5943 E. McKellips Road, Suite 106

I am tired of reading articles denigrating public worker pensions. Let’s get one thing straight; teachers, policemen, firefighters and municipal workers did not crash the economy. It was crashed by unregulated banks and financial institutions with the blessings of Congress, who were later rewarded with bailouts while middle-class Americans bore the brunt.

It probably doesn’t show up on your calendar, but May is Disability Insurance Awareness Month. And you might agree that such a month is useful, when you consider the following:

Travelers accustomed to chain eateries like Chili’s and Paradise Bakery now have a chance to experience local offerings such as Cowboy Ciao, La Grande Orange and Barrio Cafe at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.

Arizona’s economic recovery is flattening out statewide, with job growth outside the Phoenix metro area for this year and next predicted to be anemic.

With the onslaught of Oscar contenders that debuted last November, there’s a good chance that a little-seen indie gem, “Starlet,” managed to fall off your radar during its short, theatrical run. Winner of the Special Jury Prize at the 2011 SXSW film festival, “Starlet” explores the unlikely friendship between a cheerful, aspiring actress (played by the winsome Dree Hemingway) and a cantankerous, elderly widow (the late Besedka Johnson).

Arizona's economic recovery is flattening out statewide, with job growth outside the Phoenix metro area for this year and next predicted to be anemic.

Students ambassadors from the Everest College Phoenix Mesa campus hopped to help the Easter bunny this year by providing more than 100 Easter baskets for children at Cardon Children’s Medical Center. This marks the fourth year in a row that the Everest College Phoenix Mesa campus has helped to give the children at the medical center a surprise on Easter morning.

If you work for an employer who offers a benefits package that includes life insurance and disability income insurance, consider yourself fortunate. But you can’t necessarily consider yourself fully protected. And if you don’t have appropriate life and disability insurance, your long-term financial goals could be at risk.

Gov. Jan Brewer signed legislation Monday making it easier for police to arrest those who remain on someone else's property.

Here’s a sobering statistic: 46 percent of workers surveyed had little or no confidence that they will have enough money to live comfortably throughout their retirement years, according to the 2010 Retirement Confidence Survey, issued by the Employee Benefit Research Institute. So you may want to explore all possible retirement savings vehicles —including a variable annuity.

The national law firm of Quarles & Brady LLP announced that 22 of its local attorneys have been named by Southwest Super Lawyers magazine as among the top 5 percent of attorneys in Arizona for 2013. Included among them is Jon E. Pettibone, who is both an Ahwatukee resident and office managing partner for the firm. Pettibone’s practice experience includes advising management on labor and employment strategies and representing it before federal and state courts and agencies, before arbitrators and in collective bargaining.

Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve (ESGR), a Department of Defense operational committee, announced that three Arizona employers have been selected as semifinalists for the 2013 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award.

"Oblivion” is another movie that seems better suited for a video game than a motion picture. Watching the characters engage in endless shoot outs and explore vast, abandoned terrains, all you want to do is get your hands on a controller. Since a movie is unequipped with game play, though, you’re forced to sit back and merely observe the story. Then again, most modern video games have more three-dimensional characters and smarter plots than “Oblivion.” This science fiction mystery from director Joseph Kosinski isn’t completely without some good ideas, elevating it above “Transformers” schlock. It’s just unfortunate those ideas never meld into anything that intriguing.

The number of children being taken into Child Protective Services’ custody continues to escalate each year in Arizona, but the minors are not the only concern. After age 18, college-bound individuals who were essentially raised in the system still need the support — like any young adult — to have a successful future.

Next week, we observe Earth Day. First celebrated in 1970, Earth Day has grown into an international movement whose goal is to raise awareness of the need to take action to sustain a healthy, sustainable environment. You can do your part through recycling and other measures, but you can also apply some of the lessons of Earth Day to your financial situation — and, in particular, to your approach to investing.

Saying there are technical problems with the proposal, Gov. Jan Brewer vetoed legislation Friday which would have allowed individuals to shop around for the best price on health care needs.

In my 55-plus years as a native of Arizona, our state has always been pragmatically independent and conservative. Only lately has the pragmatism been replaced by dogmatic ideology. This ideology has become more hostile and prominent recently and unfortunately was brought to the forefront immediately before the Holy Days leading up to Easter. It is unfortunate that the vitriolic speak that Maricopa County GOP Chairman Mr. LaFaro chose when speaking at a legislative committee was to compare our governor with Judas’ betrayal of Jesus. It is my opinion that supporting Medicaid expansion to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level does not amount to equating Gov. Brewer to Judas.

Our practice is filled with sadness to hear of the passing of Eddie Basha. Eddie has been a friend of ours for almost 40 years. He was an integral part of the decision to locate our practice in Chandler and he will be missed greatly. As a Chandler Hospital board member, Eddie spearheaded fundraising efforts community-wide to bring up-to-date equipment to the hospital and our OB/GYN patients in 1976. As we all know, his philanthropy continued throughout his life.

There has been an enormous amount of conversation about the federal Affordable Care Act since its passage three years ago, and sadly there has been a great deal of misinformation conveyed.

Wyndsong Designs, an exhibitor at the April 6 and April 20 MACFests in downtown Mesa, is owned and operated by Karin “Kai” Sullivan. She has been a Master Beader, with a focus on spiritual semi-precious wearable art, for more than 30 years. Recently, Kai discovered polymer clay.

State lawmakers gave final approval Thursday to legislation designed to let Arizonans shop around for the least expensive CAT scan, hip replacement or even routine physical.

The highly anticipated opening of Chick-fil-A in Ahwatukee Foothills, at 5035 E. Ray Road, has been postponed after the death of franchise owner and operator Ted Christy.

If you own a business, you may well follow a “do it now” philosophy — which is, of course, necessary to keep things running smoothly. Still, you also need to think about tomorrow — which means you’ll want to take action on your own retirement and business succession plans.

Gov. Jan Brewer is making a bid this week to salvage part of what's left of the law she signed in 2010 aimed at illegal immigration.