Guest Columnist

Karen Hibble is co-executive director of the Aptos Chamber of Commerce.

A couple of months ago we wrote about some of the major changes taking place with the passage of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act last December. However, this month we wanted to focus on two aspects in particular and how you may be able to utilize some of the changes for your benefit.

Gena Rea Timmons is shown on the right. Aptos History Museum archives

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.

Santa Cruz County Supervisor Zach Friend holds his son Elliott while speaking at the Aptos Chamber of Commerce's monthly breakfast meeting on Jan. 11. Friend touched on topics such as transportation, traffic and housing, mentioning that residents have to earn $70,000 a year to afford a two-bedroom apartment in Santa Cruz County. He encouraged residents to get involved and "choose the type of community you want," rather than pass on responsibility to future generations. "You may feel like, individually, you cannot make a significant difference on the way the community's trajectory will go," Friend said. "But I also know that if each one of us even did something small, the sum of all of those things will be more change than any of us would ever have been able to envision." Friend was also recently appointed chair of the Board of Supervisors. Photo by Jeanie Johnson

It’s May already and you know what that means… Pomp and Circumstance playing and kids in their caps and gowns graduating from high school and college and moving into the next phase of their life.

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.

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...

In 2019, the average sales price for single-family homes was $1,117,353 and the median sales price was $1,000,000. This compares to 2018, where the average was $1,195,194 and the median was $1,008,000, so an ever-so-slight downtick in price in 2019. But, the volume was...

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.