Guest Columnist

A tiny six-page pamphlet about Aptos Village reads: Not so long ago there were hundreds of Aptos Indians still living and working in this area. Ralph Mattison, banker, tells of seeing them camped on the beach and remembers his father giving them cheese and milk...

Throughout California there are discussions about how to address the significant affordable housing crisis. Recent academic and industry studies done on home affordability have shown that in some coastal communities less than a quarter of people earn enough income to be able to purchase a home in their community and many can’t afford rising rents. Seniors are struggling to stay in the homes they own with an overall rising cost of living. Santa Cruz County is no exception.

A year ago my update showed the median sales price in Aptos at $935,000.

It’s that time of year again for our annual article on end of year financial tasks to complete. It’s hard to believe that 2018 is already drawing to a close as it just seems like yesterday we were celebrating New Years! In between festivities, take a few minutes to knock off a couple financial “to-do’s.”

As we head into the rainy season it’s always good to do some advance preparations for your home or business. The county is still making repairs to storm damage that occurred just two years ago, which caused more than $129 million in damage to public roads and facilities in the unincorporated county.

Last month we wrote about a couple of year-end money moves to make. Now that we’ve rung in the New Year, below are a couple of areas to look to fine-tune your financial life for 2018.

I recently listened to Michelle Obama’s book, Becoming. I was fascinated by her life and the depth of skills and experience she had before becoming the First Lady.

Raising children can be one of the most rewarding experiences in life. It is also very costly.

The oldest baby boomers (those born in the year 1946) began turning age 70.5 in summer of 2016 and have begun taking required minimum distributions (“RMDs”) under IRS guidelines for at least one if not two tax years now (2016 and 2017). The rules surrounding RMDs can be confusing and mistakes can be costly. Below are a few tips to keep in mind when managing your RMDs.

The coronavirus pandemic has created a lot of uncertainty and has also put financial plans to the test. As we continue to navigate these tumultuous times, it’s important to continue to have a game plan in place for things we can control to help...