Archive for the ‘Family Happiness’ Category

Tying the Financial Knot. What to Know Before You Get Married.

Thursday, November 13th, 2008

The day my ex-husband and I combined our finances was far more significant to me than the day we got married.  Marriage was a big party and a piece of paper signed by the County Recorder.  Combining our bank accounts was a much bigger deal. On the day we combined our ...

Happy Halloween

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

I'm looking forward to spending the entire day tomorrow up at the kids' school for Halloween.     They have a cute Halloween parade and then we'll bring the kids over to Little Sisters of the Poor in San Pedro to bring some Halloween cheer to the men and women there who love to ...

If You Really Can’t Decide Who to Name As Guardians, Here’s What to Do

Sunday, September 28th, 2008

There are a lot of parents out there who have not named        guardians for their kids because they really can't decide. You might be one of them. But, here's the thing. If you don't decide and something happens to you, the decision gets made by a Judge. You don't want that, do you? Here's ...

It’s All Happening

Friday, September 12th, 2008

My baby started Kindergarten this week. Now, I've got two kids in school full-time and at the same place, what a relief! Not to mention all the amazing things that are starting to happen.  Right before I left for Burning Man, I got a call from producers at CNBC that they ...

How to Find Freedom in the Midst of Any Family Feud

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

Family Feuds can happen in the best of families.  When they do, they have the power to plunge you into a nightmare of bitterness and anger or they can be the door that opens to your greatest dreams. The strategies I share here apply whether you are going through a divorce, ...

Getting Ready for Burning Man!

Thursday, August 14th, 2008

In less than two weeks, we'll be hopping in our rented RV and motoring up the 395 for a week in the desert with 48,000+ other nuts who are ready for massive self-expression. It's called Burning Man, and I've been wanting to go for years, but my kids weren't old enough.  ...

How Do I Choose the Right Guardian for My Children?

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Choosing a person or family to care for your children is difficult. In fact, for many families, it's the hardest part of planning their estate. It's not easy to think of anyone else, no matter how loving, raising your child. Yet, you can make a tremendous difference in your child's ...

Trustee Checks and Balances

Friday, May 9th, 2008

In last week’s article “How to Choose the Right Trustee,” I mentioned that there are no trust police out there making sure that your Trustee is following the instructions set out in your Trust. That can be scary when you are entrusting your whole life savings and your kids’ ...

How To Choose the Right Trustee

Thursday, May 1st, 2008

Before we talk about how to choose the right Trustee, let’s talk about what a Trustee does and whether you need to choose a Trustee. A Trustee is the legal owner of assets held in Trust. When you establish a Revocable Living Trust, you will be the Trustee of your ...

Why Private School?

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

If you've ever agonized over the decision about where to send your kids to school or you are doing it now or contemplating it in the future, I can relate. We had moved to Hermosa Beach, anticipating we'd send our kids to their fantastic schools. And, I'm a big supporter - don't ...