While we’re alive, we gather a library full of paperwork and access codes relating to such things as insurance policies, bank records, taxes, digital accounts, medical reports, personal property, and real estate and other assets. Protecting this kind of information is very important, but, surprisingly, many people forget to properly manage their documents and digital assets.

One of the great joys of working with families with special needs children is seeing how they can inspire people to reach out to support one another. One of our clients, Marla and David Rosenblum and their daughter, Aubree, is a perfect example.

Senior Concerns is a wonderful organization, and on Friday, March 2, 2018 they will host Caregivers Matter…Conejo Cares, their third annual half-day program and luncheon honoring family caregivers who are caring for aging loved ones.

Other than being famous, what do Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Jr., Jimi Hendrix, Pablo Picasso, James Dean, Howard Hughes, Michael Jackson, Heath Ledger, and Prince have in common? They all left significant estates behind them, but either had no Will or estate plan in place or if they did they “flubbed” it up leaving their loved ones unprotected. The missteps caused unintended consequences, public disclosure of private matters, enormous family strife and costing their heirs dearly in court and legal fees as well as delay.

If you have a child affected by Autism, there is a terrific resource you may benefit from right here in Ventura County. It is the Autism Society of Ventura County — founded in 1994 by local parents, educators and professionals to help support newly-diagnosed families and develop needed local resources. First known as the Ventura County Autism Society (VCAS), the organization is a non-profit chapter of the Autism Society of America.

Retirees, most of whom are on relatively fixed incomes, are probably the most concerned about what the new tax law will mean for them. But, generally, they will be less affected than others because the changes do not affect how Social Security and investment income are taxed. In fact, many will benefit from the doubling of the standard deduction and, with the new individual tax brackets and rates, will be paying less in taxes when they file their tax returns in April, 2019. (Most of the changes will apply to 2018 income, not 2017 income.)

CPAs are a vital part of a client’s team of trusted advisors. CPAs can work with estate planning professionals to help clients achieve both their short- and long-term financial, estate and charitable planning, as well as compliance and governance needs. Here are four estate planning questions that CPAs should ask clients when approaching their financial planning for the New Year:

With the New Year, many of us will feel as if we are starting off with a clean slate and a whole list of things we want to accomplish. High on that agenda should be taking care of some basics, including reviewing current estate planning documents, planning for retirement and aging, financial planning, and insurance planning.

Who will care for your dog or cat when you pass away?What will happen to your bird should you become incapacitated?For many people, providing care for their pet after they pass away or if they become incapacitated is a very big concern and, as a result, most states (including CA) have statutes that provide for the enforcement of trusts created for the benefit of pets.

Dear Friends & Colleagues,My friend and colleague Robert Keebler, CPA/PFS warns that when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, those with big stock holdings may be out of luck!When selling or gifting stock, we have always been able to pick and choose those with the highest basis, to reduce potential capital gains taxes (or realize losses).Things are about to change.

It was an honor to be chosen recently for the Pacific Coast Business Times annual "Who's Who in Professional Services" list of leading attorneys in the Tri-Counties area.

I was thrilled to be a panelist on the inaugural Women of Dartmouth Los Angeles event entitled “Smart Women Plan Ahead,” held at the beautiful and welcoming home of Hilary Richards, ’92.

We are happy and proud to say that we have simply amazing people in our family of clients. That is why we want to take the opportunity to shine a spotlight on our client’s accomplishments, passions and legacies.

In September, 2017 Terri Hilliard PC hosted a workshop on cyber security: "Don't Be A Victim! Easy Ways To Better Your Cyber Security."

One of the most basic of patients’ rights is the right to privacy. They can decide to whom, when, and what extent their health information is disclosed, including medical diagnoses, treatments, prescriptions, insurance, and clinical research and mental health records.

In March, 2017, we were pleased to welcome Carí Jackson Lewis, Esq. to our team at Terri Hilliard, PC, as a Legal Extern. At the time, Carí had already returned to Loyola Law School’s Master of Laws (LL.M., Taxation) Program. Now we’re happy to report that Carí recently completed the program and is expected to be admitted to the California State Bar Association in January 2018.

No one wants to talk about it, but death is inevitable. We don’t know how or when it will occur, yet, most people delay planning for this eventuality. While the subject may seem morose and even uncomfortable, it is essential to explore your options and detail your wishes in advance – everything from retirement to long term care to distribution of assets to funeral services. To a large extent, you can control what happens at every stage of your life, but it must be well thought out and properly planned.

I would like to give a big Thank You to the San Fernando Valley Business Journal for recently naming me as a recipient of the special “Trail Blazer Award” in the Journal’s annual 2017 Trusted Advisors program.

Thank you! For voting for Terri Hilliard, PC as a 2017 Ventura County Star Reader’s Choice Favorite!

The designation “special needs” brings with it a wide range of abilities and diagnoses that can include everything from Autism to Down Syndrome, blindness to ADHD, speech or eating disorders to hearing impairment, and epilepsy to cognitive disabilities, just to name a handful. In California alone, there are well over a million children who have been diagnosed with such conditions or disorders and the numbers are increasing at a staggering rate.