Covering the week’s most noteworthy business news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
A CRITICAL component of personalized patient care is cultivating the art of listening. One of the most important reasons we use social media is to be sure it’s easy for you to connect with us—whenever and wherever you want. We’re always anxious to know your thoughts about how we can best serve you. Your feedback…
MINIMUM Wage –Minimum wage increases to $9 per hour effective July 1, 2014. Medical and Dental Expense Deduction – Federal law made it tougher to deduct medical expenses by raising the floor from 7.5 percent to 10 percent. This means that you can only deduct expenses that exceed 10 percent of your federal adjusted gross…
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…
(Part 2 of 2) Immigrants POLL workers: Permanent legal residents who are not citizens may serve as poll workers in California elections. Employer threats: Employers are prohibited from inducing fear by threatening workers to report their immigration status if they complain about working conditions. Lawyers: Illegal residents who pass the state bar exam may be…
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…
(Part 1 of 2) MINIMUM Wage: Minimum wage increases to $9 per hour effective July 1, 2014. Identity Theft, Internet Online Tracking – Identity theft: State agencies and businesses are required to notify people when security information is hacked. – Tracking software: Website operators are required to inform users if their online activities are being…
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…
YES, of course. Direct deposit is the fastest and safest way to receive your tax refund. Here are reasons why you should use direct deposit of your refund: 1. Speed: When you combine direct deposit with e-file, you can receive your refund in as little as 10 to 14 days. 2. Security: The IRS holds…
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…
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 dental distress. Many common dental complaints – both physical and cosmetic – can be traced back to enamel damage. tooth enamel is the hard, outer…
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…
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 is the strongest typhoon (“hurricane” in the US) in recorded history. It caused thousands of fatalities and rendered millions homeless from high winds and storm…
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…
“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 earn it fair and square.” – Michelle Obama Welcome to 2014! And it’s time to get everything in order. So whether you are transitioning or…
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 the one true God, Yahweh, became a human being, through the Blessed Virgin Mary. The son of God, Jesus, was born in Bethlehem, in a…
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 46% of a family’s taxable estate before it can be passed on to the children. With proper estate tax planning, you could avoid probate and…
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 work more than 8 hours per day and on weekends. I am paid overtime based only on my hourly rate. Since I’m also receiving a…
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 option for you or are other options available? As we face the New Year 2014, this is a good time to look at your finances…
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 of mankind. It is truly a joyous occasion for all mankind. Although the exact date of the nativity of our Lord is not known, what…
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 dates & locations of -Viewing -Interment -Reception Who to inform – Family members – Close friends – Employer – Trustee, executor – Pastor, minister, priest,…
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 Cemex’s plant in the Philippines where he worked for 15 years. Villacorta was laid off from Cemex on February 22, 2008. At that time, he…
