SAN DIEGO — 

The founder and Chief Executive of the embattled Inspire charter school network has resigned, Inspire officials have announced.

The resignation of Herbert “Nick” Nichols on Friday comes after seven county superintendents, including those from Los Angeles and San Diego counties, officially requested a state fiscal agency to audit the Inspire network for potential fraud.

Nichols’ resignation is effective immediately, said Chris Bertelli, a spokesman for Inspire. No reason was given for his resignation.

Nichols could not be reached for comment Friday.

“We acknowledge and express our gratitude to him as one of the founders of the Inspire organization,” officials said in emails to Inspire staff and families Friday. “We at the Inspire District Office and the Inspire Family of Schools are dedicated to seeing the true Inspire model and the philosophy behind it continue to impact the children, families, and communities we serve. The schools have a strong group of leaders and teachers that are dedicated to meeting the educational and social needs of our students.”

Nichols has been on an unexplained leave of absence since late September. Inspire announced his leave of absence days after the California Charter Schools Assn., which advocates for and supports charter schools, announced that it had expelled Inspire from its membership.

Steven Lawrence, who has been serving as Inspire’s interim leader while Nichols was on leave, will continue as executive director for the rest of the school year.

Nichols was serving as the executive director of Inspire District Office, a nonprofit corporation that he helped to found that has been collecting 15% of Inspire schools’ revenue and was providing many services to Inspire schools. He was making a $380,000 annual salary, according to Inspire.

Education officials have raised questions about Inspire District Office for its various financial transactions with Inspire schools and corporations affiliated with Inspire.

Since the first Inspire school opened in 2014, the charter network has grown rapidly to include an estimated 35,000-plus students across the state, alarming education officials who question the rapid growth, the San Diego Union-Tribune found in an investigation of Inspire.

Meanwhile, Inspire schools have engaged in heavy cash borrowing with an outside charter school capital firm and with related Inspire corporations.

The superintendents said in their audit request they have reason to believe Inspire engaged in fiscal malfeasance, conflicts of interest, manipulation of enrollment and revenue and other improper activity.

“The concerns regarding Inspire are pervasive across the state, and require immediate attention to prevent further waste of public education dollars and profiting off state apportionment not used to provide a complete and quality education to the students enrolled in the school,” six county superintendents wrote in their letter earlier this month to the Fiscal Crisis Management and Assistance Team, the state agency that audits schools for fraud.

In addition to San Diego, El Dorado, Sutter and Kern counties have authorized Inspire schools in their area. Ventura and Placer counties said Inspire was operating unauthorized resource centers in their areas.

Los Angeles County joined in the request for the audit because Inspire is headquartered in its area and because four Inspire schools are members of its charter special education agency, even though no Inspire school is authorized to operate in L.A. County.

Schools Supt. Paul Gothold of San Diego County also sent the state team a separate letter with additional concerns. San Diego County has two Inspire schools authorized by the Dehesa School District: Cabrillo Point Academy and Pacific Coast Academy.

In a statement earlier this month, interim Executive Director Lawrence said Inspire has “a great deal of respect” for the state fiscal team and is prepared to work with it. Inspire had recently met with the team to request a review, Lawrence said.

“As an organization, we are committed to continual improvement of our practices in order to better serve our students and families,” Lawrence said. “We expect the FCMAT experts will ultimately be able to provide additional guidance and direction that will be useful for all of our schools going forward.”

Taketa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

Du Tu Le, a towering literary figure in Vietnam and in the cities and towns across America where the waves of Vietnamese refugees and immigrants settled after the fall of Saigon, has died at his home in Garden Grove, leaving behind 77 volumes of poetry — one for each year of his life.

Though he grew up in what then was North Vietnam, he was best associated with the south, which eventually fell to communist forces at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Le wrote searingly of love and loss, of loyalty and separation, of longing and, ultimately, death — alternating rhythm, syntax and sensibility.

Born Le Cu Phach on Nov. 10, 1942, in Ha Nam, a province in northern Vietnam, Le started writing poetry early — in 1954, the year his parents moved the family to the south after the signing of the Geneva Accords and his homeland was split into two countries.

In Hanoi in 1958, he began using the pen name Du Tu Le in work printed in Mai magazine.

Le, who also trained as a journalist and took up art later in life, had suffered from colon cancer, but the disease had been in remission for years. His wife, Tuyen Phan, said he died in his sleep Oct. 7 after telling her he was feeling tired. He had just returned from dinner at Song Long, a favorite French Vietnamese restaurant in Orange County’s Little Saigon.

“He was a being who lived intensely, who created intensely, who put his strength and vulnerability into his work, into family and community,” Phan said. “Our lives are deeper, more meaningful having spent it with him, in his aura.”

Fellow poet Nguyen Dang Khoa said he considers Le to be among the finest Vietnamese poets, whose work spanned the upheaval when the country was torn in half and then changed forever by the war.

Le attended college in Saigon. In 1969 he traveled to Indiana to join a journalism class and later served as an editor for Tien Phong, a monthly magazine.

He published in domestic and foreign journals and his verse appeared in both the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times. Khoa said Le diligently focused on updating his work as well as that of other Vietnamese writers. He lectured at Harvard University and for many years made regular appearances at UCLA and Cal State Fullerton.

In 1993, author Neil L. Jaimeson included Le’s poetry in “Understanding Vietnam,” a literary textbook. Le is one of six 20th century Vietnamese poets whose work was selected for the anthology “World Poetry from Ancient Times to Today.”

“He loved interacting with everyone, since he wanted everyone to understand the beauty of poetry,” said Orchid Lam Quynh, his daughter.

Le met Phan when she was a college sophomore. Their romance carried a certain fascination with those in Vietnam’s literary circles, in part because she met him only after sending him a letter dismissing one of his poems as “terrible.” Intrigued, he wrote back, asking what she did for a living.

They began a correspondence that led Le to fly to Hue in central Vietnam, rent a Jeep and scour the college campus in search of his opinionated pen pal. They met, though she cut off contact after learning that he was married. She went on to become a teacher and got married herself. When both of their unions ended, they reunited and married.

Le arrived in the U.S. in 1975, in the first wave of refugees who made their way to America. In his poetry, Le reminisced frequently about his homeland.

Until the end of his life, his wife served as his editor.

“I was always the first to read anything he wrote,” she said. “If it was bad, I told him right away it was bad. I was always direct, no matter if it was his smoking or not eating healthy. He always said: ‘I am sorry, so sorry, Tuyen. I will try to do better.’ How I miss him every hour of the day.”

Le’s death resonated in Little Saigon, where Steve Dao, a graphic artist from the San Gabriel Valley, was among those who visited the neighborhood’s bookstores to pore over Le’s poetry.

“It’s amazing that he lived such a full life and that when he wrote about the cycles in life, we can so easily relate to it,” Dao said. “I am picking up new Vietnamese vocabulary now.”

Bao Bui, a grandmother from Santa Ana, said she owns more than 10 of Le’s books, some of them autographed. “Where truth and art meet, that’s where his work comes alive,” she added. “His word choices can be simple. But you don’t need to say things and be fancy to leave a lasting image.”

Some of Le’s best known work touches on unspeakable grief.

“Please bring me to the sea when I die
The upstream water will push my body away
That’s my country on the other side of the sea
The old bamboo range is forever green …”

Le is survived by his wife, eight children and nine grandchildren.

Stephanie Alison Walker’s “The Abuelas,” now at Antaeus Theatre Company in Glendale, is the kind of play that makes staff dramaturgs earn their keep: so much history to contextualize. A standalone companion to Walker’s “The Madres,” which ran last year at Skylight Theatre, “The Abuelas” dramatizes the repercussions of Argentina’s “dirty war” of 1976-83, when the military junta systematically abducted, detained and murdered an estimated 30,000 Argentine citizens.

Among the desaparecidos (disappeared ones) were pregnant women, who gave birth while chained to tables in detention centers, their babies taken and given to strangers. An activist organization known as the Abuelas (the Grandmothers), has been working for decades to track down these now-adult orphans.

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The story isn’t common knowledge here, so Antaeus has a placard in the lobby summarizing the history of the Abuelas. The program includes a historical essay by dramaturg Ryan McRee. Even though the play begins in contemporary Chicago, we suspect that all this information will soon become relevant.

Gabriela (Luisina Quarleri), a beautiful cellist with the Chicago Symphony, and her husband, Marty (“Castle” actor Seamus Dever), an architect, live in a high-rise overlooking Lake Michigan (an artsy, spacious apartment set-designed by Edward E. Haynes Jr.). Gabriela’s mother, Soledad (Denise Blasor), is visiting from Buenos Aires.

One wintry night (Adam Macias’ projections and Jeff Gardner’s sound make the world outside the windows look and sound very cold), they are preparing Soledad’s birthday dinner. This scene, fluidly directed by Andi Chapman, delicately conveys the family dynamics: Self-dramatizing Soledad and prickly Gabriela are, at once, resentful of and completely wrapped up in each other. Marty, a little sidelined, makes himself useful by cooking and being a good sport.

Soledad has invited a guest, Cesar (David DeSantos), an affable Argentine man she met at the Catholic church. Unexpectedly, he brings a guest of his own, elderly Carolina (Irene De Bari), who is silent and standoffish — until Gabriela comes into the room. Then, Carolina dissolves into hysterics, marvels at how long she has waited for this moment and threatens to faint.

Those who have resolutely ignored every hint so far may not guess where this is heading. The rest of us may find the play’s leisure in getting there frustrating. Because the revelation feels predetermined, you’d expect less time spent working up to it and more on Gabriela’s reaction — how it changes her rapport with her family and her understanding of the world.

These questions do become the focus of the second act, but in a kind of scattershot way, with subplots picked up and then dropped, and a tone that ricochets between naturalism and overwrought fantasy.

“The Abuelas” is the first Antaeus production developed in-house, in its Playwrights Lab — a departure from the company’s specialty, classics. They’ve done it a lot of credit, with a strong cast, lavish design and sophisticated staging. The script still feels a few drafts away from finding its story, the right balance between fact and fiction, but it totally sticks the landing. Try not to cry.

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The Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa announced Saturday that its new president will be Casey Reitz, executive director of New York’s Second Stage Theater and part of the Tony-winning producing team for the 2017 best musical “Dear Evan Hansen.”

Reitz, who succeeds Terrence Dwyer, will begin in December.

Reitz led all administrative, marketing, fundraising and financial efforts for the nonprofit Second Stage, which serves 200,000 people annually. Reitz also led the acquisition, renovation and reopening of Broadway’s 107-year-old Helen Hayes Theater.

From 2006 to 2010, Reitz was director of development at the Public Theater in New York, responsible for generating 70% of the organization’s revenue.

Reitz called the move from New York to Orange County — and from theater specifically to the broader performing arts — “extremely exciting.”

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“It’s just a dream come true,” he said. “When you spend your life in the performing arts the way I have, the idea that one day you can lead and run an organization with the breadth and depth of Segerstrom is really amazing.”

Reitz was selected for the position after a six-month search. Segerstrom Board Chairman Mark C. Perry said in the announcement that Reitz’s “style of collaboration and enthusiasm will serve him tremendously as he works closely with our resident arts partners, devoted patrons and greater Orange County community.”

Segerstrom, Orange County’s largest nonprofit arts organization, has three resident companies: the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, Pacific Symphony and Pacific Chorale. The center also hosts major tours of music, theater and dance in 2,000- and 3,000-seat halls, plus public events on its expansive plaza.

Growing up in Marietta, Ga., Reitz participated in community arts programs from a young age and said he was particularly drawn to Segerstrom’s desire to “reach a broader and more diverse and youthful audience.”

Through Segerstrom’s free programming, he said, he hopes the community can “start discovering different kinds of art forms and different ways that they either want to participate as audience members or maybe as artists themselves in the future.”

Within the first year of his tenure, Reitz said the organization will begin a new strategic planning process “to really figure out how to take it to the next level and how to build and grow on what has already been built.”

Reitz said it was important to “find programs and artworks that provide an entry point for everybody so that everybody feels welcome.”

The Segerstrom Center for the Arts’ 14-acre campus includes not only its own performance spaces but also embraces the independent South Coast Repertory theaters. The Orange County Museum of Art also has broken ground on a new Thom Mayne-designed home on the Segerstrom campus and is expected to open in 2021.

Here is a list of classical music performances in L.A. for Oct. 20-27:

American Youth Symphony Season opener includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, “Pastoral,” plus Joan Tower’s “Sequoia” and Sibelius’ Violin Concerto with violinist Gallia Kastner. Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. Sun., 7 p.m. Free. (310) 470-2332. AYSymphony.org

Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain, Edgar Meyer Banjo player Fleck, tabla player Hussain and bassist Meyer perform. Soka Performing Arts Center, 1 University Drive, Aliso Viejo. Sun., 3 p.m. $35- $75. (949) 480-4278. soka.edu

Javier Camarena The Mexican tenor, accompanied by pianist Angel Rodriguez, makes his LA Opera recital debut with bel canto favorites by Bellini, Donizetti and Rossini plus songs and arias from the Spanish-language repertoire. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sun., 2 p.m. $14-$109. (213) 972-8001. LAOpera.org

Camerata Pacifica Chamber works by Copland, Harbison, Crumb and Bolcom. Museum of Ventura County, 100 E. Main St. Ventura. Sun., 3 p.m. Also at the Huntington, Rothenberg Hall, 1151 Oxford Road, San Marino. Tue., 7:30 p.m.; Zipper Hall, The Colburn School, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Thu., 8 p.m. ; and Music Academy of the West, Hahn Hall, 1070 Fairway Road, Santa Barbara. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $58. (805) 884-8410. cameratapacifica.org

LA Phil with Esa-Pekka Salonen Bartók’s Concerto for Orchestra, the O.C. premiere of Salonen’s “Castor,” and Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto in D featuring violinist Daniel Lozakovich. Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sun., 3 p.m. $48 and up. (949) 553-2422. PhilharmonicSociety.org

LACMA’s Sundays Live Ciaramella Early Music Ensemble performs. St. James’ in the City, 3903 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Sun., 6 p.m. Free. (323) 857-6234. lacma.org

The Light in the Piazza LA Opera presents Renée Fleming, Dove Cameron and Brian Stokes Mitchell in the Craig Lucas-Adam Guettel romantic musical about a woman and her daughter on vacation in Florence, Italy in 1953. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., L.A. Ends Sun., 2 p.m. $29 and up. (213) 972-8001. LAOpera.org

Los Angeles Master Chorale Season opener includes Bruckner’s Mass in F Minor and the L.A. premiere of Golijov’s “Oceana.” Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sun., 7 p.m. $29 and up. (213) 972-7282. lamasterchorale.org

Organic Jacaranda launches its new organ series with organist Ty Woodward, et al., performing works by Duruflé, Dupre, Alain, Hovhaness and Ives. First Presbyterian Church, 1220 2nd St., Santa Monica. Sun., 2 p.m. $10, $55. jacarandamusic.org

Thereminist Carolina Eyck and Sarah Belle Reid The duo performs to mark the release of their new double album “Elegies for Theremin & Voice.” Civic Center Studios, 207 S. Broadway, Suite 1, downtown L.A. Sun., 7 pm. $12-$20. eventbrite.com

Chamber Music Palisades Works by Mozart, Mendelssohn, et al. St. Matthew’s Parish, 1031 Bienveneda Ave., Pacific Palisades. Oct 23. Wed., 8 p.m. $35; students, free. (310) 463-4388. cmpalisades.org

Centennial Birthday Celebration Concert & Gala The LA Phil marks its 100th birthday with a program that includes Wagner’s Overture from “Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg,” Ravel’s “La valse,” Lutoslawski’s Symphony No. 4, Stravinsky’s “The Firebird” Suite, and the world premiere of Daníel Bjarnason’s new work for three conductors featuring Gustavo Dudamel, conductor emeritus Zubin Mehta and conductor laureate Esa-Pekka Salonen. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Thu., 7 p.m. $3,000 and up. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

Quartetto di Cremona Pieces by Verdi and Beethoven, plus the world premiere of local composer Byron Adams’ “Omaggio a Monteverdi.” Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Samueli Theater, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Thu., 8 p.m. $29 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

Alexander Miller: To… Oblivion — Historic Landmarks Around Los Angeles The composer-guitarist uses electric guitar, sound effects and visuals in a new work inspired by six local landmarks. Boston Court Pasadena, 70 N. Mentor Ave. Pasadena. Fri., 8 p.m. $20 and up. (626) 683-6801. BostonCourtPasadena.org

Mehta’s Mahler Mehta lead the LA Phil, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, soprano Kristin Lewis and mezzo-soprano Mihoko Fujimura in Mahler’s Symphony No. 2, “Resurrection.” Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Fri., 8 p.m. $82-$235. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

Psycho The LA Opera Orchestra performs Bernard Herrmann’s classic score to accompany a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s B&W 1960 thriller starring Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh. The Theatre at Ace Hotel, 929 S. Broadway, downtown L.A. $19 and up. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 8 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m.; ends Oct. 31. $20-$124. (213) 972-8001. LAOpera.org

South Bay Chamber Music Society Hollywood Piano Trio plays pieces by Beethoven, Arensky and Haydn. Los Angeles Harbor College, Music Department Recital Hall, 1111 Figueroa Place, Wilmington. Fri., 8 p.m. Also at Pacific Unitarian Church, 5621 Montemalaga Drive, Rancho Palos Verdes. Next Sun., 3 p.m. Free. sbcms.net

Things to do

Dia de los Muertos Celebration Pacific Symphony and its youth orchestra mark the holiday in this kid-friendly presentation. Cal-State Fullerton, Meng Concert Hall, 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. Sat., 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. $15 and up. (714) 755-5799. PacificSymphony.org

An Evening with Lucia Micarelli The violinist and crossover artist joins Long Beach Symphony Pops for an eclectic program. Long Beach Arena, Pacific Ballroom, 300 E. Ocean Blvd., Long Beach. Sat., 8 p.m. $30 and up; students, $10. (542) 436-3203. longbeachsymphony.org

Richard Goode The pianist plays pieces by Bach, Janácek, Debussy and Chopin. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sat., 8 p.m. $23 and up. (949) 553-2422. PhilharmonicSociety.org

Guild Opera Company 70th Anniversary Gala Company members perform classic arias and choruses plus favorite repertoire. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sat., 2:30 p.m. $25-$70. guildopera.org

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Guest conductor Nicholas McGegan leads the orchestra in Schubert’s Symphony No. 6 and Overture from “Der Häusliche Krieg,” plus music from Rameau’s opera “Dardanus,” and Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 19 with pianist Jeremy Denk. Alex Theatre, 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. Sat., 8 p.m. Also at Royce Hall, UCLA, 10745 Dickson Court, Westwood. Next Sun., 7 p.m. $28 and up. (213) 622-7001. laco.org

Salonen & Sibelius Salonen leads the orchestra in Sibelius’s Symphony No. 5 and “Luonnotar” featuring soprano Golda Schultz, plus the world premiere of his orchestral work “Gemini.” Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sat., 8 p.m. $64-$209. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

Beethoven and Brahms Pianist and host Orli Shaham leads members of Pacific Symphony in a program of chamber music. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Next Sun., 3 p.m. $72 and up. (714) 755-5799. PacificSymphony.org

Beethoven’s Ninth with Dudamel The LA Phil is joined by Los Angeles Master Chorale and guest vocalists for Beethoven’s No. 9; program also includes the world premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’ “Yanga” featuring Tambuco Percussion Ensemble. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Next Sun., 2 p.m. $94-$250. (323) 850-2000. laphil.com

LACMA’s Sundays Live Pianist Simone Leitão performs works by Handel and Scarlatti plus music from Brazil. St. James’ in the City, 3903 Wilshire Blvd., L.A. Next Sun., 6 p.m. Free. (323) 857-6234. lacma.org

Music for the Imagination Los Cancioneros Master Chorale presents an evening of popular song. Armstrong Theatre, 3330 Civic Center Drive, Torrance. Next Sun., 7 p.m. $15, $25. (310) 781-7171. 310-781-7171. LCMasterChorale.com

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Palisades Symphony Orchestra All-Brahms program includes Serenade No. 1, Hungarian Dances and Violin Concerto in D with violinist Ken Aiso. Palisades High School, Mercer Hall, 15777 Bowdoin St., Pacific Palisades. Next Sun., 7:30 p.m. Free. palisadessymphony.org

Here is a list of dance performances in L.A. for Oct. 20-27:

La Bayadère Mariinsky Ballet and Orchestra performs the classic romantic tragedy about a temple dancer in India. Segerstrom Hall, Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. Sun., 1 p.m. $39 and up. (714) 556-2787. scfta.org

L.A. Dances Two-month festival, with three distinct programs, features classic and contemporary works by Kyle Abraham, Bella Lewitzky, Benjamin Millepied and others. L.A. Dance Project, 2245 E. Washington Blvd., L.A. Sun., Thu.-next Sun., 8 p.m.; ends Nov. 24. $45. (213) 422-8762. ladanceproject.org

Louise Reichlin & Dancers / Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers The company marks its 40th anniversary a program that includes “The Tennis Dances,” “Invasion” and the L.A. premiere. of “A Jewish Child’s Story.” Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sun., 4 p.m. $20-$40; discounts available. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

The Patchwork Girl of Oz Multimedia-enhanced, family-friendly fable presented by Louise Reichlin & Dancers / Los Angeles Choreographers & Dancers. Barnsdall Gallery Theatre, Barnsdall Art Park, 4800 Hollywood Blvd., L.A. Sun., 2 p.m. $8, $16. (800) 838-3006. brownpapertickets.com

Works 2019 — 10 Years and Counting! Nancy Evans Dance Theatre celebrates its 10th anniversary with new works including a collaborative multimedia piece. ARC (A Room to Create), 1158 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Sun., 4 p.m. $20, $25. (323) 363-0830. nancyevansdancetheatre.com

Momix The acrobatic dance-theater company performs. Pepperdine University, Smothers Theatre, 24255 Pacific Coast Hwy., Malibu. Wed., 8 p.m. $25 and up. (310) 506-4522. arts.pepperdine.edu. Also at Irvine Barclay Theatre, 4242 Campus Dr., Irvine. Fri., 8 p.m. $58-$150. (949) 854-4646. thebarclay.org

The Ballad of Lady M. Andrew Pearson’s expanded work, inspired by Shakespeare’s “Macbeth” and the music of Alanis Morrisette, touches on gender identity and relationships. The Ruby Street, 6408 Ruby St., L.A. Thu.-Sat., 7:30 p.m. $25, $45. (925) 989-6429.

Benita Bike’s DanceArt Includes the pieces “For Rose” and “Entrelazadas” plus an audience Q&A. Los Angeles Mission College, AMP Theater, 13356 Eldridge Ave., Sylmar. Thu., 7 p.m. Free. (818) 470-5734. danceart.org

George Balanchine’s Jewels The Mariinsky Ballet, backed by the Mariinsky Orchestra, performs the choreographer’s 1967 three-act abstract ballet set to music by Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Thu.-Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; next Sun., 2 p.m. $34 and up. (213) 972-0711. musiccenter.org

Evolutions Quebec-based company Margie Gillis-Legacy Project performs. Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, 10361 W. Pico Blvd., L.A. Fri., 7:30 p.m. $20, $35. (310) 286-0553. trk.us.com

Inferno & Burlesque American Contemporary Ballet reprises these two works; contains nudity. The Metropolis, 877 S. Francisco St., Suite C-6, L.A. Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 7:30 and 10 p.m.; ends Nov. 2. $45-$500. acbdances.com

Things to do

See the Music, Hear the Dance Dancers from New York City Ballet join student performers for Debussy’s “Afternoon of a Faun.” Colburn School, Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. Sat., 7 p.m. $25. (213) 621-1050. colburnschool.edu

The Short+Sweet Hollywood Dance Festival Local dance artists perform in a variety of styles including modern and contemporary dance, flamenco, etc. Marilyn Monroe Theatre, Lee Strasberg Creative Center, 7936 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood. Sat., 2 p.m. $20. sweet-tix.com

Sweet Sorrow — A Zombie Ballet Leigh Purtill Ballet Company presents this surreal work inspired by Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet.” AGBU Vatche & Tamar Manoukian Performing Arts Center, 2495 E. Mountain St., Pasadena. Sat., 7 p.m.; next Sun., 4 p.m. $20, $25. agbupac.org

Through the Pages Redondo Ballet’s fairy tale-themed show includes stage adaptations of “Mulan” and “The Princess and the Frog.” Redondo Beach Performing Arts Center, 1935 Manhattan Beach Blvd., Redondo Beach. Sat., 6 p.m.; next Sun., 3 p.m. $25-$45. (310) 292-4572. redondoballet.com

Treasures of Indonesia Festival includes traditional music and dance, arts and crafts and more. Hollywood & Highland, courtyard, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood. Sat., 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. hollywoodandhighland.com

Evocar Vanessa Albalos, Melissa Cruz and Manuel Gutierrez are the featured dancers in this Forever Flamenco presentation. The Fountain Theatre, 5060 Fountain Ave., L.A. Next Sun., 8 p.m. $30-$50. (323) 663-1525. fountaintheatre.com

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Fall colors came to Big Bear Lake about a week earlier than last year, bringing a gold tinge to the village and forest trails. Aspen, cottonwood, oak and birch leaves turn from green to yellow or gold in the mountain town about two hours north of L.A. Non-native maple trees in the mountain resort’s Village add bright reds.

Unless you go soon, you’ll miss the show.

“We’ll have pretty good fall color through the end of October, with peak being early next week,” says Eddie Kirsch, marketing director for Visit Big Bear. Fall colors are most prominent on the south side of the lake.

Good places to start your color quest in the forest: Pineknot Trail, park at the Aspen Glen Picnic Area south of the town; Towne Trail on the south side of the lake; and the Castle Rock Trail, which begins about a mile east of the dam on California Highway 18.

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“Drive up here into the mountains, and you’re going to see the fall colors everywhere,” Kirsch says.

The popular aspen grove, an oasis of gold in the forest, is now open. Access on forest roads to the Aspen Grove Trail had been closed because of damage from the 2015 Lake fire.

The California Fall Color website also recommends these “go now” locations in or near the San Bernardino Mountains: Running Springs, Lake Gregory, Lake Arrowhead and Grass Valley Lake.

Make sure you dress warmly and are prepared for cold nights, as temperatures drop into the 30s, Kirsch says.

Moving north to the Eastern Sierra, fall colors in the Bishop Creek area continue to chug along, particularly at North and South lakes. “Of all the years that CaliforniaFallColor.com has reported fall color from Bishop Creek Canyon, 2019 sets a record for lasting to mid-October with NO ‘past peak’ areas,” the website says.

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Singer Gwen Stefani sold her contemporary-style compound in the Beverly Hills Post Office area to stand-up comic Sebastian Maniscalco for $21.65 million. The 11,845-square-foot spread, which was once owned by Jennifer Lopez, features a black-and-white striped kitchen.
 

(James Moss)

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The renovated contemporary-style home is in a guard-gated enclave north of Beverly Hills and sits on a lot of about two acres.
 

(James Moss)

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Inside, the home keeps the eyes moving with bold accents and three fireplaces set within ribboned stone.

(James Moss)

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Bold, playful touches can be found throughout. 

(James Moss)

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The property sits on about two acres and has a swimming pool, a tennis court and a playground. At the far end of the property is a chicken coop. 

(James Moss)

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Rich Paul, agent to Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, paid $11.7 million for a newly built, Georgian-inspired traditional home in Beverly Hills.
 

(Peter Christiansen Valli)

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Past a two-story entry hall, a wood-paneled study with a wet bar descends to a formal living room with an antique marble fireplace.
 

(Peter Christiansen Valli)

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The 6,300-square-foot house features a gym with a Peleton exercise bike and a Scandinavian hydrotherapy circuit.  

(Peter Christiansen Valli)

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Fashion designer Eva Chow has relisted her museum-like mansion in Holmby Hills for sale at $69.975, down from $78 million last year.
 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The sprawling showplace features Moorish columns, carved ceilings and gallery walls. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Designed and custom built by the former couple over a seven-year period, the sprawling showplace was intended to showcase an extensive art collection.
 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The house sits on a flat, 1.1-acre parcel with an entertainment complex, an outdoor ballroom and a three-story guesthouse.
 

(Anthony Barcelo)

Gwen Stefani, who rose to fame as the face of rock band No Doubt, has sold the Beverly Hills Post Office-area home she shared with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale for $21.65 million.

The buyer is Sebastian Maniscalco, the stand-up comic and actor who has a role in Martin Scorsese’s upcoming film “The Irishman,” and his wife, artist Lana Gomez.

The renovated contemporary-style home, once owned by Jennifer Lopez, is in a guard-gated enclave north of Beverly Hills and sits on a lot of about two acres. Besides the 11,845-square-foot main house, the property has an infinity-edge swimming pool, a lighted tennis court and a playground. There’s also a chicken coop.

Inside, the home keeps the eyes moving with black-and-white striped cabinetry in the kitchen, an artful accent wall in the dining room and three fireplaces set within ribboned stone. A theater room, a gym and two offices are among other living areas. Including the guesthouse, there are seven bedrooms and 10 bathrooms.

A covered lounge creates additional living space outdoors and has a patio with a wet bar and another fireplace.

The property last changed hands in 2006 for $13.25 million, property records show. Although it carries a 90210 ZIP Code, the L.A. Times Mapping Database identifies the area as part of Studio City.

Stefani, who turned 50 this month, has won three Grammys, including two for the songs “Hey Baby” and “Underneath It All.” She returned to the singing competition show “The Voice” this season as a coach.

Rossdale, 53, is the frontman and guitarist for the rock band Bush. The group has released six studio albums, most recently “Man on the Run” in 2014.

Their divorce was finalized in 2016.

Maniscalco, 46, released his fifth stand-up special, “Stay Hungry,” earlier this year on Netflix. As an actor, he has appeared in the films “The Nut Job 2″ and “Green Book.”

Jade Mills of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage and Craig Knizek of the Agency were the listing agents. Stephen Resnick and Jonathan Nash of Hilton & Hyland represented the buyers.

An agent of wellness

It was a successful offseason for NBA agent Rich Paul, who oversaw a trade that sent his superstar client Anthony Davis to the Lakers. Now, the Klutch Sports Group founder has inked a deal of his own, buying a brand-new Beverly Hills home for $11.7 million.

The Beverly Hills Flats abode was billed as a “wellness house” complete with a gym, a Peloton bike and a Scandinavian hydrotherapy circuit (think sauna, steam room and cold plunge). Three months of cold-pressed juice deliveries and private, in-home yoga lessons were included with the home in as well.

Blending Georgian and traditional design styles, the two-story home holds six bedrooms and seven bathrooms across 6,300 square feet.

Past a two-story entry hall, a wood-paneled study with a wet bar descends to a formal living room with an antique marble fireplace. An expansive indoor-outdoor family room, a formal dining room with wainscoting and an open-concept kitchen with a massive marble island lie elsewhere.

French doors open to the backyard with a dining patio, lawn, a swimming pool and a spa. The detached gym sits on one side on the pool, and the Scandinavian wellness facilities sit on the other.

Paul, 37, founded Klutch Sports Group in 2012 with a client list of NBA stars headlined by his longtime friend LeBron James. According to Forbes, the agency makes about $25 million in commissions with a roster including Eric Bledsoe, Ben Simmons, John Wall and Draymond Green.

Rochelle Maize of Nourmand & Associates held the listing. Jaime Cuevas of Compass represented Paul.

Her digs are back on the menu

Fashion designer Eva Chow has put her estate in Holmby Hills back on the market for $69.975 million.

Chow and her ex-husband, restaurateur and designer Michael Chow, originally listed the home last October for $78 million. After the couple’s divorce last year after 26 years of marriage, the property was deeded over to Eva Chow in April.

Designed and custom built by the former couple over a seven-year period, the sprawling showplace was intended to showcase an extensive art collection. Moorish columns, carved ceilings and gallery walls lend a museum-like quality to the home. Rows of arched doorways flank a voluminous living room.

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The residence has 30,000 square feet of living space. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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A 30-foot-high atrium entry sits beyond the front door. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The great room has high ceilings and rows of arched doorways. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Two massive fireplaces bookend the living room. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The living room. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The library is awash in rich woodwork. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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There’s also a fireplace. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Eva Chow’s Holmby Hills estate 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The dining room has plenty of seating. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The kitchen takes in garden views. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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A skylight-topped catwalk sits above the living room. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The house was designed to showcase a priceless art collection. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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There are nine bedrooms. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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One of 14 bathrooms. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The dressing room. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Another bathroom. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Glass-enclosed wine cellars flank a billiards room. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The subterranean home theater has windows that look into the swimming pool. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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An entertainment complex sits across from the main house. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Elsewhere on the grounds is a three-story guesthouse. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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A rooftop deck/outdoor ballroom tops the mansion. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The rooftop space has a fireplace. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Palm trees punctuate the grounds. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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A row of colonnades frame a loggia. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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The rear of the house. 

(Anthony Barcelo)

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Eva Chow’s Holmby Hills estate 

(Anthony Barcelo)

An Art Deco-inspired library is awash in paneling and sits behind double doors. Another living area displays a Midas touch with gold walls. Two glass-enclosed wine vaults flank a billiards room. A total of nine bedrooms and 14 bathrooms are found throughout the compound.

The house sits on a flat, 1.1-acre parcel with an entertainment complex, an outdoor ballroom and a three-story guesthouse. A separate cinema/game room lies underground and has tiered seating and windows that look into the pool.

Chow, born in South Korea, trained in traditional Korean watercolor before relocating to the U.S. with her family in 1974. An alum of the Otis Parsons School of Design in Los Angeles, she started her fashion company as a student from her living room and has since opened multiple boutiques in major cities around the world.

She is the founder and co-chair of the “Art + Film” gala, now in its ninth year.

Kurt Rappaport and Carl Gambino of Westside Estate Agency hold the listing.

A Tudor charmer for ‘Virgin’ star

Actress Gina Rodriguez, known for her Golden Globe-winning role in “Jane the Virgin,” has purchased a Tudor-vibe home in Westchester for $2.42 million.

Built in the 1950s, the two-story residence catches the eye with a brick-and-stone exterior. Inside, hardwood plays a major role, lining the floors, doors and windows throughout the 3,910-square-foot interior.

Past the foyer are an office, family room, living room with a brick fireplace and dining room with mirrored walls. The whitewashed kitchen has a center island.

French doors access the master suite upstairs. One of four bedrooms and three bathrooms, the master bedroom has a fireplace set into a dramatic brick wall.

A deck spans the length of the second story, overlooking a patio with a swimming pool and spa. A spacious hedge-lined lawn extends toward a garden and gazebo.

Rodriguez, 35, appeared in “Army Wives” and “The Bold and the Beautiful” before starring as Jane Villanueva in the satirical comedy series “Jane the Virgin” starting in 2014. Her subsequent credits include “Big Mouth,” “Annihilation” and the lead role in Netflix’s animated series “Carmen Sandiego.”

James Scott Suarez and Brandon Arlington of Keller Williams Silicon Beach held the listing. Arlington represented Rodriguez.

Drawing on a classic

In Studio City, the longtime home of Joseph Barbera — half of the legendary animation duo Hanna-Barbera — is for sale at $12 million.

Barbera, who created classic cartoons such as “Tom and Jerry,” “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons,” bought the two-acre retreat in the 1990s and lived there until his passing in 2006 at 95. His estate sold the property in 2015 for $4.95 million.

Found in Fryman Estates, the property combines two parcels on two acres and centers on a roughly 7,000-square-foot home built in 1988.

Past a half-timbered exterior, the recently renovated floor plan holds expansive living spaces with beamed ceilings, hardwood floors, stone fireplaces and custom built-ins. A chandelier-topped foyer leads to a living room with French doors and, beyond that, a remodeled kitchen with a temperature-controlled pantry.

The main level also boasts a pair of dining areas: a formal dining room with picture windows and a sunny breakfast nook under dramatic rotunda-style ceilings.

Also on the main floor is the master suite. One of six bedrooms, it features a corner fireplace and mirror-lined closet and dressing room. All 8.5 bathrooms boast Italian vanities and designer tile.

Amenities fill out the rest of the valley-view estate. There’s a flagstone patio with a swimming pool and spa, as well as a tennis court and 20-car garage. Out front, a stone motor court leads to a porte-cochère.

Donovan Healey of Hilton & Hyland holds the listing.

Barbera founded Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1957 with William Hanna. Together, the two former Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer animation directors won seven Academy Awards. Their string of successful shows includes “Scooby-Doo,” “The Yogi Bear Show,” “Wacky Races” and “The Smurfs.”

Before the financial crisis, the term “high-yield savings account” would have been considered an oxymoron.

Today, such products are thriving.

After the Federal Reserve dropped its benchmark lending rate to near-zero in late 2008, big U.S. banks paid virtually nothing to anyone who parked money with them. That presented an opportunity for new, mostly online entrants to swoop in and offer much more. After years of getting zero, customers viewed a 2% interest rate with backing from the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. as a steal.

Their popularity only grew as the Fed raised interest rates. Even Goldman Sachs Group Inc. got into the game in 2016 with its consumer bank under the brand Marcus.

Higher yields fueled the online cottage industry that tracked the best interest rates available each month. A quick search of “best savings account” includes articles updated monthly from NerdWallet, Bankrate, the Balance, SmartAsset and LendingTree’s MagnifyMoney, among others.

With the Fed now having cut interest rates twice since the end of July, and possibly lowering them again this month, it’s hardly surprising that these savings accounts have adjusted lower as well.

Yet it’s almost comically difficult to find how the various savings rates have changed over time because the entire online ecosystem updates so frequently. One of my editors told me the rate on his Marcus account fell to 1.9% on Oct. 4, the third time that’s happened since he opened it in March.

Fortunately, some historical data provided by Greg McBride, chief financial analyst at Bankrate.com, show no two banks reacted to the change in Fed trajectory quite the same way.

Goldman Sachs’ Marcus and Barclays, for example, anticipated interest rate cuts and gradually lowered their savings rates ahead of the central bank’s announcements.

Ally Financial Inc., by contrast, slashed its rate by 30 basis points in the week after the Fed’s July rate cut. Colorado Federal Savings has only had to drop its promised interest rate once since March because it remained comfortably below the fed funds rate.

And then there’s HSBC Holdings’ HSBC Direct, which stubbornly kept its rate elevated until last week, when it made a 25-basis-point reduction.

At this point, regardless of the last several months, each bank is running out of room to maneuver after the Fed’s persistent rate cuts.

Barclays, as of the most recent Bankrate data available, is offering just two basis points less than the upper bound of the fed funds target rate. Marcus was in a similar bind for a couple of weeks but swiftly lowered its rate by an additional 10 basis points. HSBC, for now, seems determined to offer higher rates than the competition, though by a shrinking margin.

For those not steeped in financial markets and listening to every word from Fed speakers, it sure might seem like “high-yield savings accounts” aren’t living up to the hype. Round numbers might be purely psychological, but it’d be hard to fault people who balk at interest rates dropping below 2%.

Nerdwallet’s Q&A section asks: “What do the best savings accounts look like?” Its answer: “The best savings account interest rates are close to 2.00% or higher.”

Obviously, the terms of these savings accounts allow for changes to interest rates at any time. With 10-year Treasury yields at 1.66%, it’s simply not sustainable for banks, even those without brick-and-mortar locations, to offer the same payouts they once did. Some institutions that require high minimum opening balances still offer juicy rates, like 2.4% at Popular Inc.’s Popular Direct, but those seem destined to fall eventually.

To be sure, it could be a lot worse for American savers. In Europe, a growing number of German banks are passing on the region’s negative interest rates to their customers as costs become too high to bear. Bigger lenders like Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank have signaled they’re warming to the idea as well.

All of this serves as a backdrop for the Fed’s interest rate decision on Oct. 30. Wall Street is convinced that after a wave of weak economic data, the Fed will lower rates yet again, even though Chair Jerome H. Powell has insisted the central bank is not on a preset course, and minutes from the central bank’s September meeting revealed that policymakers are sharply divided about the path forward. While Chicago Fed President Charles Evans said he “wouldn’t mind another cut,” notable hawks Kansas City Fed President Esther George and Boston Fed President Eric Rosengren said further lowering the fed funds rate isn’t justified yet because consumer spending, which accounts for 70% of the U.S. economy, remains so strong.

If the post-crisis era has taught markets and economists anything, it might just be that lower-for-longer interest rates don’t necessarily get people to raid their savings and spend. Rather, it might be just the opposite — without any hope of earning anything on what they save, consumers may decide to hoard additional cash for a rainy day or to meet their retirement goals.

Since mid-2005, the U.S. personal savings rate as a percentage of disposable income has generally trended higher, to about 8% from as low as 2.2%, according to Commerce Department data.

Given that U.S. consumers appear to be one of the few bright spots in an otherwise slowing global economy, the Fed should be careful not to make any moves that would slow their momentum. Certainly, one more quarter-point rate cut isn’t going to suddenly break Main Street.

According to the latest data from the FDIC, retail deposits at the nine largest institutions increased by more than 2% from a year earlier, to $5.2 trillion, even though more than one-fourth of deposits pay no interest. In other words, many patrons of big banks have become accustomed to getting paid nothing on their checking or savings account balances.

And yet, if enough savvy savers become convinced that the Fed will abandon its projections and drop interest rates at just about every meeting, it’s easy to envision a scenario in which money that would have gone into high-yield savings accounts instead gravitates toward fixed-rate bonds or certificates of deposit to lock in a reliable stream of income. That sets up an additional hurdle for those consumers to access their cash and spend to keep the economy afloat.

Powell has long said that the central bank will act as appropriate to sustain the economic expansion. Lately, that’s meant cutting interest rates at every turn, to the delight of stock markets. But the Fed would do well to spare a thought for savers as well. It’s easier to spend when it’s clear how much interest your bank account will pay tomorrow.

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Dear Liz: My daughter has two children, ages 2 and 4. Recently the children’s father took his own life. He was 27. The job he worked as long as I knew him paid him in cash, so he didn’t pay into Social Security. Does this mean the children cannot receive survivor benefits from Social Security?

Answer: If the father never worked at a job that paid into Social Security, your grandchildren — and your daughter — won’t qualify for the survivor benefits they could have received had he been paid legally rather than under the table.

Their one hope is if he had a previous job that did pay into Social Security.

At 27, he would have needed at least six quarters of coverage to trigger survivor benefits, says Bill Meyer, founder of Social Security Solutions, a claiming strategies site.

The older a person is, the more quarters are needed to qualify for benefits, but no one needs more than 40 quarters. The amount of earnings required for a quarter of coverage is $1,360 in 2019. Once you earn $5,440, you’ve earned your four quarters for the year.

If the father had earned those six quarters, his death would trigger survivor benefits for his children that typically last until age 18 (or until 19, if they are still in high school full time). Your daughter also would be entitled to benefits until the younger child turned 16, because she’s caring for the deceased person’s minor children.

It’s possible this young man was paid under the table because he was not able to work legally in the U.S. If that’s the case, he and his family wouldn’t qualify for Social Security benefits even if payroll taxes had been deducted. If he opted for cash because he or his employer didn’t want to pay taxes, though, that was a choice that had expensive repercussions for the people he left behind.

Living trust viewing restrictions

Dear Liz: How in the world do I find out the details of my parents’ trust? My father recently died and my mother, who is 89, is not familiar with the details. My older sister is not responsive when I ask questions. She and I are the only children. My husband recently became disabled and it would be a comfort to know if we had any money coming from my parents. Can you give me any advice?

Answer: Presumably you’re asking about a living trust, which is designed to avoid probate, the court process that otherwise follows death. Unlike wills, living trusts don’t have to be filed with the courts so you can’t go down to the county courthouse to look up the details.

Living trusts are revocable trusts, which means they can be changed. People other than the trust creators don’t typically have a right to see the trust until it becomes irrevocable.

In the past, part of a living trust often became irrevocable when one spouse died. Today, it’s more common for trusts to remain revocable until the surviving spouse dies.

To some extent, state law determines who gets to see a copy of the trust once it’s irrevocable. Typically beneficiaries have a right to see the trust, and in some states (including California) so do “heirs at law” — people who aren’t beneficiaries but who would have inherited under state law if there had been no trust or will.

Pension payout planning

Dear Liz: My husband and I each receive a pension from the companies where we worked. If my husband dies first, will his company continue to pay me his pension and vice versa?

Answer: That depends on how you chose to receive your benefits. Typically people are offered a choice of payouts: a “single life” option that ends at the pensioner’s death, and “joint and survivor” options that continue payments after the pensioner dies. A 50% joint and survivor option would pay half the monthly amount after the pensioner’s death, while a 100% option would continue the payments without reduction.

The option that continues payments without reduction, however, often offers the smallest monthly payment to start. The “single life” option pays the largest monthly amount, but the fact that the payments end at the first death can leave the survivor in a bad way.

Liz Weston, certified financial planner, is a personal finance columnist for NerdWallet. Questions may be sent to her at 3940 Laurel Canyon, No. 238, Studio City, CA 91604, or by using the “Contact” form at asklizweston.com.

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