IS there a constitutional right to file for bankruptcy? Yes, there is. The United States Constitution adopted 250 years ago provides for the creation of bankruptcy courts and the power…
1. Do not boast about how you got away with undeclared income. Ever heard of whistleblowers? They earn rewards of 15% to 30% of your assessments. 2. Do not hide…
THIS is one thing I hear from people all the time: “If you ask me, I really hate doing this, but I feel I have no choice.” Of course, no…
THE U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) recently announced the settlement of an age discrimination lawsuit against Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), a NASA field center located in Pasadena, CA. JPL…
WHO would have thought that we would have to go through a pandemic of these proportions in our beloved America during our lifetime? It’s not even mildly implied in the…
YOU have just received an invitation to the offices of the Internal Revenue Service. They want to examine your return. Don’t panic. All these years, you have stashed funds for…
WHEN the virus makes your income disappear overnight, it can be very frightening to realize that you can’t go very long without it because your bills don’t stop just because…
DR. Jan Weber worked for 5 years as a psychiatrist for the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, a public hospital in Santa Clara County. He was assigned at the hospital’s…
YES, I know, audits are serious stuff. But they do funny stuff to people like you when you are under audit, under stress. I have seen clients pretend to be…
THE Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA) is a federal law that was enacted in 1978 by the United States Congress to protect consumers from abusive debt collectors. Note, however,…
Protecting consumers against sellers ANGELA Bolger bought a replacement laptop computer battery on Amazon.com, which was being sold by “E-Life,” a fictitious name used on Amazon by Lenoge Technology (HK)…
MANY people find themselves in the position of facing overwhelming debt, with constant calls from creditors and no obvious way out. For some, job loss sent them into a downward…
THE first client is 75. Her husband passed four years ago and left her with $30,000 of credit card debt. She has been making minimum payments on their credit cards…
YOU have one shot in asking the IRS to abate (forgive) penalties that have been assessed for late filing, late payment, or audit adjustments. Make this opportunity count. Submit a…
Your right to expression in the workplace Q: I SAW your article about employee protections for political activities like attending rallies. What about posting political messages on Facebook or other…
THE COVID-19 pandemic has changed everyone’s life in only a matter of months. As the virus continues to batter the economy, a lot of people are finding bankruptcy as their…
IS there a constitutional right to file for bankruptcy? Yes, there is. The United States Constitution adopted 250 years ago provides for the creation of bankruptcy courts and the power…
IT’S bad enough to receive a tax bill from the IRS. It gets worse when penalties and interest are added. Malo. 1. If the penalty is minimal, do it yourself….
1. THE failure-to-file penalty is generally more than the failure-to-pay penalty. If you cannot pay all the taxes you owe, file anyway to prevent the more costly failure-to-file penalty. 2….
Your work and your right to political expression Q: I CARE about today’s issues of social justice – from racial inequality to voting rights suppression to fighting for decent wages….
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…
THE client is 53. He is married and owns a house. He used to have a business, which was a DBA sole proprietorship. “DBA” means “doing business as.” Sole proprietorship…
PATRICIA Samson worked as a portfolio manager for Wells Fargo Bank. On October 28, 2014, Patricia informed her supervisors that she would take a medical leave of absence to recover…
AS our tax laws become more complex, we find it more difficult to comply. The COVID-19 pandemic makes compliance even more challenging. As we fail to comply in filing or…
WHAT are friends for? Friends, of course, like to help each other. But to what extent and what favors can you ask from a friend? The client’s friend wanted to…
LIKE most people, you’ve worked hard and have done your best to pay all your bills on time. But in life, at one time or another, we all find ourselves…
KAREN Martinez worked as a Case Manager for John Muir Health, a health care service corporation operating primarily in Contra Costa County, CA. Martinez was an hourly non-exempt employee who…
IRS penalties have been consolidated into two groups: A uniform accuracy-related penalty and a fraud penalty. 1. Accuracy-related penalties are computed at 20% of underpayments attributable to any of the…
THE client is 67. Her husband passed away five years ago after a long fight with kidney failure. He was on dialysis for eight years waiting for a kidney transplant….
MAYBE you’ve experienced this before. You’re driving down the road one cold, chilly day and before you know it, you find yourself surrounded by a thick white wall of dense…
