Columns

Our Santa Cruz County court will soon begin our process of interviewing and selecting our 2024-25 Civil Grand Jury, and we hope you will consider applying. Serving on the grand jury is a tremendous opportunity to support our local community and to contribute to the...

The sun’s out, the weather is getting warmer, so let’s step outside more. Natural sunlight can provide you with vitamin D, an essential vitamin for healthy bones and a strong immune system. Outdoor training tends to help boost your motivation and can offer a nice...

Coming from a meeting with a client in Scotts Valley today, I saw a really well designed dry creek bed. I didn’t get a picture today, but I’ll go back, it was that good. How will this year’s La Niña affect our rainfall? According...

“In a recent nationwide survey of working age Americans, 79% agree that the nation faces a retirement savings crisis…more than half of Americans (55%) are concerned that they cannot achieve financial security in retirement.” —Dan Doonan, Forbes Do not buy stocks because market timing feels...

There’s a huge misconception that in order to have a strong body and be in better shape, it takes hours a day every week in the gym while being on a broccoli and boiled chicken diet. That’s the farthest thing from the truth.  You just...

“The Urban Institute found that for 65 to 74 year olds, the percentage that held a traditional mortgage rose from less than 30 percent in 1989 to more than 40 percent in 2019…Median mortgage balances were just under $100,000.” When homeowners reach roughly age 55,...

With staged propaganda at partisan conventions, both parties hide from federal or Social Security deficits they caused. With local Democratic victory inevitable, consider character and creed, foreign policy and social justice all philosophically and vote boldly on principle! Behold: the CFP as economist advising you!...

Summer is supposed to feel lighter. Longer days, warmer weather and maybe even a break in routine. But for many people, summer brings a different kind of pressure—one that can lead to a sneaky form of burnout. At TherapyWorks, we see it all the time....

As the weather heats up and summer swings into full gear, Scotts Valley is buzzing with activity. The parks are alive, the music is playing and our local shops are filled with that energy only summer can bring. But with the sunshine comes a...

Some Santa Cruz Mountain residents have taxes so simple they fit on form 1040 alone—wages and pensions—and they don’t need an alphabet to complicate their taxes. The IRS divides income into three “baskets”—ordinary, capital gains and passive—and discourages offsetting losses from one basket from...