by Dennis Beaver | alarm system, consumer, debt collection
June 25, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver I’m often asked, “How do you get your story ideas?” Sometimes, as with 80-year-old “Mr. Albert,” they literally walk in the front door. Anyone who has an alarm system for their home or office will find his story valuable. Mr. Albert is...
by Dennis Beaver | auto insurance, auto repair, BBB, business, contracts, warranty
Don’t buy an extended auto warranty unless you can first read the contract (and have it reviewed by a mechanic). Some third-party providers are scams, using high-pressure sales tactics and misleading BBB ratings to sell coverage that might not be all that...
by Dennis Beaver | attorney fees, lawyers
February 13, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver The older we become, the more we understand “Life doesn’t come with an instruction manual,” including work, marriage, raising kids, and until recently, hiring a lawyer. As far as hiring a lawyer is concerned, that’s all changed, as...
by Dennis Beaver | business, leadership
April 21, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “I am manager of the Trust Department in a branch of a small, Midwest bank. Our newly appointed Regional Manager has changed the bank’s money-management strategy, getting clients into vehicles which generate large fees for the bank at...
by Dennis Beaver | animal control, technology
March 03, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Does this situation sound familiar? You are out for a walk. Suddenly, you hear a dog — at first barking loudly — then growling, snarling and, with each second, getting louder and way too close. Visions...
by Dennis Beaver | homeowner's insurance, insurance, insurance claim, mediation, property damage, public adjuster
January 16, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver “Filing your insurance claim after a wildfire is emotionally draining and should be done sooner rather than later to ensure your place in line is held,” says Los Angeles-based Karl Susman, an insurance broker for over 30 years. He...
by Dennis Beaver | education
December 10, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In our last two columns, we focused on the role of the school resource officer in junior high and high schools. To briefly review, an SRO is a law enforcement officer assigned to a school campus in a...
by Dennis Beaver | business, investment, lawyers
June 14, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver (If You Love to Cook, Don’t Open A Restaurant!) It is the American dream – successfully running your own business. But are you able to? Do you know the major errors which virtually assure failure? Friends of this column know...
by Dennis Beaver | accounting, business, patent
February 10, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver It is more than the American dream. Many would say that it is our birthright: starting a business. “Regardless of what kind of business,” observes Bakersfield-based CPA Michael Stevenson. “The risk of failure should always be kept...
