(Nurse fired for reporting safety issues awarded $1 million verdict) Q: I WORK in a company where a supervisor bullies employees into working long hours without extra pay, threatening to fire them if they refuse. I complained about this to HR. Last week, one manager told me in secret that there will be lay-offs in the…
1. DO not boast about how you got away with undeclared income or manufactured deductions. Ever heard of whistleblowers? They earn rewards of 15% to 30% of your assessments. If you have a tendency to be creative, keep it to yourself. Just shut up. Better yet, stop being creative. Remember the law of averages. Remember…
SLEEPLESS nights. Stressed out. Worried about the future. Always broke. This is what most people are going through when they are considering bankruptcy in order to get out of debt. The word “bankruptcy” often produces negative feelings because some people equate it with failure. But nothing can be further from the truth. Bankruptcy is not…
1. HEALTH COVERAGE. Information Reporting. The provider of your health coverage is required to send Form 1095-A, 1095-B, or 1095-C with list of individuals included in your family health coverage in 2015. Health Coverage Tax Credit. Has been reinstated retroactive January 1, 2014 (expired end of 2013), pays 72.5% of qualified health insurance premiums for…
Young client seeks chapter 7 relief for $$70K credit card debt Business owner files chapter 7 as losses mount CLIENTS are spouses who own and run a business together. They own an S-corporation that has been in business for 20 years. They have 10 employees. An S-corporation, as distinguished from a C-corporation, is one where…
ZELMA Brawner worked for Bank of America (BOA) for about 28 years, occupying the positions of “Dedicated Service Director” later renamed “Treasury Services Consultant,” and “Treasury Services Senior Advisor” for the last 13 years of her tenure. Brawner claimed that throughout her work as a “director,” “consultant” and “advisor,” her employer classified her and about…
HERE are the top 10 things the Internal Revenue Service wants you to know about this valuable credit: 1. EITC not only reduces the federal tax you owe, but could result in a refund. 2. The amount of your EITC is based on the amount of your earned income and whether or not there are…
IRS problems have a way of ruining all aspects of your life. They can take a toll on you financially, emotionally and physically. When you owe the IRS, you’re always wondering if today might be the day when the IRS shows up at work, your home or your business; or if today might be the…
THE overseas Chinese or hua-chiao is a term commonly used for the Chinese in Southeast Asia. In a broad sense, overseas Chinese refers to all Chinese who have left their home in China to live and work abroad. The Chinese migration to Southeast Asia, particularly those who arrived between the 18th century and mid-20th century…
1. YOU are required to file a California tax return if your gross income exceeds: a. Single – $16,256 (no dependent). b. Head of household – $27,489 (with one dependent). c. Married filing jointly – $32,514 (no dependent). Taxpayers with dependents or who are aged 65 or over have higher filing thresholds. You turned 65…
EXEMPTION Credits: a. $109 – Single, Married filing separately, Head of Household. b. $218 – Married filing jointly. c. $337 – Dependent. d. $109 – Age 65 or older. e. $109 – Blind. Exemption credits are phased out by $6 or $12 for each $1,250 or $2,500 that Federal AGI exceeds certain amounts over $178,706….
Seniors seek chapter 7 relief for $48k credit card debt Business owner with $1.0M labor lawsuits CLIENT is 65. He operates a service-oriented business with 3 outlets in strip malls. He has been in business for 8 years. Of the 3 outlets, two are losing money, while the third has some profit that subsidizes the…
MICHAEL Landri worked as a bartender for the Marriott Del Mar Hotel in San Diego. In December 2009, the hotel held its annual holiday party for its employees. Marriott managers provided each party attendee with two alcoholic drink tickets. Landri did not work but he attended the party later that night. Before coming to the…
OF course not. Why should I pay taxes based on the highest tax rates? The lowest rates belong to joint filers and widows, followed by heads of household and single taxpayers. Certainly, it does not make sense to file married filing separate and pay those sky-high rates. Or does it? Let’s discuss the advantages and…
DO you have sleepless nights worrying about your credit card debts? Are you feeling hopelessly trapped with no way out? If you are up to your eyeballs in credit card debt and have no way of paying back what you had borrowed, a lot of things may be going through your mind at the moment. …
Many attempts have been made to profile the Asian Entrepreneur. But I found an easier way to spot them—just check their family name. The fact is enterprises and entrepreneurship in the Asian context is usually tied up with kin or family. In the Philippines, the term “Asian entrepreneur” has not been around for long but…
ATTORNEY Ray Bulaon, known as “the Filipino Community’s Debt Relief Expert”, has opened a fourth office location in Los Angeles in order to be more accessible to all clients in the area including the Historic Filipinotown. Attorney Bulaon helps clients take control over their overwhelming debt problems so that they can recover quickly and rebuild…
Seniors seek chapter 7 relief for $48k credit card debt Business owner with $1.0M labor lawsuits CLIENT is 65. He operates a service-oriented business with 3 outlets in strip malls. He has been in business for 8 years. Of the 3 outlets, two are losing money, while the third has some profit that subsidizes the loss…
THE use of unreasonable or excessive force by police are in the news now more than ever. Many thought after the Rodney King incident, this issue will never arise again. But several recent police encounters have become high profile because of the tragic endings to civilians – some became permanently injured, others lost their lives….
PAY attention to your filing status because it determines your standard deduction, tax due, or refund. Here are 12 tips to help you choose your correct filing status: 1. There are five filing status options to choose from: single, married filing jointly, married filing separately, head of household and qualified widow/widower with dependent child. 2….
YOU already know that your home is in foreclosure. You’ve received that dreaded Notice of Default. You know that after 90 days, your home can be scheduled for a Trustee Sale. You don’t have a lot of time left. Your home with all its memories, hopes and dreams will be gone. What are you going…
I AM frequently asked the question: “Is it a good business opportunity to open a senior care home?” First, let us define what a Senior Care Home is and how is it different from an Assisted Living Facility or a Residential Care Home Facility for the Elderly (RCFE). A care home is a regular house…
MY grandfather is one of the greatest men I have ever known. After fighting in the Philippines during World War II, he talked his way past guards at a U.S. Navy recruiting center and was one of only two men from his town that were accepted into the United States Navy. When he completed his…
Client seeks chapter 7 relief for $78K credit card debt CLIENT has had an on going “battle” with Wells Fargo for justice on her mortgage since 2007. It’s been 9 years since she made the mistake of refinancing her fully paid house with World Savings Bank. Yes, client was already a senior 9 years ago when…
LYFT, the “ride-sharing business” and Uber competitor, has settled a class action lawsuit by its drivers for over $12 million. Lyft drivers had accused the company of misclassifying its drivers as independent contractors (ICs), when they should have been classified as employees. It is important for workers to be correctly classified as employees and not…
1. DON’T go to your appointment unprepared. 2. Don’t be late for your appointment with the auditor. 3. Don’t volunteer information. 4. Don’t be condescending of education, experience, age, or gender. 5. Don’t be arrogant, even if you clearly have an upper hand. 6. Don’t flaunt your being a CPA or lawyer to an agent…
HAVE you ever faced a situation in your life where you needed help so badly but you were just too embarrassed to ask for it? Perhaps you felt confused and overwhelmed with the problem that you spent sleepless nights trying to figure out what to do. As a bankruptcy attorney, over the years I have…
“FIGHTING multinationals was very tough. At first, everyone thought I was crazy. They told me, how would I survive this? True enough, it’s by the grace of God that I’m still here in the toothpaste industry after 20 years. God is good,” – Cecilio K. Pedro In our fast-paced, hectic world we all need a…
Client 1: Garment Factory CLIENT presents himself as a businessperson, who has been in the garment business since 2002. He has a factory with ten employees where he pays his sewers a little over the minimum wage. When business was good, his factory was humming along. Orders for his garments were pouring in. He never…
A SEPARATION package or a severance agreement is a contract between an employer and an employee who is about to leave the employer’s employment. In a typical severance agreement, the employer agrees to give the employee additional compensation (the severance pay) in exchange for the outgoing employee’s agreement not to sue the employer for any…
