Is your financial boat sinking? Here’s how you can avoid a disaster
IN 1912, the sinking of the mighty ship called the “Titanic” sent 1,516 people to a watery grave. The “Titanic”, first thought to be unsinkable, sank to the bottom of…
Category: Consumer Columnists
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Is it time to hire a marketing agency?
Tell me about your day. Do you find yourself working into the wee hours of the night thinking about customers and growing your business? Do you believe that saving a…
Hard evidence required to prove dissipation of assets
Senior seeks Chapter 7 relief for $5K debt THERE are clients who received a large amount of cash before they file for bankruptcy. They may have received cash from a…
Business establishment’s duty to protect the privacy of its employees and customers
SEARS Department Store in North Hollywood, California, hired Alejandro Gamiz in 2005 as a maintenance worker. From 2009 to 2012, while working for Sears, Gamiz created peep holes in the…
Should you run your business as a sole proprietorship?
Choosing the proper entity for your business (Part 3 of 5) S CORPORATION is a corporation that has elected to be taxed under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. This…
Reality check: When debt controls your life
A CLIENT of mine said he never saw it coming. Everything he ever wanted in life, he always purchased on credit. The “pre-approved” credit cards just kept coming in the…
Diabetes and gum disease can be double trouble
PEOPLE with diabetes are mindful of their bodies’ feedback. Effective diabetes management requires frequent blood sugar checks, careful dietary planning, and close monitoring of other symptoms. But with all the things…
Supreme Court reverses Court of Appeals ruling
Decides future wages belong to debtor when chapter 13 is converted to chapter 7 IMAGINE that you are a Chapter 13 debtor with a 5-year reorganization plan. In this plan, you…
Must employers provide paid sick leave?
Q: I WORK for a temp agency as an hourly employee and I recently got sick. I asked the employer if I was entitled to paid sick leave. I was…
Should you run your business as a sole proprietorship?
Choosing the proper entity for your business (Part 1 of 5) YOU have decided to go into business for yourself. Should you operate as a sole proprietorship, partnership, corporation, LLC, or…
Are you struggling under the burden of debt?
IF you are searching for debt reduction solutions, no doubt you’ve been inundated with advertisements for various debt management programs, companies and solutions. The choices seem confusing to the average…
Enamel education
WHILE we endeavor to help our patients aoid tooth problems, with the reality is that by the time many people get to the dentist, they are already experiencing symptoms of…
Widow with no assets seeks to discharge $25K in credit card debt
Credit cards with $50K judgment liens attempt to force sale of client’s residence Client No. 1 CLIENT is 82 and recently widowed. She now lives with her daughter who takes…
Delay in payment of wages entitles employees to additional pay
Q: SEVERAL days ago, I was terminated from work. To add insult to injury, my employer has not given me my final pay. When I called to ask the status…
10 tactics to survive an IRS audit
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…
How to face debt problems before they get worse
THE last few years have been financially difficult for a lot of people. When the real estate marked crashed a few years ago, millions of people found themselves with a…
Teeth are an important part of digestion
CHEWING is the first step in digestion, but chewing our food only enough to swallow it down doesn’t count. If you’re rushing proper chewing—especially if it’s due to dental distress—you’re robbing yourself…
Retired senior seeks to discharge $27K credit cards
Working senior seeks to discharge $60K personal loans; Trustee wants explanation of how client used $180K “ Sometimes daughters get married to men who are able to convince daughters that…
Employee’s firing for refusal to delete data found unlawful
ELAINE Allyn has worked as the Director of Educational Technology for Fallbrook Union Elementary School District in San Diego County for about 18 years. In early August 2011, Allyn’s boss,…
Why some people will never get out of debt
THIS is a common scenario. You’re in debt and you know that you need to do something about it because your financial situation continues to get worse month after month….
Can you claim Child Tax Credit?
CHILD Tax Credit allows you to reduce your federal income tax by a maximum amount of $1,000 for each qualifying child through age 16. A qualifying child is someone who…
Car repo causes freak accident
Spouses need to be joint debtors from start of case “ It’s safer for the late filing spouse to file her own case so both cases will succeed. But with…
Should you attend your own IRS audit?
SHOULD you attend an IRS audit? Yes, I mean, you – your own audit. Well, you don’t have to. This is always a strategic question that should be discussed at…
Uber’s loss is a win for workers!
Why workers should fight for employee status “UBER driver deemed employee by Labor Commissioner” is a headline. Why should this matter? Because employees receive more, in terms of pay, and…
Senior seeks to discharge $1.0M wrongful death lawsuit
Senior needs chapter 13 to handle IRS and unsecured debt of $40K Client No. 1 CLIENT is 57. When he comes to see me, he tells me that he has just…
10 strategies during an IRS appeals conference
YOU have just lost an audit and have decided to bring your case before the appeals office of the IRS. You have learned the basics of the appeals process and…
Jury awards $6.5 million to exotic dancers for tips taken & wages unpaid by employer
CUSTOMERS give tips in appreciation for the service of waiters, bellboys, hotel maids, valets, drivers, and even performers who sing and dance. Can employers demand a share of these tips…
Stuck in debt and don’t know what to do?
NO one ever wants face a debt crisis but at one time or another in your life, you may have to deal with one. Having debt problems does not make…
Email: Spam or gold?
Did you know that email is the number 1 digital platform to generate qualified leads? For some, you might associate email with unwanted spam. Nobody wants unsolicited mail just like…
Young client seeks to discharge $780,000 wage garnishment
Good samaritan client seeks to discharge $2o,ooo lawsuit; Senior seeks solution for wrongful death $1.0M lawsuit “ Only 10% of California foreclosures are judicial. 90% of foreclosures are extrajudicial where…