Manny Villar only Filipino on Bloomberg’s 500 richest list

BUSINESS tycoon Manuel Villar is the only Filipino listed on Bloomberg Billionaires Index, a daily ranking of the world’s top 500 richest people. As of January 13, the self-made billionaire ranked 381st richest in the world based on the market value of his publicly-listed businesses. Villar’s businesses in real estate, retail, and utilities are estimated…

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Pandemic debt relief: Is bankruptcy right for you?

“It is a misconception that ‘once you file bankruptcy, you will automatically lose everything.’ The truth is that most people keep everything they have (homes, cars, bank accounts, retirement plans, etc.) and they lose nothing at all.” PEOPLE with overwhelming debt problems during this difficult time are asking a lot of questions. Are you scared…

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SelfSafe™ to unveil USB emergency I.D. bracelet at CES 2021

Chicago, Illinois – SelfSafe™ is excited to announce that it will be showcasing its new stylish and sporty USB emergency I.D. bracelet at CES 2021, January 11-14. This is the first time SelfSafe will unveil its first of its kind, password-protected and encrypted bracelet to the consumer technology industry. Everyone needs a safe, central place…

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New California laws in 2021

HERE are 12 new California laws that take effect in 2021: • Potential COVID-19 Exposure Notification: Requires employers to promptly notify employees of potential coronavirus exposure. • Minimum Wage Increase: California’s minimum wage increases to $14 per hour for businesses employing 26 or more people and $13 per hour for businesses that have 25 or…

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How does the bankruptcy means test work?

WHAT is the means test in bankruptcy? It’s a method for calculating what your household income is to determine if you qualify for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 of the bankruptcy code. By household income, we mean the combined income of husband and wife, if the debtor is married, unless they are separated. The means…

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Too much debt and don’t know what to do?

ARE your debts keeping you up at night? Are you always worried about money? Are you barely surviving and can’t even keep up with minimum payments on your credit cards? Do you wish to reduce or eliminate your debts but don’t even know where to start? If you are searching for debt reduction solutions, you…

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Family Business Stewardship Is a Lasting Gift

A few weeks ago, I witnessed a wonderful change of leadership between the founding father and the next-generation successor, his son. The latter was not the eldest, but he was the most qualified. The generational transition was a culmination of more than five years of hard work reinforced with a lot of hand-holding exercises starting with the founder and the family…

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To people who are considering bankruptcy but are unsure

IF you are struggling with debt problems and are starting to feel hopeless about your situation because you are not getting anywhere in spite of your efforts, at what point do you consider filing bankruptcy as an option? Bankruptcy scares a lot of people, and that’s understandable because everything that they’ve heard about it from…

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Unusual Christmas this week

Friday marked Christmas Day as the the whole Christian world celebrated the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, 2020 years ago. Christians also celebrate the fact that God the Father, Yahweh, “I am who am,” who preceded all creation and who created everything chose a mere human, the Blessed Mother Mary, to be…

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Year-end tax plan for December 2020

WHILE we advocated accelerating deductions and postponing income in prior year tax plans, we cannot apply these traditional tactics anymore. Both COVID and a change of the guards at the White House dictate that we alter these strategies this year. 1. Georgia on our minds – Control of Senate If Democrats win both Georgia Senate seats, they…

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Protecting employees who take medications

When a drug test may constitute disability discrimination “Under California law and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), an employee who is taking medication for a disability is protected from discrimination. Thus, if an employee’s drug test is positive for controlled substances but such substances are due to medication prescribed for a disability or medical…

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Duty Free Philippines Launches New Logo

Tourism attached Duty Free Philippines (DFP) today reveals new logo. This was initially developed as part of the planned corporate relaunch that was suspended due to the pandemic caused by COVID 19. The new logo was developed to complete the company’s rebranding. “Today we’re “softly” launching our new logo. The planned formal relaunch and rebranding…

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Comcast RISE awards over 700 Black-owned, small businesses with marketing and technology resources and makeovers

Multi-year program opens eligibility to small businesses owned by black, indigenous and people of color  NEW YORK – Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) recently announced the first round of Comcast RISE award recipients — over 700 businesses will receive consulting, media and creative production services from Effectv, the advertising sales division of Comcast Cable, or technology upgrades from…

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Cacao Innovation Pioneer Armi Lopez Garcia Elected National Chair of Philippine Cacao Industry Council

Armi Lopez Garcia, CEO of Cebu-based Tablea Chocolate, was recently elected National Chairperson of the Philippine Cacao Industry Development Council, December 9, 2020. Currently, the Chairperson of the Central Visayas Regional Cacao Industry Council, Garcia was unanimously elected National Chairperson by all Regional Cacao Development Councils from all over the Philippines, in absentia, to succeed…

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Are you paid less due to your gender or race?

“The California Fair Pay Act (aka the Equal Pay Act) prohibits an employer from paying any of its employees wage rates that are less than what it pays employees of the opposite sex, or of another race, or of another ethnicity, for substantially similar work, when viewed as a composite of skill, effort, and responsibility,…

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A tale of 2 seniors in financial distress

Chapter 7 for senior No. 1 Senior one is 73. He has been separated from his wife for 30 years but not divorced. So, for all intents and purposes, he is single because even if his wife makes a ton of money, her income is irrelevant under the means test since client does not benefit…

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Jollibee to open 28 stores in the US, Canada in 2021

Fast-food chain returns to Mira Mesa, CA Popular fast-food chain Jollibee has set its sights on 2021 and will add 28 stores to its North American network, 19 in the United States and nine in Canada. The 2021 expansion will mark Jollibee’s largest-ever addition to its North American store network in company history as it…

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Do you have too much debt and not enough income?

ARE your growing debts starting to worry you and 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 and not getting anywhere? Do you dread getting those credit card statements every month knowing that you don’t have the money to…

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Paying for all hours worked for non-hourly employees

AMERICAN Income Life Insurance Co. sells insurance policies in California. It hires agents that it pays on commission. David Hamilton, Bridget Smith, and David Joh worked for American Income as agents. They each believed that they would be a salaried worker when they first applied, but later found that they would be paid in commission…

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Is bankruptcy right for you?

SURE, there are alternatives to bankruptcy. But bankruptcy is the only solution that provides viable debt relief for those who are unable to repay their debts. Some people sign up for debt settlement and find out after having paid into the pot that they have been sued by several creditors despite attempts by the debt…

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Report: Filipinos top social media users in the world

A NEW social media analysis revealed that the Philippines has spent the most time on social media platforms than any other country in the world. According to social media marketplace Twicsy.com, Filipinos spend an average of 102,054 hours or 4,252 days on social media during their lifetime, which puts the Philippines at the top of…

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Another record low mortgage rate

by: Martin Santiago, Broker-Associate THE average contract interest rate for 30-year fixed-rate mortgages with conforming loan balances ($510,400 or less) decreased to a survey low of 2.92% from 2.99%, with points falling to 0.35 from 0.37 (including the origination fee) for loans with a 20% down payment. While more than 4 million borrowers have already…

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Getting paid correctly for working on holidays

“The law does not require payment of overtime or other special premiums for work during holidays, unless such work goes beyond 8 hours per workday or 40 hours per workweek.” Q: I WORKED on Thanksgiving Day and the Day after Thanksgiving. Am I entitled to holiday pay? A: Around this time of year, we get…

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IRS has 2 million unopened mailed returns this tax season

THE Internal Revenue Service has about 2.5 million of unopened paper-filed income tax returns. Total pieces of mail (including income tax returns) stands at about 5 million pieces. This number is even down compared with 12 million in June and 23 million pieces in March 2020. Amusing, but listen. IRS Commissioner Charles Rettig described the…

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