Category: Consumer Columnists

WITH the immense powers that the government wields over individuals, the founding fathers included in the United States Constitution the Bill of Rights to limit the exercise of governmental powers….

Even if your family business is a model of harmony, it’s a good idea to think about how you’ll deal with conflicts before they arise. “There comes a time when…

DOING business with family and friends can be very rewarding. It can also be very complicated and difficult.  Anyway, doing business with loved ones has never been a neutral topic.  …

YOUR personal home care plays an important role in maintaining healthy smile. Your personal home care starts by eating balanced meals, reducing the number of snacks you eat, and correctly using the…

THE Sixth Commandment is “pay must be based on contribution to the business”. Lance Gokongwei said that in order for the family member to live and think independently, the family…

If you think that by brushing and flossing your teeth every day, you’re fulfilling your daily dental obligations, you’re halfway right. The other half involves using the correct techniques, and…

THERE’S an old saying that may be wiser today than ever: “East is east, and west is west; and never the twain shall meet.” This holds true in the case…

“TO set aside one’s prejudices, one’s present needs, and one’s own self interest in making a decision as a director for a company is an intellectual exercise that takes constant…

T WAS a typical appointment on a busy tax season last April. A representative for a Hispanic male in his mid-60s visited my office for a living trust preparation. So…

The lyrics to the old song, Dem Bones don’t connect the hipbone directly to your mouth, but a surgeon might, by canceling hip surgery if the patient is suffering from…

No in-laws! THIS is the first of 10 unwritten commandments which John Gokongwei, founder of the Gokongwei group of companies, followed in running the family business “the Gokongwei way.” (I…

TAXPAYERS who have filed income tax returns using Schedule C, Profit or Loss from Business, usually get surprised when they receive a notice from the Los Angeles City requiring them…

Society is becoming more individually oriented.  More and more single occupancy homes are being sold.  People are marrying less and later in life.  They are also divorcing more.  Single parent…

ON A typical Tuesday during this tax season, I’ve had three new tax clients (who were previously with other preparers) – all of them have just recently been audited on…

While the image of a puffy-cheeked ball player might first come to mind when mentioning chewing (“spit”) tobacco, the reality is that smokeless tobacco is also a daily habit to…

WE SEE these too often among our kababayans in the home care or home health business. Receiving 1099-Misc seems to be the overwhelming means of income reporting in this field of work….

INCOME tax season brings with it promises of easy and quick access to money. We have often heard some tax preparers, even the big chains, offering Refund Anticipation Loans (RALs)….

Have you ever asked yourself, “Could my smile be brighter?” or “Is it possible for me to get my discolored, (misshaped, chipped or crooked) teeth to look good?” Thanks to…

IT’S PROBABLY the cliché of our economic times: foreclosures and short sales one after the other have triggered too many sleepless nights among honest Americans who were trapped into mortgages…

Halitosis (bad breath) is a common oral health concern. Whether one’s chronic bad breath (as opposed to temporary “morning breath,” or bad breath from garlic, onions or other odorous foods)…

CONSIDERING our close relationship ties, it is most likely that at least once in your life you’d be asked to co-sign for a loan for a family or a friend-…