Category: Consumer Columnists

“INVOLUNTARY job loss is a stressful event, creating a variety of problems immediately, and long periods of unemployment can compound those problems,” states The Urban Institute, in a report it prepared for the Rockefeller Foundation entitled Consequences of Long-Term Unemployment. As employment attorneys, we are only too familiar with the sad realities of being fired. …

Many factors lead to financial problems and bankruptcy. While there are things that are simply beyond your control (example: sickness, disability, unemployment, etc.), a lot of bankruptcies are also a result of poor financial management. A lot of people are embarrassed to admit this but it’s true. When it comes to handling money, there are…

Courts look at several factors to determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor. The most important factor is the employer’s right to control the worker’s manner and means of performing the job. KEEPING labor costs down by taking unlawful shortcuts does not pay. One of these illegal shortcuts is to classify…

EVERY day, I meet with a lot of people who are sick and tired of being in a financial mess but they are unwilling to pay the price of being debt-free. What do I mean by this? In this week’s article, I will tell you exactly what needs to change in order for you to…

Homeowners like the idea of getting rid of the second trust deed on their residence in a bankruptcy. The second trust deed could be a home equity loan or home improvement loan taken when the value of the house was high. In Chapter 13, junior trust deeds such as these can be cancelled or avoided…

CAN a spouse file for bankruptcy while the other does not? For instance, husband’s gross income is $3,000 monthly. Wife’s income is $8,000 monthly. Husband has $100,000 of credit card debt. Wife has $50,000 of credit card debt. Husband wants to file bankruptcy, either a Chapter 7 to discharge all of his $100,000 of credit…

KYLE Hunter is a weather forecaster and broadcaster for over 23 years, who won several prestigious awards. He sued CBS Broadcasting, Inc. for discrimination, alleging that two of CBS’ television stations (KCAL and KCBS) repeatedly refused to hire him as a weather news anchor because of his gender and age, even though he had more…

HAVE you ever faced a situation in your life where you needed help so badly but you were just too afraid or 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…

MAX Taylor started work for Nabors Drilling as a “floorhand” on an oil rig in June 2010. Joe Mason and Jaime Mendez were Taylor’s supervisors. Several times a day, Mason called Taylor a “queer,” “homo,” and “gay porn star.”  Taylor protested to Mason that he was not a homosexual and that he had a girlfriend….

Suppose you were a Chapter 13 debtor for the last two years of a 48 months plan then your mother dies leaving you as your inheritance a fully paid house with a fair market value of $250,000. Your Chapter 13 plan pays only 10% of your credit card debts of $100,000, leaving $90,000 to be…

I often get asked whether filing for bankruptcy can be avoided in finding a solution to debt problems.  I usually tell people that filing for bankruptcy should be a last resort, not a first option.  Before filing for bankruptcy, you should weigh the advantages against the disadvantages.  How will filing change your financial situation and…

THE legal question that is posed is whether or not an inherited IRA is exempt in bankruptcy. For instance, your father died two years ago. You inherited his IRA of $250,000. You owe $100,000 of credit card debt which you can no longer pay. You file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy relief to discharge your credit…

LAST week, we wrote about the California Family Rights Act (CFRA) which entitles qualified employees 12 weeks of leave from work when they have to care for their seriously ill child, parent or spouse, for birth of and bonding with a newborn, or for the adoption or foster care a child. In the absence of…

Filing Chapter 13 bankruptcy is often a last resort for people in foreclosure when no other options exist. A lot of homeowners usually put off making this decision for a long time until they find themselves backed into a corner with no way out.  Most of the time they’ll attempt to do a loan modification…

Q: I HAVE been working for 5 years in Los Angeles for a company that has about 100 employees. I wanted to take a leave of absence from work to care for my sick child. My boss does not want to allow me to take leave and said if I take off, my position will…

Are you worried that your debt problems are insurmountable? Actually, debt problems are small potatoes in the big picture of life, death and life after death. We are temporarily here on earth en-route to eternal life in heaven with Jesus, God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. Jesus became man, suffered and died on…

A lot of people end up filing bankruptcy when they get to the point of feeling hopeless about their financial problems. Despite what others may think, there is no shame in needing a second chance to secure your financial future. Bad things can happen to good people, as the saying goes.  Sometimes, people simply make…

SOMETIMES one lover takes advantage of the other lover by borrowing money that is not repaid. For example, John and Mary are in a relationship. They think that they are in love with each other. John wants to invest in the stock market because all the stock market indexes are up over 25 percent this…

EMPLOYEES who want to be more vigilant of their rights in the workplace this year may want to pay attention to the following laws and developments: Overtime  Work of more than 8 hours per day or more than 40 hours per week must be paid overtime compensation computed at either 1.5 times the employee’s regular…

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 fog. How did you feel?  If you’re like most people, perhaps you felt momentarily lost and confused or perhaps even panicked, not knowing what was…