Driving tips for first-time drivers
BEING able to get a driver’s license is an enormous step in a person’s life, whether the new driver is a teen or older. Once the ability to drive is…
Category: Business
Covering the week’s most noteworthy business news impacting the Filipino-American and Global Filipino community.
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Seniors consider Chapter 13 relief for $80K credit cards
Young couple need Chapter 7 relief for $40K credit cards CLIENTS are married to each other and they are both seniors. He is 68 and she is 66. He is a…
Series for Covered CA: Part 2
Different Health Plans PRESIDENT-elect Trump vowed to repeal at least parts of Affordable Care Act (ACA). Certain parts of that he will maintain, as he wants all Americans to have…
Can undocumented immigrants recover damages for serious injuries in an accident?
(Injured persons’ immigration status not subject to inquiry under new law) ON October 23, 1979, Jesus Rodriguez was injured in a traffic accident after being hit by a vehicle driven…
How should you hold title to real estate?
WHEN buying real estate, there is always that inevitable question: how do you hold title? Your choice can have dramatic impact on estate taxes and income taxes. Let’s explore choices…
Will your debt problems follow you into 2017?
I CAN’T believe this year is almost over. This morning, I saw a lot of my neighbors starting to put up their Christmas lights. It seems like 2016 just started….
Regular tax and Alternative Minimum Tax (AMT)
THERE are two types of income tax – Regular and AMT. Currently, regular tax rates are: 10%, 15%, 25%, 28%, 33%, 35%, 39.6%, while AMT tax rates are: 26% with…
How bankruptcy can release you from the burden of debt
SLEEPLESS nights… Stressed out… Worried about the future.. Always broke no matter how hard they work…Feeling hopeless about their situation. This is what most people are going through when they…
Widow needs Chapter 13 to handle $40K credit cards
Widower seeks Chapter 13 for $50K credit cards CLIENT is 53 and recently widowed. She works as a caregiver and met her now deceased husband through her job. At first,…
What if the employer cannot pay our back wages?
(Liabilities of “joint employers”) Q: I WORK as a manager for a fast-food franchisee with three stores in Los Angeles. While my title is “manager” I spend 70 percent of…
Widow needs Chapter 13 to handle $40K credit cards
Widower seeks Chapter 13 for $50K credit cards CLIENT is 53 and recently widowed. She works as a caregiver and met her now deceased husband through her job. At first,…
12 tactics to survive an IRS audit
YOU have just received an invitation to visit an office of the Internal Revenue Service to examine (meaning audit) your tax returns. Don’t panic. You have stashed funds for a…
How bankruptcy can release you from the burden of debt
SLEEPLESS nights… Stressed out… Worried about the future.. Always broke no matter how hard they work…Feeling hopeless about their situation. This is what most people are going through when they…
Seniors with $40K credit cards seek Chapter 7 relief
Client needs Chapter 13 to handle $50K personal guaranty CLIENTS are young seniors at 62. Husband took an early retirement as he has a serious illness. Two years ago, husband…
Protecting employees who need periodic leave for their medical condition
Q: I HAVE a heart condition that has become worse recently. I need to see my doctor periodically or when I feel dizzy or short of breath. This means I…
Guaranteed installment agreement with the IRS
GUARANTEED? Too good to be true? Read on. The IRS cannot deny your application if you satisfy all of the following requirements: 1. The tax is not more than $10,000….
File Chapter 13 to make monthly debt payments more affordable
IF you are doing your best to pay your debts but simply do not have enough income to pay what your creditors are demanding from you, it may just be…
What is new: Federal penalties for late W2s and 1099s
JANUARY 31, 2017 is the new deadline for filing 2016 Forms W-2 and W-3 both in paper forms and electronic. If you need 30-day extension complete Form 8809. There are…
Client with good income seeks Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 relief for $84K credit cards
CLIENT is 58. He is not divorced but separated for 20 years. His income is good. He nets about $7K to $8K a month. He lives by himself and does…
Where does that tip go? – A question for consumers and workers
THE Uber app allows riders to call, arrange and pay for taxi cab rides and other transportation services electronically via their mobile phone. On September 9, 2012, Caren Ehret used…
Should you submit an offer in compromise (OIC)?
IF you are unable pay all your taxes owed to the IRS, you may make an offer to pay a smaller sum to fully pay all taxes, penalties, and interests….
How you can get your family out of debt — safely and legally
AS we prepare to wrap up another year, I still see a lot of families who are at the end of their financial rope with no place to turn for…
Tips to keep the IRS away
KEEP a low audit profile. It reduces risk of an audit. Here are some tips to keep the IRS from auditing your tax returns: • Make sure that social security…
Single mom seeks chapter 7 relief from $60K credit cards
Business owner seeks to discharge $40K credit cards; Young debtor seeks to discharge $50K credit cards CLIENT is 50 and divorced ten years ago. Ex husband decided that working was…
Series for Covered CA: Part 1 – Introduction
OBAMACARE is normally used to mean Covered California (Covered CA) but they not the same thing. Obamacare is the law, the formal name of which is Patient Protection and Affordable…
Police use of excessive force results in wrongful death recovery
ON April 27, 2014, in Compton, CA, L.A. County sheriff’s deputies were called to a Target store, where a theft was allegedly occurring. Police arrived at the scene and confronted…
I owe the IRS – what can I do?
HERE 10 tips if you cannot immediately pay your liabilities to the IRS: • Pay What You Can: Pay promptly to stop additional penalties and interest from accruing. If you…
Debt problems: 2 things you need to change if you want your life to get better
EVERY day, I meet with a lot of people who are sick and tired of being in debt. And yet when I talk to them, I discover that they are…
Protecting employees injured at work from wrongful termination
ADAM Prue worked for the Brady Company, a construction company in San Diego, CA. Prue was injured at work and suffered a hernia in June 2011. Because of this, Prue…
Excluding foreign earned income
ARE you a U.S. citizen or resident working in a foreign country? Have you declared your foreign income? Have you even filed a tax return? Or are you hiding from…