Have you thought about your personal definitions for “success” and “failure”? Maybe you see success as a destination, like winning a race. You look forward to crossing the finish line, being declared the winner, having the prize of recognition in the present moment, as well as future acclaim and rewards -- all because you made the right moves! Under the same model, failure could be seen as getting off on a dead-end side street, having to retrace your steps and suffer lost time. Even if others remain politely silent, you and your self-criticism agree that the path taken has turned out to be a “not-so-smart move.” Mistakes appear as “hard lessons” that bring the pain of guilt and regret. M

Learn more about California’s new Homeowner Bill of Rights To update the June 1 article about foreclosure options, homeowners will want to find out about important rule changes that will take effect Jan. 1, 2013. The new legislation signed into law on July 11 is referred to as a “Homeowner Bill of Rights,” and makes California the first state in the nation to expand upon provisions of the National Mortgage Settlement. Rather than try to explain the details and specific benefits, which essentially address areas of conflict and unfairness, this article will provide four major resources for homeowners to get the information that focuses on their particular circumstances. 1. See Governor Br

By Kaushik Ranchod Question: Could you give Sacramento homeowners some tips on how to lower their property taxes?  Good question – actually this was a recent question I was asking myself when I got a tax bill that looked like it needed some verification as to its accuracy. So I went looking for some resources for a deeper understanding of my property tax and what was involved in the dispute process. After calling the assessor’s office, I found out about requesting an assessment pursuant to Proposition 8. This would allow the assessor to take into consideration factors that may have caused a decline in the current market value. Indeed, after requesting a reassessment, there came by mail

Welcome to another edition of the "Wake-Up Call," a rundown of items that we're working on, found interesting, or otherwise thought you might want to know about today. As is always the case here at Sac Press, suggestions are welcome. THINGS WE’RE WORKING ON SACRAMENTO’s REVOLVING DOOR: A recent Sacramento County grand jury report found that two former Sacramento city managers negotiating on behalf of a trash disposal company made some city employees feel intimidated, leading to a contract that a Sacramento Bee editorial said showed “gross incompetence and shocking indifference to the issues of ratepayer costs or basic fairness in public contracting.” City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby to

Surveys indicate that, as a general continuation of cost-cutting in everyday life expenses, vacationers will be spending less in terms of travel and lodging. So how do you get in on the best deals in keeping with this frugal trend? Here are a few suggestions for anyone looking for ways to get maximum value for your vacation dollars by using right “keywords” in internet searches. Three examples of queries with keywords that give suggestions for vacation savings and extra fun 1) Be specific about the name of the location where you’ll be spending your vacation. For instance, for anyone coming to the Sacramento, Central Valley area, you can search online by using a search term like: a. “tip

Before I delve into the question "Can debt collectors contact me at work?" I want to start off our discussion by asking the following question: Do you have a plan of action to take when confronted with a debt challenge? What is a debt challenge? It’s the temporary inability for whatever reason to make a debt payment on time, in the full amount due, or according to an existing debt repayment plan. Isn’t that what happens when you have to miss a payment or cannot pay the full amount owed on the due date? We all have changes in our financial circumstances, which means ups and downs. When a financial situation changes so that you are unable to pay all your creditors, this temporary situati

Question: The state of the global economy, and the Sacramento job market has me worried about my financial security. Do you have any suggestions about how to stop worrying about money? Answer: Fortunately, you can solve your financial security issues by observing your emotions and worry. I know, I know, this answer sounds flippant! I’m certainly not belittling the financial struggles and hardships people now face for all of the above reasons, but before you stop reading this article, please consider this about the activity of worrying: Worrying means you are not living in a fantasy of projected wealth promises that things will be fine “just around the corner.” Worry, in controlled dose

WEEK 1 OF 3: HOW PRINCIPLES OF BALANCE in Nature Can Be Applied to Personal Finances – Do you have a favorite place or activity where you get your best bright ideas? For some people it is the shower – for me it is watering the garden. It’s a simple act of giving the plants what they need – water. If I don’t water them (and if it doesn’t rain, which, here, is almost a sure thing), they will not survive. Since watering isn’t a complex task, it’s easy to use this time to think and just allow my mind wander through the free-for-all place of ideas where it is easy, almost predictable to come upon ideas that have value in practical life scenarios. For instance, a recent “watering contemplati

Another way of asking this question is “how does one get things done when there are plenty of reasons to avoid getting them done?” I don’t think there’s one person who is obtaining debt relief who finds the necessary document and data collection and its organization a particularly delightful task. Applying for a short sale, debt settlement and Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy requires important financial documentation that is required for debt relief. That’s why many people put off doing the necessary things, sometimes waiting for the last minute or even miss a deadline because they find the project unpleasant, even stressful. But the actions that take you from debt overwhelm to financ

Seeking information can be dangerous – as anyone who has ever opened an email with a virus can attest. Valuable information is best when it’s local and timely, when it addresses real-life concerns and comes from a trusted source. And it doesn’t hurt if it comes packaged so it is easily consumed – meaning in a format that is handy and “hits the spot.” That’s what I was thinking when I decided to start this weekly question-and-answer “Financial News” – as a reader who wants to share timely information about financial issues I find newsworthy and trustworthy. And since this is the first article of the series, I will ask the first question, which we imagine to be: What do readers really want

Many patrons come to the law library and Civil Self-Help Center because they have been sued by a credit card company. A sizable percentage of these people tell us that there must be some mistake—they hired a company to settle all their debts for them, so how can they be sued? Unfortunately, “debt settlement companies” frequently promise far more than they can deliver. These companies actually have no power to prevent lawsuits. They offer to negotiate settlements for consumers, often charging a hefty fee for the service, but they cannot force a creditor to accept their offer. The consumers often end up worse off than they would have been without the debt settlement company’s “help.” Risky

The company that sold plastic wristbands with bold claims of health benefits and then bought the naming rights for the arena where the Sacramento Kings play (or would be playing if there wasn’t currently an ongoing labor dispute) has filed for bankruptcy, according to reports. Power Balance, who sold the completely useless trinkets for as much as $30 a pop, recently settled a $57.4 million dollar class-action lawsuit with its customers for false advertising. Under terms of the agreement, anybody who was foolish enough to pay for a Power Balance Bracelet can get their money back plus up to $5 to cover the costs of shipping and handling. A spokesman for the Kings was quoted in the Sacramen

Q: I didn’t pay my student loans. My $20,000 in student loans is now up to $90,000. I am on unemployment. What is going to happen? A: This is a tough situation for people. You go to school and borrow money with the expectation that you will be able to pay it back when you get a job. And when the economy goes south, many people lose the ability to pay their student loans. So, what do you do? Unlike credit cards or personal loans, student loans generally are not dischargable in bankruptcy. That means you cannot get rid of the debt solely by filing for bankruptcy and moving on with life. You are going to have to pay them back. Your first shot should be a deferment. If you are not working,

 *   You have likely heard the old joke that lab rats are being replaced by lawyers because the lab workers do not get emotionally attached to lawyers.  Or the one about a thousand lawyers being chained together at the bottom of the ocean being a “good start”.  As these jokes (and the hundreds of others) show, lawyers have a bad reputation.  Personally, I have never had the need for one and only know a few, and I have worked pretty hard at maintaining the status quo on both of those points.  It seemed to me that lawyers are for people who live near secret toxic waste dumpsites.  Recently, my work helping small businesses with marketing led me to a local Law Firm and Real Estate company