Almost everything we do—from making a big purchase of a vehicle or home to operating a vehicle and interacting with others personally and professionally—can implicate a legal concern. When do you need a lawyer? When might you handle a legal concern without one? Some challenges may be assisted, at least in part, with the help of another professional, accountant, counselor, or perhaps clergy. Here are some frequent Read More
The Rooftop Solar Market: Considerations Before You Invest
Photo by Angie Warren on Unsplash “We are like tenant farmers chopping down the fence around our house for fuel when we should be using Nature’s inexhaustible source of energy – Sun, wind, and tide… I’d put my money on the sun and solar energy. What a source of power! I hope we don’t have to wait until oil and coal run out before we tackle that.” -Thomas Edison Due to increasing energy costs and a growing solar Read More
Have you made an emergency plan yet?
Photo by Marissa Grootes on Unsplash "Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier." - Mother Teresa Do you have an emergency plan? I am prompted by a close call at our home several weeks ago when the palm trees in Agua Caliente Park caught fire with a lightning strike. In the middle of the afternoon, I looked out my office window and saw high flames in the air a short distance away. Read More
Student Loan Debt Relief: A Few Things You Should Know
Photo by Jaeyoung Geoffrey Kang on Unsplash "Debt is the slavery of the free." -Publilius Syru Many of us have student loans. Many Americans with education debt apply for discharge relief and a new income-driven payment plan. The US Department of Education proposes a new income-driven repayment plan that caps monthly payments for undergraduate loans at 5% of a borrower's discretionary income—that is half the Read More
How to Improve a Business: Whether it is your own business or another business you support.
We put together some tips on how to improve a business and workspace: Organize. Getting organized is a key to improving your business or employment skills. Many software-as-a-service (SaaS) tools exist to increase organization. Online programs such as Slack, Asana, Zoom, and Microsoft Teams, are types of platforms that assist businesses and employees to collaborate more efficiently. Keeping your office and desk Read More
Should I Buy or Build a Home?
“A house is made of walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams.” – Unknown So, it’s the new year and you are thinking about a new home. You, perhaps, are considering buying one you like and adjusting it to suit your needs or possibly building a home to your likes and interests. It is understandable that you would like to evaluate all your options, given it will likely be the largest investment you may Read More
Title Insurance-Why you need to understand about how it may or may not provide protection.
“Price is what you pay. Value is what you get.” – Warren Buffet You bought a property to build your dream home and information that will affect your ability to build or access the property was not disclosed. Can you file a claim with the title insurer? Generally, it is recommended that in addition to the required lender’s policy you purchase an owner’s policy given the huge investment in purchasing a Read More
A few reasons why you should review the “arbitration” section of a contract?
"Win or lose, do it fairly." –Knute Rockne What is Arbitration? Arbitration clauses are found in contracts for car purchases, home construction, bank accounts, student loans, cell phones, employment, nursing homes, and more. It is a private procedure in which a legal dispute is submitted to make a binding decision on the dispute. When arbitration is mandatory it deprives of the opportunity to go to court. It can Read More
How to Avoid Tax Scams
Many of us know of someone who has lost money and possibly their personal information to tax scams. The most important thing to share is that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) will not initiate contact with a taxpayer by email, text message, social media channels, or phone call to request personal or financial information. Here are a few telltale signs of tax scams: A phone call demanding immediate Read More
Tips to Keep Your Banking and Financial Information Safe When Online
This month’s article offers a few tips on precautions for internet financial transactions. Tip 1: Take extra precautions for logging into banks and other financial accounts. Create “strong” user IDs and passwords by choosing combinations of upper-and lower-case letters, numbers, and symbols that are hard for a hacker to guess. Your birth date, address, or other publicly available information can be easily Read More
