On choosing the better part
MY sister and I sat in my family house’s backyard porch last night to enjoy a home-cooked meal and a nice cool evening breeze. As we ate, we chatted about…
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Homeowner files last minute Chapter 13 without credit counseling 13 as load mod is denied
Senior files Chp 7 to discharge $35K credit cards CLIENT is 59 and single. He has a decent job where he makes $4K a month gross. He doesn’t owe any…
Home health aides and other household employees are entitled to overtime
Q: I AM a registered nurse in the Philippines but I have not yet obtained a license in California. However, I am working as a ‘private nurse’ to a bed-ridden…
Do I need a premarital agreement before getting married?
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…
Community property
MANY people have misconceptions or are misinformed about family law here in the United States, specifically, in the State of California. They tend to not know their rights that deal…
10 Tips to prepare for IRS appeals conference
YOU are still upset from losing an IRS audit. You can either pay or fight. If you choose peace and quiet—pay. If you choose to fight—go to appeals. Let me…
Financial stress can affect your health, experts say
ARE your debt problems keeping you up at night? Stressed out and worried about your financial future? According to a recent article written by a doctor, this can affect your…
After the UN tribunal legal victory, should the PH negotiate with China on the West Philippine Sea?
THE Philippines may have scored a moral and legal victory after the United Nations (UN)tribunal in The Hague ruled that China has no historical basis in claiming the resources-rich West…
Summer fashion trends
Oh yes, it’s summertime. As the temperatures warm up, we are inspired by the season’s hottest trends. Whether it’s patterned party dresses or bold printed shorts, these summer fashion trends…
Fiesta in America turns 18, People’s Ball celebrates 8th year
The undiminished manifestations of the Filipinos’ intellectual achievements and unprecedented global status has consistently been the boosting power in their unsurpassed competence to uphold and commemorate habituated century-old tradition even…
2016 Miss World America Audra Mari is part Filipina
The new 2016 Miss World America is a Fil-Am from North Dakota! Twenty-year-old Audra Mari, a dean’s lister at the North Dakota State University taking up Public Relations and Communications,…
The August 2016 priority dates
EACH month, the Visa Office of the State Department publishes, in the Visa Bulletin, the priority dates for that particular month, for the various family and employment based categories. A…
A DUI can get you deported or have your visa revoked and other friendly reminders for the summer
SUMMER is here, and it’s time for summer barbecues and bonfires by the beach! Before partaking in summer fun, however, know where you stand: If you are a non-U.S. citizen,…
Gluten, junk foods, etc.
What is gluten? Gluten is protein substance found in cereal grains, barley, rye, and triticale, especially wheat, which is responsible for the elastic texture of dough, an ingredient that “glues”…
Top 5 things overseas Filipinos send back to the Philippines
AS of 2014, there were around 10.5 million overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), a number that is only increasing. Many Filipinos living abroad ship their families back home balikbayan boxes, large…
Basics of IRS appeals process
AFTER an audit of your tax returns by the IRS and you disagree with the determination, you have the option to either accept the assessment and settle the tax you…
Fil-Am leaders speak up on the Philippines’ victory over China in UN tribunal decision
KUDOS to former Philippine Pres. Benigno Aquino III, former DFA Sec. Albert del Rosario and the whole team which, on behalf of the Filipino people, filed, argued, and won the…
War on drugs
A FORMER agent of the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) reported that the illegal drug trade in the country is thriving, and has become a P200-billion “industry.” An even more…
A night at Dodgers Stadium
It was one of those Padres-Dodgers slugfests — where 43,588 people in a wave of blue collectively sent out ear splitting displays of offensive chants throughout that evening at Dodgers…
The nearness and concreteness of love
Twenty-five years of service in the priesthood! It’s a significant number of years in ministry. How fast the years went by! It seemed like yesterday when I was just a…
Business owner chooses Chapter 7 for $250k personal guaranties on business loans
Senior files same for $55k credit cards “Do not sign personal guaranties for business loans because you will be on the hook if the business cannot pay the loans. If…
Remedies for employees who blow the whistle on employers
Ninoos Benjamin worked as a Director of Economic Division of the City of Los Angeles’ Community Development Department (CDD). According to several news outlets, Benjamin sued the city claiming retaliation…
Should you go to IRS appeals?
After losing an audit to the IRS, you have the option of paying or appealing. Pay if you are happy with the results or don’t want to extend the agony…
Do you owe money to the IRS?
IRS problems have a way of ruining all aspects of your life. They can take a toll on you financially, emotionally and physically. When you owe the IRS, you’re always…
Cruising through history, culture and grandeur: My first Mediterranean cruise
Have you ever been in one of those cruises that just took your breath away? If not, I highly encourage you to try it at least once in your life….
Farewells never need to be rackety, just heartfelt
LOS ANGELES — Farewells are always both sad and bright like after the rain. June has been a string of goodbye parties for LA Consul General Leo Herrera-Lim Out of…
US citizenship – the gift my parents gave me
I COULD list off the ways I’ve been lucky in life, but it all stems from my parents’ decision to leave home and become American citizens. The Vietnam War had…
Wellness, cooking show and franchising at Fiesta In America
The east coast’s biggest Filipino and multicultural indoor expo will revolve around a Total Wellness theme, according to Nanding Mendez, Fiesta In America’s President. Fiesta In America will celebrate its…
Pachada Band’s frontman Chad Baluran’s tumultuous journey
Man can neither be judged by merely based on his failures nor through the vast wealth accumulated but by the macadamized roads he traveled from where his journey commenced. The…
If Duterte fails, we all lose
I WAS one of the most severe critics of Rodrigo Duterte as a presidential candidate. But now that he has assumed the presidency, I believe he should be given every…