary, the trier of fact (whether judge or jury) will have to determine the terms of your agreement based upon the testimony of two or more witnesses.

Expecting someone to fulfill our life and save us from hardship is understandable but fundamentally romantic and idealistic.  Life is filled with challenges and it takes a lot to be a “Grown Up.”

To be a grown up, means accepting that we may be faced with discomfort, anxiety, and fear.  It means accepting that sometimes we succeed and sometimes we fail.  To be a grown up, we must be aware of our circumstances.  When possible, we need to be easy on ourselves and easy on others.

When Jesus’ mother, Mary, was pregnant with Him, she went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant with John the Baptist.  The Bible says, in Luke 1:41, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb…”  Last month I preached a sermon called “Make My Baby Jump!”

There’s a well-known quote that goes “Our attitude toward life determines life’s attitude towards us.”  Attitudes do make a difference.  Salesmen using the ideal attitude beat their sales quotas; students using the proper attitudes make A’s. Suitable attitudes pave the way to a truly happy married life.

Correct attitudes make you powerful in coping with other people to ensure that it is possible to be effective as a leader.  Among the very first qualities men and women notice when they meet you is what you attitude is towards whatever you’re responsible for.  If your attitudes are negative, then you might want to undergo an “attitude tune-up”.

For those spouses who own a business, getting divorced and reaching a fair division of the marital estate can be complicated.  A business entity may be a community asset, separate asset, or a hybrid of both.  The individual assets and debts owned by the business may be part of the marital estate.

Aside from financial concerns, anxiety and emotional turmoil that a divorce can have a major impact on the business, it can affect the spouse operating the business, as well as other business partners and employees.
In connection with the distribution of assets in a divorce, the business will likely be valued.  This will require a business appraiser who will scrutinize the books and records of the company. 

Falls at home are a huge risk for seniors and are the leading cause of accidents for people over age 65.  A fall can easily result in a serious injury that is a threat to a senior’s health and independence.  There are numerous reasons that falls might occur: poor eye sight, illness, weakness in muscles, dementia, side affects of medications, etc.  And although some of these precipitators may be corrected to help reduce the risk of falling, the area to truly focus on is the prevention of falls.

Kickin’ off the New Year with excitement, the Newhall Church of the Nazarene has turned their entire Sanctuary into Route 66 – starting in Chicago and ending in California!  Dave Ewart, well known Santa Clarita Valley musician and artist, designed and painted Route 66 on the walls – including cars, a gas station, the St. Louis Gateway Arch, the Sears Tower and even a hidden Mickey in the palm trees in California!  “When the church came up with this idea, I was a little unsure how it would turn out!  However, everyone seems to enjoy the art and they are sharing their own stories about road trips they took with their families! It brings back a lot of memories!”

The time will come for most of us when we’ll need to consider different senior care options for our loved ones…a nursing home, assisted living community, or in home care with or without help from outside agencies.  Your choices may be numerous, but they’re often far from clear-cut.  Considerations include cost of living, type of services required, physical health, mental condition, mobility concerns, available caregivers, transportation issues, current relationships with loved ones, and lifestyle choices…both yours and theirs.

Santa Clarita Magazine readers continue to send in pertinent questions about the voice-acting business.  This is the third 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
A:  There are many things to consider and remember before plunging into the project that will be your audio calling card, help you find an agent, introduce you to casting directors and producers, and help get you work – providing you have achieved proficiency in voice acting.  Here are a few more to ensure a successful outcome:

Are you looking for a career change or want more from you current job?  Are you planning your high school graduation this year but don’t know what the next chapter holds?  A career change can be a difficult process and can often take an extended amount of time to accomplish unless you have a plan.

After a long or even a short hospital stay, anyone appreciates the value of sleeping in one’s own bed.  No one to wake you during the night, no more pokes, prods or beeps and buzzes.  Just you – snuggled up under your own covers within the familiar sights and smells of home.

As wonderful as that sounds, there are a few things to consider regarding transitioning from a hospital back into the home.  For many seniors, this process may be complicated depending on their circumstances.
Attention needs to be given to the mobility of the person going home.

As an elder law attorney, I deal with difficult issues every day.  The majority of my clients are elderly.  Many have dementia, are frequent patients at the hospital, need expensive care giving, and many are terrified they will outlive their money, especially if skilled nursing is needed.  The list of issues goes on and on without end.

Typically, the adult children are burned-out, confused, emotional, and simply don’t know the options when dealing with an elderly parent. 

The length of time it takes to complete a bankruptcy case varies based on the Chapter and the complexity of the case.

In Chapter 13 cases, where the debtor generally has sufficient income to propose a Chapter 13 plan to pay back some or all of his debts, the length of the case is usually three to five years.  The exact length is based on the debtor’s income, the type of debt, and the amount of debt.