Category: Business

WHEN debts become unmanageable, bankruptcy can become an invaluable financial recovery in helping regain control over your finances. Without the “fresh start” that bankruptcy provides, it would be impossible for a lot of people to ever pay back what they owe, and they will simply remain stuck in debt with nowhere to go. If you’ve…

THE COVID-19 pandemic is a scary reality which affects everyone globally and has shut down the global economy.  Individuals over 60 years old and individual that are immune compromised are more at risk of having serious complications with this virus.  Individuals are dying all over the world in exponential numbers. Although we cannot completely control…

FIRST client is 34. She is recently married and now has a one-year old son. She used to be employed making a gross of $50K yearly. At the same time, she was doing a home-based business using credit cards to finance the purchase of goods for people who had no credit. She would use her…

Running a small business can have its perks although it’s often an all-consuming endeavor. The owner often has to wear many hats – from being a marketer, manager, and yes, including the often most dreaded role of all – managing the finances of the business. The sad fact is that many businesses struggle, no matter…

IF you’re traveling east on the 10 freeway from Los Angeles, eventually you will end up somewhere in Florida. It’s a long drive to cover about 2,800 miles, but that’s where the 10 freeway will bring you. I know it’s expensive right now to make this road trip because gas prices are very high, between…

Q: I HAVE just entered the work force and I work in the service industry on 12-hour shifts. My supervisor says I am entitled to one 30-minute lunch break and two rest breaks of 10 minutes each. A co-worker said it should actually be two lunch breaks and three rest breaks because we work 12…

Generally, in California, property acquired by a spouse prior to marriage is considered separate property under family code section 770 while those acquired after marriage are considered community assets under family code section 760.  How do you characterize real property purchased prior to marriage but with the mortgage principal paid down using community income or…

Q: I worked in a company for over 10 years. A new supervisor and I do not get along. Last week, the company let me go without any explanation. I don’t have any disciplinary record. Can the company just fire me without a good reason? A: Yes, an employer may fire an employee without a…

I AM often asked the following questions: When does filing bankruptcy make sense? How much should I owe in order to justify a bankruptcy filing and have that on my credit record? My answer to these questions is always the same: Whether or not bankruptcy is advisable for your situation will depend on your specific…

Q: I WAS severely injured in a recent car accident while returning to work on an errand. I had to undergo multiple surgeries. I missed several weeks of work and will need more time off for treatments. I am afraid to tell my employer about my need for more time off because I might be…

ARE your finances stressing you out? For a lot of people, financial concerns can be their number one cause of stress. We are living in difficult financial times and a lot of people are worried about how they can get by from month to month. But worrying doesn’t really solve anything. If you feel that…

Divorced parties are sometimes ordered to pay child support and spousal support in the divorce judgment.  The support orders are generally based on the parties’ financial situation and custody arrangements at the time of the settlement or trial. However, what if your income decreases after the divorce or what if your spouse’s income increases after…

ABOUT two months before the start of the 2019 World Cup in France where it was scheduled to defend its title as World Cup Champions, the US Women Soccer Team sued its employer, the United States Soccer Federation, Inc.  (“Federation”), for equal pay. Back in 2019, this column wrote about how and why the lawsuit…

OVER the last 35 years, many clients have always asked me “Attorney, should I file for bankruptcy?” This question is asked after they have told me what their problem is. The problem is always financial: having a hard time paying credit cards; behind on mortgage payments and there is a threat of foreclosure from the…

IN 2010, Facebook instituted an update to its site called “Open Graph,” which introduced Facebook users to a “Like” button that they could click to show to their networks their interests and activities anywhere in the internet. When users updated to Open Graph, this allowed Facebook to gather data about their online activities, including what sites…

MANY people are of the perception that simply downloading a prenuptial agreement from the internet and signing it with their fiance offers them a bullet proof protection from a divorce.  What many people do not know is that certain statutory requirements must be met in order for the prenuptial agreement to be valid and to…

IF you are in debt and are seriously considering bankruptcy as an option, I am sure a lot of thoughts are going through your mind. I just want to get out of debt and start over but how quickly can I recover from bankruptcy? What are the different types of bankruptcy available? How do I…

DENISE Bertone worked as a coroner investigator for the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner (DMEC). For most of her 25-year tenure, she was the expert pediatric coroner investigator for most child deaths. In 2013, a disabled child was found nearly drowned in a washing machine and was comatose.  The child was taken to…

MANY parents who may have problems refinancing their house due to low income in retirement or due to low credit score sometimes resort to the idea of having their married child serve as a co-borrower to refinance their house  As part of the refinancing process, the parents usually adds their adult children to the deed…

THIS is what I call a borderline Chapter 7 case with asset. Therefore, it is the better part of caution not to file Chapter 7 because the asset may be lost in Chapter 7, while Chapter 13 is safe enough because the Chapter 13 trustee, unlike the Chapter 7 trustee does not have the power…

IF you’ve ever had to file bankruptcy in the past for whatever reason, you probably told yourself that hopefully, you never have to do it again ever. But sometimes you never know where life takes you and if you ever find yourself in a financial bind where bankruptcy becomes necessary again, fear not. It is…