AMERICA mourns the passing of Senator John McCain — war hero, six-term senator, a true statesman, patriot and public servant. Amid all the tributes to McCain’s heroism and dedicated service to America among his colleagues, constituents, family, friends, world leaders, and Americans — Republicans, Democrats, and Independents — it was painful to watch the President…
THE Los Angeles Food & Wine Festival (LAF&W) this past week brought together dozens of renowned culinary personalities from across the country for five days of events. From Wednesday, August 22 to Sunday, August 26, the 8th annual festival occupied spaces around LA from Grand Avenue in Downtown to Barker Hanger in Santa Monica for…
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…
1. BLENDED Federal Income Tax Rate: For Corporations tax elected to use a fiscal year will pay a blended tax rate and not the 21% flat rate. The new rate 21% is effective after December 31, 2017. You may want to consider amending your corporate tax return fiscal year ending January 31, 2018 to reflect…
(12th of a series – conclusion of 2 parts) ”…Someone said that reunions are like masquerade balls. No one comes as his genuine self. Many try to hide the scars behind a mask…” WHETHER we like it or not, the past is a big part of who we have become. At some point, it may be worth…
A LONG-standing theory that taking a low-dose aspirin every day will cut the chances of a heart attack, stroke or other heart problems has been debunked by a new major research study. Over the weekend, the European Society of Cardiology 2018 presented two studies that challenged the century-long, widely-accepted doctor recommendation for aspirin use in…
BEING a harbinger for environmental policies, California on Monday, August 27, published a comprehensive assessment outlining the risks of global warming that are threatening the state. Titled as California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment, the assessment is the fourth to have been put out by the state since 2006 when former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called…
Legislation comes as studies show divisive rhetoric in national politics has filtered down to schools SACRAMENTO — Legislation by Assemblymember David Chiu (D-San Francisco) to prevent bullying and harassment in California schools passed the Assembly floor on Monday, August 27, on concurrence and now heads to Governor Brown. Assembly Bill 2291 would require the California Department…
Big Telecom attempts to slow down support for net neutrality by spreading “misinformation” After the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to slowly reduce net neutrality protections, Democratic lawmakers have promised to challenge the Trump administration in order to maintain open and equal access to the internet. In California, Democratic leaders are taking that fight seriously….
All three had connections to Philippine terror group A 28-year-old Philippine national was among the three men from Southeast Asia to be added to the U.S. Treasury’s sanctions blacklist on Friday, August 24, for involvement with the Islamic State (IS) terror group. The U.S. Treasury Department imposed the sanctions on Philippine national Mohammad Reza Lahaman…
More than 200 buyers and over 220 sellers are set to participate in this year’s Philippine Travel Exchange (PHITEX) – organized by the Tourism Promotions Board (TPB), the marketing arm of the Department of Tourism (DOT) – to be held at the Marriot Grand Ballroom on 28 – 30 August 2018. PHITEX is the country’s…
BEING audited by the IRS is dreaded by most taxpayers. My clients constantly asked which method increase their chances of getting audited. Let’s compare two methods of filing your tax returns: • Old method of manually preparing and mailing your tax returns via post office. • Newer method of electronic software and efiling tax returns…
THE clients are seniors who just stopped working two months ago. The husband is 75 and the wife is 71. They own a house with $140,000 in equity. Their unmarried son lives with them for free. For free, meaning that he doesn’t pay them any rent to live there. This is understandable because parents who…
DEAR Attorney Tan, I have an approved I-140 immigrant petition which was filed by Company A on my behalf. Company A would like to employ me as a bookkeeper. Based on that approved I-140 petition, I filed an application for green card (I-485 adjustment of status) in August 2014. Since that time, my green…
THE California Fair Pay Act (a.k.a. the Equal Pay Act), enacted in October 2015, prohibits employers from paying employees less than those of the opposite sex for “substantially similar work,” even if their titles are different or they work at different sites. This means the lower paid employee does not have to prove that the…
IN the absence of a premarital agreement, the general community property presumption under California family code section 760 controls which provides “all property, real or personal, wherever situated, acquired by a married person during the marriage while domiciled in this state is community property.” Family Code 760. his becomes a problem if you are the spouse that…
IN this Sunday’s Gospel, Peter remarked to Jesus, “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” Such is Peter’s testament of unwavering faith and fidelity to Jesus. Can we also express the same faith and sentiment, especially in times of difficulties and challenges? Many of us would say that we…
I KNOW we’ve never met. But there’s a common fear that everyone shares when they’re in debt. As a bankruptcy attorney, I hear it from people who consult with me every day. It is this: The possibility of losing what they’ve worked hard for all their lives…their homes, their savings, their retirement money, their business,…
EVERY time the “Ber” months are about to start, I get a sense of nostalgia and astonishment on how fast the year goes by. This year has been bittersweet for me as I remember the friends, families and families of friends who passed on. While I have so much to be thankful for this year,…
Coming from such a prominent Filipino family — with grandparents Ferdinand and Imelda, mother Imee as Ilocos Norte governor, and uncle Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. who was a senator and ran in 2016 for the vice presidency, the results of which are currently under an electoral protest — you could say a political career is…
Screenwriters Peter Chiarelli and Adele Lim and director Jon M. Chu are in talks to return for development on “China Rich Girlfriend” IN the opening scene of the wildly popular and universally acclaimed “Crazy Rich Asians,” the character Rachel Chu (played by the charming Constance Wu) tells one of her students who lost a poker…
Part I of II “I AM with you wherever you are. I am with you forevermore. There is no other love more than my love for you. I am with you my one and only love. You are with me wherever I am. You are with me forevermore. You’re always in my mind wherever I…
WHAT happened to 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts —a beautiful college student from Iowa who was killed by multiple sharp force injuries by an undocumented immigrant when she was on her usual routine run — is perhaps every parent’s nightmare. The family of Tibbetts, however, lamented that her death had been used by the Trump administration for…
On a visit to Baguio a few months ago, the hotel we stayed at had several young people working at the front desk, in the restaurant, and as bellhops. What struck me was the fact that they were all working for free. I soon found out that they were all taking up hotel and restaurant…
Last week, the movie “Crazy Rich Asians” opened in theaters nationwide to long lines and critical acclaim, especially here in Daly City, California, where a lot of Asians reside. Of course, where people are, there the politicians will be. Assemblymember Phil Ting, who is of Chinese descent and who represents the California 19th Assembly District…
SEVERAL members of the Philippine House of Representatives this week filed impeachment complaints against the seven associate justices of the Supreme Court (SC) who voted to oust former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno last May. Representatives Gary Alejano of Magdalo party-list, Edcel Lagman of Albay, Teddy Baguilat Jr. of Ifugao and Tom Villarin of Akbayan…
23-year-old Dan Santos found inspiration from his immigrant parents’ journey Most Asian Americans grow up with the overwhelming expectation to academically and financially succeed pursuant to the wishes of their immigrant parents. Usually that means following a very precise trajectory — school, school and even more school before landing a job and establishing a career in…
