How to harmonize the family business in 2014? Define the rules!
“WE learned about honesty and integrity – that the truth matters… that you don’t take shortcuts or play by your own set of rules… and success doesn’t count unless you…
Category: Consumer Columnists
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Celebrate the birth of our Lord and forget about your debt problems
THIS Wednesday the whole Christian world celebrates the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is the day 2013 years ago when the son of God, the one…
Living trusts: The problem with probate
ALMOST everyone is concerned with saving money on their taxes, but most people worry only about income taxes and ignore planning to avoid estate taxes, which can consume up to…
Are you being paid the higher overtime rate?
Q: AS an employee for a service provider company, I am paid an hourly rate and an additional piece rate if I respond to customer calls after hours. I often…
Make 2014 the year you get out of debt and rebuild your credit
ARE you sick and tired of being in debt and having bad credit? Do you want to start over but simply don’t know where to begin? Is filing bankruptcy an…
Worried about debt? Celebrate advent and the birth of our Lord
PEOPLE in the Christian countries celebrate advent and the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ as Christmas. The birth of our Savior is the most significant fact in the history…
What to do when a loved ones dies
WHAT to do immediately -Gather family members. Plan, organize, delegate. Agree on main contact person. -Prepare lists of records to gather, tasks to do, people to contact. Establish responsibilities. -Establish…
How much wages are recoverable when employees are wrongfully terminated?
ALFREDO Villacorta, a Filipino mechanical engineer, worked as a maintenance planner at Cemex Cement, Inc., a large cement production company with a plant in Victorville. Villacorta transferred to Victorville from…
Why excessive debt stops you from having the life you want
Not all debts are bad debts. While it is true that too much of any debt may be detrimental to your financial health, it doesn’t mean that all debt is…
3 dental tips if you have a cold or the flu
WHEN the cold and flu season strikes, your teeth are probably the last thing you’re thinking about as you reach for another tissue! But there ARE some things related to that…
Debt problems? Think of Elijah vs Prophets of Baal & Asherah
BOXING fans think that only Pacquiao vs. his current foe is the thing to watch. Basketball fans think it’s Kobe vs. whoever. So, Elijah who was a great prophet of…
S Corporations
S CORPORATION is a corporation that has elected to be taxed under Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code. This type of entity enjoys both the limited liability of corporations…
Employees lose money if employers round down work hours
Q. I USUALLY clock into work 30 minutes early or clock out 30 minutes late because we are required to do preliminary or clean up before and after our normal…
Chapter 13: Are your monthly debt payments stressing you out?
Do you intend to pay your creditors every month but just can’t do it no matter how hard you try because your income is simply not enough? There is a…
Income tax refund is property of bankruptcy estate unless exempt
LET’S say that you decide to file for Chapter 7 relief this month to discharge $100,000 of hospital bills and credit card debt. You anticipate that you will have an…
Being absent from work due to medical condition: Are employees protected?
Q: I WAS diagnosed with a medical condition which requires me to miss some days of work. I had told my boss about my condition and I submit a doctor’s…
Facing the reality of debt problems is never easy
Most of my clients know that they should pay attention to their finances, especially debt problems that won’t just go away. They know they need to get help and that…
The connection between gum disease and dementia
NEARLY all of us experience?bleeding gums at some point in our lives. But don’t assume it’s no big deal. Gum disease can have serious consequences including?pain, chronic bleeding and tooth…
Discharging income taxes in bankruptcy
(Part 2) LAST week, we established the fact that back due income taxes can be discharged in bankruptcy, despite the popular belief that this was not possible. We said that…
10 facts on early distributions from retirement plan
TOUGH times may necessitate dipping into your retirement funds before retirement. Look at the tax impact of such a move. You may be shocked to find out what you are…
Thanksgiving accident results in over $150 million wrongful death verdict
ON November 22, 2009 at about 5am, Michael and Shannon Asam were travelling with their young children, Brennan (14 yrs old), Blaine (11) and Kylie (9) on their way to…
Debt problems: Don’t wait until all savings and assets are gone
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, all of us get…
5th Case Report of California Certified PA (Public Insurance Adjuster) Jae Park; Apartment Complex Sustained Fire Damage & Co-Insurance Penalty
5th Case Report of California Certified PA (Public Insurance Adjuster) Jae Park; Apartment Complex Sustained Fire Damage & Co-Insurance Penalty. In the spring of 2012, a fire broke out in…
Discharging income taxes in bankruptcy
MANY people have the mistaken belief that back due income taxes cannot be discharged in bankruptcy because a debt owed to the Federal and State government cannot be wiped out….
IRS warns of scams relating to relief for Typhoon Haiyan victims
THE Internal Revenue Service issued an alert about scams relating to Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda in the Philippines). As you may have seen at CNN, Asian Journal, and other media, Haiyan…
Employee awarded $749,000 for age and disability discrimination claims
SHARON Warehime worked as a claims adjuster for Farmers Insurance for four years. In June 2006, at the age of 61, she was terminated after coming back from a medical…
Don’t let your debts grow Faster than your income
Are your growing debts starting to cause you sleepless nights? Are you trying hard to pay what you can every month but feel like you’re just running on a treadmill…
Worried about debt? Think of Jonah and the whale
THE Bible has a strange story about a man being swallowed up by a whale. This man is Jonah. God, my God, the God of Moses and Israel, who sent…
Can you be deported for filing false tax returns?
IN A landmark case, the Supreme Court has held that a conviction for willfully filing a false tax return is a deportable offense under our immigration laws. It reached the…
Should employees be paid for night time hours spent at the work site?
Q: AS an onsite security guard, I am required to stay on the premises for 24 hours. My on-duty hours are from 6am to 6pm. I am off-duty and considered…