BUSINESS NOTES

ACCOUNTING FIRMS ANNOUNCE MERGER

Steve Corbin, managing partner of Corbin & Wertz, announced that his

accounting firm and Muth & Associates merged as of Sept. 1. Muth &

Associates has been a Newport-based CPA firm for 30 years. The new firm

will be called Corbin & Wertz.

Muth & Associates’ clients include individuals, estates, trusts and

businesses representing a variety of industries and professions. The firm

specializes in providing clients with accounting and reporting on

financial statements, income tax and estate and gift tax consultation.

USN NAMES NEW CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD

The Universal Space Network board of directors elected T.K. Mattingly

as chairman of the board. He will fill the position of USN’s co-founder

and chairman Charles “Pete” Conrad Jr., following Conrad’s death earlier

this year.

Mattingly has more than 30 years of experience developing and

operating space systems. He graduated from Auburn University and was

commissioned an officer in the U.S. Navy. After completing operational

and flight test assignments, Mattingly joined NASA’s astronaut corps

where he participated in all phases of the Apollo and space shuttle

programs, orbited the moon and commanded two shuttle missions. When he

was made rear admiral, Mattingly pioneered the use of commercial

practices in the acquisition of Navy communication satellites.

NEWPORT ATTORNEY NAMED TOP FINANCIAL ADVISOR

Newport Beach attorney Violet P. Woodhouse has been recognized by

Worth magazine as one of the top financial advisors in the nation for the

fifth consecutive year.

The Worth magazine listing was originally established in 1994.

Woodhouse was honored as part of the original group, which featured the

nation’s top 60 financial advisors. The list grew over the years to

include 300 nationally respected financial advisors. The 1999 list has

been reduced to include a total of 250 honorees.

“Our list this year is even more exclusive than it has been in the

past,” said John Koten, editor-in-chief of the magazine.

Woodhouse is a certified family law specialist, certified financial

planner and co-author of the Nolo Press bestseller “Divorce & Money: How

to Make the Best Financial Decisions During Divorce,” which was named the

most comprehensive financial planning guide for divorcing couples.

“Understanding both the benefits and liabilities of legal maneuvering

as well as the financial and tax considerations of both marriage and

divorce reduces the fear clients have about the future,” Woodhouse said.

Woodhouse provides divorcing clients with specialized legal

representation from Violet P. Woodhouse, a professional corporation in

Newport Beach.