Category: Consumer Columnists

FIRST of all, let’s have a moment of silence in prayer for those who were killed in the massage parlors in Georgia two days ago: Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiajie Tan,…

MOST debt problems don’t go away and solve themselves. They are there when you go to bed at night, and they’re still there when you get up in the morning….

IN 2001, Sara Alfaro became a firefighter with the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department (SDFD). Throughout her employment, she consistently performed with a rating of “above standard” or better. She has…

Different clients have different financial and asset situations, which make them start thinking about getting rid of accumulated debt. Nobody starts with borrowing money with the intention of defaulting and…

THIS has got to be the BEST NEWS for homeowners who are filing for bankruptcy to get out of debt! Given the huge job losses and high unemployment rate that…

“Each meal period must be “not less than 30 minutes,” and no employee shall work “more than five hours per day” or “more than 10 hours per day” without being…

GONE are the days when debtors — who owe lots of credit cards but have home equities that surpass the homestead exemption limits depending on age and the number of…

Jennifer Christian worked at Umpqua Bank as a Universal Associate. In late 2013, a male customer asked her to open a checking account. While this initial interaction was unremarkable, the…

HAVE your credit card debts become so large that you can’t even afford the minimum payments? Or perhaps you’re already behind and your accounts have been turned over to collections?…

DOES this sound right? It’s almost incredible, but it’s true. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 1885 into law and it is the current law on homestead exemptions effective…

Did Amazon pocket its drivers’ tips? IN 2015, Amazon launched Amazon Flex, where persons can sign up as drivers to deliver products to Amazon customers. Amazon promoted that drivers could…

YOU never know what life brings. That’s why you need divine protection from the adversities that life brings us. I told you time and again to pray the rosary and…

Q: I got a judgment for back wages from the California Labor Commissioner. But my employer filed bankruptcy and closed the business. I heard that the owners will put up…

THE word “bankruptcy” is packed with all sorts of negative emotional triggers. It sounds bad — even dirty. It’s embarrassing. (What if people find out?!) People paint ugly pictures of…

TWO very important events are happening today. The first is the start of former President Trump’s defense by his lawyers. It will be a short defense, they promise. How do…

IF you’re in debt and are considering bankruptcy as an option for you to get needed relief, perhaps just hearing the word “bankruptcy” makes you extremely nervous. Maybe the word…

Yunghui Chen worked as internal auditor for Western Digital Corporation, one of the world’s largest hard disk manufacturers in the world, based in San Jose, California. It employs over 5,000…

THE common belief is that a Chapter 7 for a company, or LLC, or any fictitious legal entity works the same way and ends the same way as a Chapter…

Q: During the Stay-at-Home order in California, my employer has sent me home on a “work furlough” without pay because I am not an essential worker. It has been more…

WHAT is timing? In life, as we all know, there’s such a thing called timing. Like the timing is right. Or, the timing is wrong. If the timing is right,…

IF you are a homeowner struggling with mortgage payments during this pandemic, you are not alone. A mortgage forbearance can provide temporary relief by allowing you to make either reduced…

Francoise Brougher was employed as Chief Operating Officer of Pinterest, Inc., a multi-billion dollar image sharing service. Prior to working at Pinterest, Ms. Brougher worked for Google and Square. During…