Monthly Archives: November 2018

Membership Dues Change as of 7/1/17

Posted on by

Many NAMI South Bay members have membership renewals around the start of the calendar year. Early last year, the NAMI national board of directors voted to add a Household membership category to the membership structure and raise the dues for existing categories. These changes were effective on July 1, 2017. NAMI South Bay is required to follow the new membership structure.

The new membership rates are as follows:

  • Household $60. For multiple people at one address.
  • Individual $40.
  • Open Door $5. Open to anyone experiencing financial constraints.

If there are multiple people at your address who wish to join NAMI you have many options.

  1. Each person may join as an Individual or Open Door member or
  2. One person at the address may join as an Individual or Open Door member or
  3. All people at the address may join as part of one Household membership.

NAMI South Bay will no longer support a “Newsletter Only” membership category because it is not supported by NAMI National. “Newsletter Only” members whose memberships expired July 1, 2017 can rejoin using one of supported membership categories. Those whose memberships expire after July 1, will have their memberships converted to one of the supported categories.

NAMI California 2019 Conference

Posted on by

The annual NAMI California Conference will be in Southern California in late spring with many informative workshops and resources. The conference will be held at the Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa, 900 Newport Center Drive, Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1, 2019.

The 2019 NAMI California Conference introduces tracks that represent key topic areas and critical information: Young Adults; Criminal Justice; Providers; Consumers & Families; Advocacy; Engaging in Diverse Communities.

Mark your calendar and plan on attending. Super Early Bird Registration ends January 7, 2019.

Meeting Tonight – Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts

Posted on by

Our general meeting will be in Faith Hall at the First Lutheran Church. 2900 Carson Street, Torrance, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Our Family Support Group will meet at 6 p.m.in the room off of Faith Hall.

Our guests will be Karen Holt, an estate attorney presenting information on Special Needs Trusts, and Marc Ang, Financial Advisor, joining her to discuss ABLE accounts.

A special needs trust is a specialized trust that allows the disabled beneficiary to enjoy the use of property that is held in the trust for his or her benefit while at the same time allowing the beneficiary to receive essential needs-based government benefits. Ms. Holt will review the needs and issues regarding special needs trusts, government benefits and requirements. Because of the restrictions on how much income and assets a person can have while receiving government benefits the use and structure of a special needs trust is very important. The special needs trust can be a valuable tool for family members to consider supporting their loved one.

An ABLE account (Achieving a Better Life Experience) is a relatively new type of tax-advantaged savings account available in several states that an eligible individual can use to pay for qualified disability expenses. The eligible individual is the owner and designated beneficiary of the ABLE account.