I vividly remember the first time my parents lost a house to foreclosure. Yes, the first time; there was a second, but more on that later. It was early 1988, just months after Black Monday, Oct. 19, 1987, when the stock market crashed disastrously. My dad, a...
Now that Christmas has come and gone, like Boxing Day…No, it’s not a day set aside to honor Muhammad (“I am the Greatest”)Ali; it’s a day set aside to get rid of all of the unsightly, leftover Christmas gift boxes strewn throughout the stately Motley Manor. In the...
A solid estate plan ensures you enjoy life while safeguarding your loved ones' future when you're no longer there. Life insurance is a vital part of this plan, but its effectiveness depends on how it’s structured. Choosing the right beneficiaries is crucial to avoid...
For Michael Brewer, sitting in the presence of retired Army Lt. Col Chuck Haeflinger, who was a Huey helicopter pilot in Vietnam, and Gloria Loring, actress and a member of the Bob Hope USO show, was a walk down nostalgia lane, as he too is a combat veteran of the...
One of my earliest memories of “home” is walking into my grandparents’ house in Redlands, in the early 1970s. There was a special plaque on the wall, which etched itself so deeply into my heart that it has stayed with me my entire life. There was always some kind of...
Blended families are more common than ever, especially as divorce and remarriage become increasingly typical. However, when it comes to estate planning, these modern family dynamics can create complications that may lead to conflicts after a loved one’s death. The law...
