When this Thanksgiving arrives, the lucky ones among us know just where we’ll go for the big gathering and how we’ll contribute to the celebration. Thanksgiving is an important family time. And, those friends who have been invited to join us are our honorary family members. Besides the food, the conversations, and the hugs, it is the people we cherish the most, like our favorite uncle who dozes off all too quickly in front of the television, and our chatty aunt who c

Well, we are in the second to last month of 2025! Where has the time gone? How has your year been? There have been so many life events globally, nationally, and within our own city this year. It is hard to believe we have made it to November. In November, the days continue to shorten, the air feels crisper, and many of us have started to prepare for family gatherings, meals, and the rituals that close out the year. At the same time, our calendars are filled to the brim

Scouts visiting antique cars with CFO Morgan Carter. From left, Christian, Ari, Phineas, Alex, Braden, Owen, and Noah. On a Thursday afternoon last month, a group of scouts from Scout Troop 223 visited the Gooding Christie’s Classic Car Auctions in Santa Monica to have their Career Trip. These scouts, Christian, Ari, Phineas, Alex, Braden, Owen, and Noah arrived at the office. Once they were in the conference room, they were greeted by Morgan Carter, the VP of the compan

Picture 250 smiling children’s faces, each wide-eyed, as most of them were seeing the Santa Monica Pier, the beach, and the ocean for the first time ever in their young lives. Each of their chaperones, equally eager to enjoy this free trip of a day at the Pier, had smiles and wide eyes almost as stunning as the children’s. Our October 11th Youth Day on the Pier fully defined the word “joy.” As we head into the month of November, in which we are all reminded to be thankful

Congratulations! You made it this far – you set up your Trust. But, are all your assets in the Trust? Transferring assets into the name of your Trust is called “funding.” The estate planning attorney does his part – advising and drafting your Trust and other Estate Plan documents, maybe even including a Trust Transfer Deed to transfer real property (typically your home) into the name of the Trust. The rest of the funding is up to you. You have to make the request at

Oliver Forster, CBS cameraman, was checking with Claire, the dinosaur, who had been returned to her home in the Sinclair Gas Station. In early October, I stopped on the way home to get gas at the Sinclair station on 26th Street and San Vicente Boulevard. John Fawcett, owner of the station, came to my car window, and stated, “You should do a story on Claire, the dinosaur. About ten days ago, she was stolen. And, then she was returned this past weekend, taped up in a bag, wi