We hear the horror stories daily. Equifax, Yahoo, IRS, Sony Kaiser have been hacked. The identities of thousands of individuals are stolen every day. It’s bad enough, when we lose our personal information to cyber thieves through negligence of our own, but we must also contend with trusted corporate and other sources being hacked seemingly on a regular basis.

Dear Friends & Colleagues,My friend and colleague Robert Keebler, CPA/PFS warns that when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st, those with big stock holdings may be out of luck!When selling or gifting stock, we have always been able to pick and choose those with the highest basis, to reduce potential capital gains taxes (or realize losses).Things are about to change.

One of the most basic of patients’ rights is the right to privacy. They can decide to whom, when, and what extent their health information is disclosed, including medical diagnoses, treatments, prescriptions, insurance, and clinical research and mental health records.

SB139 is a new law taking effect this year that will allow doctors to prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients. If someone is diagnosed as terminally ill with six months or less to live, the individual may now choose to end his or her life, foregoing their last days that could be filled with the patient’s agony, family trauma, and costly hospital bills.