Ramon S. Ang: Today’s Ideal Filipino Leader
Nowadays, the Philippines, much like every other country in the world, is facing a very challenging and difficult time. Filipinos’ day-to-day lives have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in…
Category: Business
Covering the week’s most noteworthy business news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Wrongful termination: When employer keeps changing reasons for employee’s firing
PATRICIA Samson worked as a portfolio manager for Wells Fargo Bank. On October 28, 2014, Patricia informed her supervisors that she would take a medical leave of absence to recover…
Seven tips in writing IRS for forgiveness of penalties
AS our tax laws become more complex, we find it more difficult to comply. The COVID-19 pandemic makes compliance even more challenging. As we fail to comply in filing or…
Landlord with $400K judgment vs commercial tenant proceeds against guarantor
WHAT are friends for? Friends, of course, like to help each other. But to what extent and what favors can you ask from a friend? The client’s friend wanted to…
The sparkling rise of Sanzo: How a Fil-Am millennial is disrupting the beverage industry
A Filipino American has been silently but efficiently disrupting the heavily evolving and saturated market of carbonated beverages, and in this specific case: sparkling water. Meet Sandro Roco, the 31-year-old…
Bureau of Treasury invites Fil-Ams to invest in PH
The Philippines’ Bureau of The Treasury issued an invitation to overseas Filipinos to invest in Retail Treasury Bonds (RTB) in a Zoom presentation last Thursday, July 23. The presentation was…
Bankruptcy: Get out of debt, get your finances back in order
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, we all find ourselves…
Southern California Filipino businesses push through amidst latest shutdowns
Asian American labor force and businesses disproportionately disrupted by COVID-19 compared to whites, UCLA report finds LAST week, California Governor Gavin Newsom announced that closures were once again being put…
Pechanga Resort Casino welcomes you back to golf at Journey with new health, safety measures
JOURNEY at Pechanga, the par 72, 7,219-yard golf course at Pechanga Resort Casino, is now open with limited operations to maintain the health and safety of guests, team members and…
Off-the-clock and ‘unapproved’ work hours should still be paid
KAREN Martinez worked as a Case Manager for John Muir Health, a health care service corporation operating primarily in Contra Costa County, CA. Martinez was an hourly non-exempt employee who…
Seven tips in dealing with federal penalties for underpayment of taxes
IRS penalties have been consolidated into two groups: A uniform accuracy-related penalty and a fraud penalty. 1. Accuracy-related penalties are computed at 20% of underpayments attributable to any of the…
Senior needs fresh start Chapter 7 for $80K credit cards after becoming a widow
THE client is 67. Her husband passed away five years ago after a long fight with kidney failure. He was on dialysis for eight years waiting for a kidney transplant….
Debt problems: Are you lost in a money fog?
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…
13 tips in pleading reasonable cause to penalty forgiveness
YOUR penalties may be abated (forgiven) if you can prove Reasonable Cause. Here are some tips for you: • You don’t have a background in finance or taxation • You…
Are public employees’ off-duty sex activities ground for termination?
The right to privacy and intimate association JANELLE Perez was hired as a police officer in the Roseville Police Department. A few months into her probationary term, Janelle and a…
Senior needs Chapter 13 to protect house from creditors of a failed business
THE client is 71. Her husband died five years ago, so she lives with her unmarried son who does not have full time or steady employment. She has a large…
New closures hit California as coronavirus cases continue to rise
California Governor Gavin Newsom this week announced another round of closures, from bars to indoor shopping malls, as positive cases and hospitalizations associated with the coronavirus continue to be reported…
Jumbo loans during pandemic
By: Martin Santiago, Broker-Associate WHAT’S a jumbo loan? A jumbo loan is any loan that exceeds the loan limits set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are nicknames for the Federal…
Job loss due to the virus? Here’s how bankruptcy may help
Bankruptcy is often a last resort for people who are in serious debt trouble. But if you’re one of many millions of people who have suffered a job loss due…
Deadline to file by July 15, 2020 is not extended again
IS the 2020 tax deadline extended again? No. 1. Requests for more time to file your taxes have been denied. IRS will stick with the July 15 deadline for 2019…
Company policy versus the law of reasonable accommodation
How a sick leave policy fell short of disability discrimination law Mykyn Woods worked as a Senior Community Manager for Greystar Management Services, a property management company with offices all…
S corporation signed a commercial lease. Is the owner personally liable for $500K?
THE client is 48. He owns an “S” corporation that has been operating for 15 years. The corporation provides a service to the public in several shopping malls. Business has…
Reminder: Tax deadline extended to July 15 amid pandemic
IRS extended the federal income tax deadline from April 15, 2020 to July 15, 2020. This new due date applies to both filings and payments due April 15, 2020. This…
City of Los Angeles unveils new assistance program for at-risk renters
Up to 50,000 households can be helped for two months In an effort to address the mounting financial insecurity among families during the pandemic, the City of Los Angeles has…
DTI foresees better movement of commercial vehicles, goods with opening of new NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10
MAKATI CITY — Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Secretary Ramon M. Lopez congratulated the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in officially opening to motorists the C3-R10 section…
Bankruptcy relief: Get out of debt now
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…
Being on-call may entitle you to additional pay
When reporting for work does not mean showing up ALEXIA Herrera worked as a Sales Associate at Zumiez, Inc., a retail store in Chico, California. Zumiez scheduled Herrera and other…
Disadvantages of tax-driven (fake) divorce
WE discussed the benefits of divorce last week. Let’s discuss drawbacks this week. Medical insurance: It’s typical for one working spouse to carry medical insurance for the whole household. One…
Sole proprietors need Chapter 7 relief for $280K credit cards and $80K commercial lease
THE clients are a husband and wife in their mid-60s. I asked them if they have started receiving social security benefits, and sadly they told me that they migrated less…
New York, New Jersey postpone indoor dining as COVID cases surge across the US
GOV. Phil Murphy stopped the supposed reopening of restaurants in the state this week for a few reasons, among them the violations in some restaurants that have opened for Phase…