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Golden rules for going into business in 2019
April 19, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver “I work both in sales and as a tech for a mid-west technology company. As an hourly employee, I can see the potential for going out on my own and earning far more than what I am currently being paid. “Today, with so much business,...
Got a red-light camera ticket, but weren’t driving?
May 11, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver Last week we told you about Alex, our Selma reader who received a red-light camera ticket in the mail, weeks after he and relatives — driving to a family reunion in San Diego — had briefly stopped along the way for lunch. “My license...
Got light?
December 07, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Today we're going to take a look at warrantees and guarantees in a very different way. More than just a discussion of the law, thanks to an interesting question from a reader, we've also got a highly...
Got stage fright? Here’s how to overcome it
December 5, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “The retirement planning firm I work for has just begun holding seminars where various strategies are discussed with an audience of, usually, around 50 people. My problem is stage fright. “I’ve been reading your columns for years...
Got trees? Factor in costs
April 1, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “Often homeowners and commercial property owners do not understand the importance of maintaining vegetation — primarily trees — and this is especially important if they have neighbors whose homes or offices could be damaged by falling...
GPS tracking and the eternal triangle
February 05, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Today's story has all the elements for an episode of "Desperate Housewives," and began two years ago, when I was introduced to "Dr. Sandy," an extremely handsome, well-respected surgeon in Fresno. "A...
Grandma Susie and the bill collector
July 01, 2006 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In 1998 Grandma Susie and her husband hired a paralegal to file a bankruptcy. Hospital bills which insurance did not cover left them no choice. When informed that the necessary papers had been filed with the...
Guilt propaganda pressures elderly to invest
November 10, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In 2008-2009, when the stock market crashed, so many people who were either close to or in retirement not only lost their shirt, but also their self-confidence, trust in their own decisions, respect from...
Hats off to the FDIC! They’re from the government and here to help
October 11, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver There are a lot of people–especially older Americans–who do not trust, or just do not want to have their retirement funds at risk of loss in the stock market. And so they place their money in various accounts at banks insured by the...
Have a great idea? Beware of invention promotion firms
February 22, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver Late-night TV is packed with commercials for companies that promise to help inventors patent and market their idea or product. Having seen those ads for the past 15 years he has been a patent attorney in Bakersfield, Jim Duncan...
Have a rainy day fund for your business
July 17, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver “We have all heard of the importance of a ‘Rainy Day Fund’ for such things as being out of work for a period of time or facing an expensive car repair, ‘Amy’ wrote. “But I have never heard of anything similar for a business and...
Have a structured settlement, but need cash now?
March 12, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver In 2008 - around the time our economy went into a tailspin - anyone watching TV, surfing the Net, or listening to radio online or over the air began to hear the words "structured settlement." We'll define the...
Have you been duped?
March 22, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver At one time or another we have all wondered if the person we are speaking with is on the level. Some of us are good at spotting fakes and cons, while others get scammed repeatedly--financially, emotionally, in life and love. Why? Is...
Have you been told to sign an apartment lease of a friend or parent?
May 21, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Have you been told you must sign as a tenant on an apartment lease of a friend or parent? Wait! We may be able to save you thousands of dollars in rent which you should not be paying and prevent damage to your...
Having a lawyer on a monthly retainer
October 29, 2009 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Part 2 Last week we answered questions submitted by Kingsburg readers who were about to purchase an office cleaning and maintenance business. At the urging of their wives, they asked You and the Law: l Do we...
Having a lawyer on a monthly retainer – Part 3
November 08, 2009 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver If you know anyone who has had an auto accident and is considering hiring a lawyer, today's story could easily save them thousands of dollars — money which would otherwise improperly go into the pockets of...
He wants you to lie? Don’t pay the lawyer’s bill
August 06, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver More illegal aliens have been deported than ever before - close to a million in the past three years - according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement figures. But on occasion, with a showing of extreme...
Hearing damage doesn’t always come from industrial work
July 21, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver The Firestone Grill family of restaurants in Cambria, San Luis Obispo, Fresno and Bakersfield has been voted by customers as having hands-down the best BBQ, tri-tip, burgers, fries, onion rings and salads found anywhere on the planet...
Help For Struggling Lawyers (When Cinderella Wasn’t Invited to the Ball)
November 8, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver Up until the Great Recession, if you were warm, breathing, graduated from law school, and passed a Bar exam, finding a relatively good paying job as a lawyer was almost a given. This was true even if you didn’t own a professional...
Help for victims of dishonest lawyers
November 21, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver “There are few things as dangerous to the public as a lawyer seduced by money, and instead of helping clients, rips them off,” Los Angeles-based attorney Lori Meloch firmly maintains. As director of the State Bar of California...
Helping to make business’ a little more honest–The BBB
June 8, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver Recently, as clients came into our office, we handed them a sheet of paper and said, “We are going to say the names of three large companies. When you hear each name, please write down the first word that comes to mind about the...
Here’s When a Lack of Credit Card Debt Can Cause You Problems
April 22, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver As you read today’s article, imagine yourself in the shoes of my reader, Dr. Tom, who, like millions of us, has seen customer service vanish at just about every large bank in the country. We begin with a question: When was the last...
Here’s what you don’t know about your retirement account and life insurance
June 7, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver If you or someone in your family has some type of a retirement plan-IRA, pension or life insurance — today’s story has critically important information that many people are completely unaware of and which can result in a financial...
Hidden danger in relying on advice columns
December 13, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Is it safe to rely on the legal or medical advice we read in newspaper or magazine articles? What if, just what if, the columnist submits an accurate story, but changes or omissions in what's printed sends a...
High school teacher accused of racism and pro-police propaganda
June 4, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “I am a tenured high school social studies teacher and also a reserve deputy sheriff. For years I’ve shown students YouTube and training videos of law enforcement encounters that led to violence and shootings. We analyze how they could...
Hiring a contractor or a nightmare?
November 23, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver If you are about to hire a contractor, then today’s story should be of special interest, and we are confident it will minimize the chances of banging your head against a wall while screaming, “Why did we hire this guy?” Helen, who...
Hiring a PR firm? Don’t make these mistakes
July 22, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “My husband, 'Dean,' is looking into starting his own market research company structured very much like part-time jobs he had while in college: phoning people and asking questions about products or services. He would hire college...
Hiring mistakes prove costly to dentists
January 18, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver Today’s story will be of special interest to dentists, beginning with these two questions: --Why are dentists more likely than most other health care professionals to become victims of theft and embezzlement by a trusted employee?...
His Employees Don’t Work ‘For’ Him, But ‘With’ Him
April 8, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, your recent story about the employer who recommended a personal injury law firm to his employees because he liked the firm’s television ads hit a nerve with me. I am involved in something similar that I would like to...
Home-flipping seminar scams are back
December 27, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver They’re back! Free home-flipping seminars are back, and as we wrote slightly more than two years ago, most score high on our Scam-O-Meter, having a single goal: separating the often desperate, generally naive and trusting from...
Home, home on the range
October 21, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver When Cynthia Dias and her fiance, Troy Nunnelee, went out shopping for a new stove in late June, they had no idea that within a matter of weeks the promises made to America by one of its oldest and most...
Honey, I shrunk the menu!
September 30, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver My paralegal, Anne, buzzed me: “You have two readers on the phone who work at a pizza restaurant and found you after reading your article about the near-mutiny at the seafood restaurant where customers considered themselves...
HOT REAL ESTATE MARKET EQUALS ETHICAL CHALLENGE
December 3, 2005 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver At no time in recent memory has the real estate market in the San Joaquin Valley been as hot as it is now. New and re-sale homes, as well as lots suitable for construction bring prices that could hardly have...
How a company won its small claims court case which should have been lost
February 28, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver The closest thing that most of us will ever come to meeting a Judge Judy is by suing or being sued in Small Claims Court. Having served as a pro tem judge in Small Claims Court, I learned that, next to being stopped by a traffic...
How a Simple Clue Unlocked a Workplace Safety Crisis: All We Had to Do Was Listen
A lot of people with hearing issues won't seek help, or they refuse to wear hearing aids. "Nicole" had a very good reason not to wear hers, but figuring out why took some sleuthing. Here's what you can do if you know someone who needs help addressing their hearing...
How a watermelon and patience, changed my life
August 11, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver An East Coast university journalism professor, “Cynthia,” phoned and had a unique request. “Dennis, I use your articles in my classes. Both I and my students want to know more about your personal life, and especially about your...
How about some free money?
April 14, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver "Mr. Beaver, I believe that my father has been the victim of an Internet scam. After Mom died two years ago, Dad has been talking with people in chat rooms all over the world, almost daily. A few months ago, he...
How AI will impact the legal profession and benefit clients?
July 12, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver In over 40 states, attorneys are required to take a continuing legal education (CLE) course in technology and the law, which includes AI, artificial intelligence. I had the pleasure of watching New York attorney James A. Sherer’s...
How an auto insurance company should not act
December 24, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “In June of 2021 you had an hysterical article about a parking lot accident at a Jack in the Box in St. Louis, Missouri that involved a cast of characters suitable for Saturday Night Live,” began an email from ‘Eddie,’ a retired...
How an Elder Law Attorney Can Help Protect Your Aging Parents From Financial Mistakes
If you are worried about older family members or friends whose financial judgment is raising red flags, help is out there — from an elder law attorney. January 6, 2026 • By Dennis Beaver Over the many years I've been in law practice, a client's adult child has more...
How an Expired Passport Thwarted Blackmail (and What Other Important Documents You Should Keep)
September 15, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver If you watched the original The A-Team action-adventure television series in the 1980s or in reruns, one line from that show probably stuck in your memory: "I love it when a plan comes together." I said the same thing to a happy —...
How are you being billed?
September 17, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver Is your lawyer billing honestly for time spent on the case or is the bill being padded? Are there tell-tale warning signs that you are being taken for a ride? In addition to actual attorney bills sent to us by readers, this story...
How Business Owners Can Prepare for a Terminal Diagnosis
April 29, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver Business owners, longtime employees, families — we are all caught up in life’s challenges. Things go along more or less the same day after day, and then, out of the blue, come the words no one ever wants to hear: It’s terminal. “So...
How can I find out who I’m dating?
March 5, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver An increasing number of Americans today are online daters and many of us know someone who has found a spouse or is in a long-term relationship which began this way. Washington, D.C.,-based Pew Research Center released a study finding...
How can we help our orphaned elders?
January 26, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver It is likely that you have never heard of the term “orphaned elder,” but you probably know at least one person who fits the definition. Even going further, your concerns could easily be the very same as those emailed to us from...
How covering for a boss can land you in jail
May 23, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver Is your boss asking you to lie for him, or to cover for the promises he makes to customers that he does not fulfill? Have you told the companies or individuals he owes money that payment has been sent, not to worry, and to deliver...
How do adjusters evaluate auto accident claims?
May 16, 2015 • By Dennis Beaver If you are in the settlement stages of an auto accident, personal injury claim, and are unhappy with your lawyer — because the insurance company’s settlement offer seems very low — please don’t blame the attorney. Based on the past...
How Do Non-Compete Clauses Work? Are They on the Way Out?
November 22, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver Even low-skilled workers are subjected to non-compete clauses, but that could change as lawmakers take them on for restricting mobility and keeping wages low. “My family operates an upscale Italian restaurant, and our employees are...
How family and friends can protect the TBI victims
October 23, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver It was a beautiful day at Malibu, and Sara was having the time of her life, surfing. Only she has no memory of being there after the auto accident, having sustained a TBI - a traumatic brain injury which put her into a coma. Given...
How important is your appearance in court? Part 1
February 21, 2009 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Should a lawyer tell a client how to dress for court, and to threaten to dump that client if the advice is not strictly followed? That was Mike's question, and the answer should be of interest to anyone...
How landlords violate fair housing laws
January 9, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver ‘How much control can a landlord have over the lives of tenants, and especially, tenants who have children? Does owning an apartment house give the owner a right to dictate behavior? And if so, what are the limits?” “I plan to use my...
How long is a ‘lifetime warranty?’
December 31, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver When a business doesn't care about customer service, things go wrong. Most of us only want to be treated fairly, and to receive what we have paid for. That's what Mary Ann Borges of Hanford wanted when she...
How long should a lawyer keep a clients file?
November 30, 2018 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, I am calling you from my lawyer’s office. I came here asking for a copy of my auto accident file,” ‘Randy’ stammered, the degree of frustration in his voice rising with each second. “They told me that he is in a...
How Much Fun Is Too Much Fun When You’re in the Office?
January 27, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver Recently, I received an email from “Ivan,” a young university graduate with a business degree and IT specialization. He and several friends from college established an IT service company in the Midwest, with an eye toward emulating...
How much privacy should college students have?
October 8, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver Today’s story will be of special interest to college students, their parents, and anyone wanting to create a college scholarship and be certain where the money goes. But first, for readers who are over 30, look back over the past few...
How not to conduct a job interview
June 2, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, recently I graduated with top grades from a private, one-year secretarial and office management program, and was sent out on my first job interview to an IT company. It was a Friday and they invited me to join them for a...
How not to deal with difficult people
August 26, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver We’ve all had a co-worker, boss, family member, neighbor – you name it, someone who just makes life miserable. And, who hasn’t pulled out more than a few hairs from total frustration dealing with the chaos they create? Wouldn’t it be...
How not to financially paralyze your children
December 22, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver There is an old saying: “The more you give your children, the more you take away.” Today’s story began with an email from stay-at-home mom “Cindy” and her hard-charging, financially very successful, real estate broker husband,...
How not to sell your business idea in-house
May 27, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver “I work for a business strategy firm that encourages input from employees on ways of expanding our menu of services. Every few months we have ‘Pizza and Proposals Day,’ where employees are encouraged to pitch new marketing programs....
How NOT to treat the victim of an automobile accident
June 1, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver If your auto insurance is with State Farm, today’s story will both make you angry and chuckle at the same time. As you will see, the way in which a State Farm claims adjuster treated 21-year-old Allison Ashbrook of St. Louis, Missouri —...
How safe is your office retirement money?
June 09, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver You are close to retirement and discover that your employer lost almost one-third of the money in the office retirement account. In a conference, he admits to having become greedy, but thought of himself at that...
How safe is your safe deposit box? Answer these questions
November 2, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver If you have a safe deposit box at a financial institution, can you answer these true/false questions? 1. If the contents are destroyed through fire or flood, or broken into, I will be compensated fully by either the institution,...
How storytelling helps lawyers win their cases
November 8, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver Trial lawyers are known for trying cases before juries. But here’s a question for you: “What is the last thing a trial lawyer wants to do?” If you thought, “Lose a case,” that’s one answer, but even before that, what? It is having...
How Swede it is
April 19, 2008 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver "I am a senior at UCLA and my boyfriend (Hans) is a Swedish graduate student who I love and want to marry. Last summer, we visited his hometown — Stockholm — and I just fell in love with Sweden. It is just like...
How technology can prove that mom is sober
December 8, 2017 • By Dennis Beaver “I am 42 years old, have two wonderful teenage girls who I love and can only visit during supervised visitation, as my husband has sole custody,” Angie’s email began. “Can you imagine how painful that is and it is all my doing as...
How the pet groomer almost killed Sylvia’s dog
November 03, 2012(Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Last week we began our look at pet oral hygiene clinics, typically held at grooming facilities by people who, according to The California Veterinarian Medical Board and California Department of Consumer...
How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off by an Alarm Company
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...
How to Avoid Getting Ripped Off by an Extended-Warranty Auto Contract
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 it's claimed...
How to be a smart client
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...
How to be a workplace WIMP
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...
How to deal with noisy or aggressive dogs
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...
How to deal with property insurance claims after wildfires
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...
How to fail as a parent
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...
How to fail in business
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 them only...
How to fail in business – the curse of success
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...
How to fail in your own business
March 22, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver Note: This is the second installment of Dennis Beaver's March 8 column. “Your readers, Dennis, who want this to be the year they go into business for themselves, must have a very good answer to this question: If I fail, what will...
How to fail miserably on the job
March 5, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver We all want to do well on the job, right? But how often do we get ourselves into a real pickle - instead of being thought of as a go to person, stay away from me is tattooed on our forehead. “Nobody wants to be in that category,”...
How to fail Office Politics 101
April 23, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver “Office politics,” says Boston-based Karen Dillon, “is impossible to avoid. But it is manageable if you know what not to do. As author of the Harvard Business Review Guide to Office Politics, Dillon provides a wealth of accessible,...
How to flunk out of law school
March 9, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver Recently accepted by a mid-west law school, “Howard” wrote, “I never really studied much in college, cramming for tests and assume law school will be like that, but my wife tells me I will flunk out if I approach it that way. What do...
How to get arrested
June 18, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, we are worried about our 19-year-old son, 'John.' He drives like a maniac, has been pulled over by the local police several times, but they always give him a warning because I am well known in town. Instead of being...
How to Get Employees to Tell You Like It Is
August 27, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver “Many workplace issues that become unpleasant legal matters can be traced to questions that were not asked and complaints voiced by employees that were not explored,” says Marinor Ifurung, HR consultant with the Southern...
How to get hacked and become an identity theft victim
February 13, 2021 • By Dennis Beaver Hardly a day goes by without a story of a major data breach on a business, government agency or individual. And, like seeing reruns of the same old television series over and over again, I think that most of us grow tired of being...
How to get into trouble with the IRS
October 22, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver Our story will be of special interest to anyone going out on their own, and starting a new business. It’s exciting, a bit scary and can get really scary if you forget all about your “silent partner,” the IRS. “That’s something that...
How to get rid of junk the tenant left behind
December 22, 2012 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Eric and Cindy have never met, but they both have an identical legal problem and contacted You and the Law the same day. Just how do you legally deal with property that has been left behind when a tenant —...
How to handle a homeowners insurance claim
April 2, 2016 • By Dennis Beaver After the first El Nino storm of this year, Doug, a Central California reader phoned in a panic, his trembling voice explaining: “Two days ago a neighbor’s tree crashed into our home, demolishing it, injuring our baby daughter and...
How to keep ‘friends’ away from settlement money
November 29, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, about a year ago I was in a bad auto accident caused by a 17 year old running a red light. I will require at least two operations in the future, keeping me off work for months. After attorney fees and medical bills,...
How to leave your employer, go out on your own and get sued!
November 18, 2022 • By Dennis Beaver "Wanting to learn the ropes from our employer and go out on our own is something that many employees consider," observes Southern California Business attorney Glen Dickinson. Dickinson adds, "And if you go about it the right way, a...
How to legally compete with your former employer
October 23, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver One definition of The American Dream is the chance to go into business for yourself, opening your own shop. Often, this means stepping away from a job held for years. “Indeed, with ability and drive to...
How To Level the Playing Field When Shopping for a New Car
July 5, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver “I am a second year law student doing an internship at a large Los Angeles law firm. A senior partner gave me an assignment of finding the best price on several new cars for the firm, telling me to speak with fleet sales managers at...
How to lose custody of your kids and get arrested in the process
July 25, 2009 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver Chances are that you know someone going through a divorce, or who has never come to terms with that disastrous stage in their lives. If so, today's story might fit in the "clip and save" box, taken out at the...
How to lose your best friend — become roommates
July 27, 2010 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver The trek back to college and university is right around the corner, and that often means having a roommate. Last week we looked at one of the consequences of picking the wrong college roommate - winding up in...
How to lose your shirt investing in a restaurant
August 4, 2023 • By Dennis Beaver “Mr. Beaver, I inherited quite a bit of money from my father recently and have been asked by his much younger brother, “Ben,” (my uncle) to invest in a restaurant he plans on opening. He ran two restaurants that failed, but has...
How to manage sarcastic people on the job or at home
October 9, 2020 • By Dennis Beaver “I recently hired Amy, a 45 year old, knowledgeable insurance broker who brought her clients to us. While competent, we discovered one major flaw; she is horribly sarcastic to everyone on her team, and it isn’t funny, it is hurtful....
How to not become a victim of the lonely hearts club
May 24, 2014 • By Dennis Beaver Last time we told you about Hanford reader, Ted, just out of a 20-year marriage, lonely and looking for love on Plenty of Fish.com. Within minutes of logging on, he was contacted by Karen, also divorced, close to his age, and in...
How To Not Get Hired
April 12, 2019 • By Dennis Beaver Today’s story will of special interest to recent high school and college graduates out looking for full-time job. “If you know what not to do - what not to wear - what not to ask and what not to say, your chances of being hired are...
How to outsmart a crooked landlord
June 11, 2011 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver When home prices began their fall through the floor, it wasn't only homeowners who faced the sudden reality that their house was worth far less than what they paid for it. Many landlords did as well, but for...
How to Protect Yourself and Others From a Troubled Adult Child: A Lesson from Real Life
This case of a violent and entitled adult son whose parents are in denial is an example of the extreme risks some parents face if they neglect essential safety precautions. December 22, 2025 • By Dennis Beaver When the news that legendary director Rob Reiner and his...
How to protect yourself when you caused the accident
April 27, 2006 (Original publish date) • By Dennis Beaver When you cause an accident My daughter was in an auto accident that, according to the police report, was partially her fault. There were serious injuries to occupants of the other vehicle, and I get the feeling...
How to raise a future gang member
October 26, 2013 • By Dennis Beaver What turns a 14-year-old junior high school student into a gang member? Do kids just decide one day to join a gang, or is there a process? More importantly, are there warning signs in a child’s behavior screaming “I am headed down...
How to recognize Social Security, IRS and other scams
April 12, 2024 • By Dennis Beaver “I manage a fulfillment center in the South that assures products ordered on e-commence websites actually reach the customer. “Frankly, I grew tired of hiring 20-somethings for office work, as most of them wasted time on their cell...