Over the past five years, the Albuquerque Journal Editorial board has done a thorough job of exposing the failures of bail reform in New Mexico.  Initially, the Journal staff was in complete support of replacing secured bail with the current “catch and release system” being used by judges around this state.  However, as things began to implode and the truth be told, the Journal appears to be taking a more critical stance.

Bail reform was very aggressively brought to New Mexico by the late Supreme Court Justice Charles Daniels and Attorney Artie Pepin. The rallying cry from them was that 30-40% of county jail inmates were in custody simply and only because of an inability to post...

‘Layin’ it on the line’

You’ve worked hard all your life, played by the rules, only to have most of your nest egg wiped out due to something you could NEVER have controlled.

For most pre-retires and retirees, the #1 concern is fear of running out of money in retirement! What options do we have as we wonder whether Social Security will be around, and the days of pensions being gone?

It’s important to note that we are focusing on our “retirement years”, because we may still have time to make up for any losses in our younger working years. Working longer may no longer be an option when we are older, and our health may be compromised.

Here is the retirement strategy most...

‘Layin’ it on the line’

“Despite their increasing influence, women remain largely ignored by the financial industry. It’s time for them to educate themselves, take control of their money, and insist on better treatment from their wealth advisors.” — Lawrence Castillo



Although women now control 2/3 of global household finances and 40% of all wealth, they remain much less confident than their male counterparts when making money decisions.

If you are a woman, especially single, widowed, or divorced, you will have to work harder to gain the same financial confidence as your male counterparts. This is especially true when you realize that “gender-neutral” solutions...

‘Layin’ it on the line’

“You spent a long time locating the perfect financial advisor. But, are you prepared for the day when that advisor can no longer assist you with your retirement portfolio?”— Lawrence Castillo

If your advisor died or was incapacitated, do you know who would step in to handle your account? Nearly everyone who has begun the task of crafting their ideal retirement has probably had this question in the back of their mind.

It is a necessary, albeit uncomfortable, conversation for you to have with your advisor. When you realize that 73% of all advisors and agents do not have succession plans in place, you can see that it’s a talk you must have with the...