Hello everybody. Let me confess at the outset that I detest the smell of cigarette smoke. I don’t like to be in a room where someone is smoking and I learned as early as high school that I didn’t even like to kiss someone who was a smoker. Still, I am a strong believer in…
Dear Dan: The below letter was sent to Steve Lopez at the Los Angeles Times. Dear Sir: I appreciate that you attempt to be “fair-minded” when you talk about the housing crisis. I remember, as you suggest, that my son, Jeffrey, reminded me that after viewing the feature film, La La Land, Los Angeles would…
There’s no way around it: too many Americans are experiencing homelessness. According to the most recent statistics from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), nearly 550,000 people were homeless in this country on a single night in January 2016, and 22 percent of those were children. That 550,000 figure actually represents a 15…
My wife, Hinda, who helps me with planning for clients, and I have been lucky enough to meet hundreds of wonderful apartment owners though the AOA seminars we have done throughout California. The majority of them planned ahead years ago and build living trust based estate plans to protect their families. Unfortunately, almost all the…
Question 1: I read you have a new firm name and address. What’s going on? Answer 1: I am pleased to announce that Beckman Blair LLP has joined the esteemed Berkeley firm Buresh, Kaplan, Feller and Chang P.C. and the combined firm will be known as Beckman Feller & Chang P.C. As of August…
The owner of several Reno, Nevada apartment complexes has agreed to pay $20,000 to settle allegations of pet discrimination and Fair Housing Act violations involving requiring pet deposits from prospective tenants who require assistance animals, according to a release.
Last month, I discussed the Millionaire Next Door and pointed out how Daily Transcript subscribers, rental owners and millionaires had at least six common traits. After studying wealthy people in America, two professors, Thomas Stanley and Bill Danko wrote and published this book in 1996. Coming up on its 20-year anniversary, its findings still ring…
Have a pool on your property? You know that presents a whole new set of safety issues that you, as the property manager/owner are liable for. With pool season in full swing, it is no surprise that there have been an increasing amount of drownings and other pool horror stories present in the spotlight lately. …
Nearly one-fifth (19%) of Americans age 70 to 74 were still in the workforce as of the end of June, according to the latest jobs report from the Labor Department on July 7. Some are working because they are healthy and enjoy their work. Most, however, are still working because they haven’t saved nearly enough…
Although earthquake retrofits are considered “new construction” as defined by Prop 13, they are excluded from reassessment. Northern California’s wildfires, the earthquake in Napa, and the recent storms and flooding in Sacramento and Santa Clara counties all remind us that natural disasters can happen at any time, and that it’s never too late to prepare.…