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1 week ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
When a family experiences the loss of a parent, the dynamics of a family can shift. It happens so often that I am surprised we don’t have an actual name for it, but I assure you that you are not alone in this experience. Originally Published: May 3, 2025 at 12:19 PM PDT
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2 weeks ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Question: My ex-husband and I finalized our divorce last year. When I contacted the attorney we had used for the past two decades, he said he could not help me update my will because he has a conflict. He said he is working for my ex now and can’t work with me. I guess I should have contacted the attorney sooner because now I am shut out. I had no idea that the attorney would not be able to continue working for me, he was great. Maybe you should warn your readers about this problem.
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3 weeks ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
If you own a home in California, you may have already seen spikes in your homeowner’s insurance or, worse yet, been notified that your insurance carrier will not be renewing your coverage. Due to wildfires, natural disasters and some California insurance laws, more and more insurance companies are just refusing to write insurance for homeowners. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Originally Published: April 19, 2025 at 11:27 AM PDT
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1 month ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
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1 month ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Question: My sister and I stayed with our mom at her home for the last three weeks of her life. When she passed, my sister and I contacted the social security administration, closed her safe deposit box and her post office box. We also took the items of personal property we were entitled to under her trust and cleared out all the old files Mom had. My mom had appointed a professional fiduciary as her trustee.
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1 month ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Question: I will inherit my parents’ home when they go to the great beyond. I am told that I can assume their mortgage – which has a great rate since they are so smart and refinanced when the rates were low. However, with all the problems with getting homeowner’s insurance in California, I am not sure if I can get insurance and, if I can, what the cost will be. Can I also assume their homeowner’s insurance?
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2 months ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Question: I heard you speak recently and you said that “everyone over age 18 should have a will, power of attorney for finances and an Advance Health Care Directive.” I have those documents and have a Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment as well. Do I need both a POLST and an AHCD? Answer: The short answer is that if you are seriously ill and would not want to be resuscitated in a medical emergency, then you should have both documents.
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2 months ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
At a certain time of life people begin to focus their attention on getting their estate planning done. Maybe there was a recent health scare, the birth of a baby or a close scrape that galvanized you to think about your “stuff” and what you want done with it after you are gone. The planning process can be arduous and has the tendency to make us face things we would really rather not – but out of necessity we force ourselves to do the planning. Subscribe to continue reading this article.
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2 months ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Working with a money manager is mostly about relationships and, second to that good relationship is return. Yes, the markets have been performing extremely well for a long time now, but I would submit that the return you are seeing is more about risk tolerance than the knowledge of your manager. Originally Published: March 1, 2025 at 11:08 AM PST
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2 months ago | 
montereyherald.com | Liza Horvath
Question: My mom set up a trust for me and my sister is my trustee. Mom had worked with an attorney and a money manager for the past 20 plus years and my sister was supposed to continue to work with them as my trustee. She did at first, but now she has changed to another lawyer and to her own money manager. Neither the new lawyer nor the money guy will talk with me. I feel like I am iced out of knowing what is going on with the trust that my mom set up for me! What gives?
