The IRS issued new guidance requiring individuals with an interest in a “specified foreign financial asset” to attach a disclosure statement to your income tax return for any year in which the aggregate value of all such assets exceeds $50,000. Use new form Form 8938 (Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets) starting in 2011. Q….
Life is all about making choices. The choices we make today determine our future. What will my life be like 3, 5 or 10 years for now? Will I be financially secure? Will I remain in the same dead-end job or perhaps move somewhere else that makes my time more worthwhile? Will I be able…
HI Dr. Vicki! I have been a fan of your TV show ever since I saw it 3 years ago! I was even more thrilled when I saw that you have a column so I took the courage to send you an email. Doc, I was born with brown skin as most Filipinos are. However,…
THOSE that can, do; those that can’t teach…well, that is so insulting. Teaching is the most exalted position — that prestige will always be there. Teachers bring some kind of coherence into a relationship with disciplinary modes, so students can think and explore ideas as they evolve and take shape and consider what might have…
When it’s 12:09am and it’s too hard to fall asleep, what should a high school student do? Earlier this year, the scenario is one that played out for 18-year-old Krizza Baniaga, a Filipina who recently graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. “I should do something with my life,” she recalled thinking. “I…
According to a new study, the California drought has some serious effects. If the drought were to continue for two to three years, rural communities and wildlife would suffer most–but urban populations have readied themselves to withstand further restrictions in water deliveries. The “what if” report from the Public Policy Institute of California released on Thursday, August 20…
LOS ANGELES – The executive directors of Search to Involve Pilipino Americans (SIPA) and FilAm ARTS formally announced Wednesday, Aug. 19, that they will be transitioning out of their leadership roles to pursue separate professional and personal goals. For more than 23 year years, Joel Jacinto has served as head of SIPA, while Jilly Canizares…
Intersectionality, privilege, human trafficking, social justice, healthcare, incarceration, prison complex, interracial identity — these are all terms used regularly in the Dream Summer National Program, which has wrapped up nearly three months of immigrant rights work across the country. The Dream Summer program, through the Dream Resource Center (DRC) at the University of California Los…
A hospital in Los Angeles announced Wednesday, August 19 that some of its patients have contracted an antibiotic-resistant “superbug,” which has been linked to a type of medical scope used in the procedure, and has infected dozens of people around the country. Huntington Memorial Hospital said in a statement that it notified public health authorities,…
Intersectionality, privilege, human trafficking, social justice, healthcare, incarceration, prison complex, interracial identity — these are all terms used regularly in the Dream Summer National Program, which has wrapped up nearly three months of immigrant rights work across the country. The Dream Summer program, through the Dream Resource Center (DRC) at the University of California Los…
Although there were some rumors that Sarah Geronimo’s parents still don’t approve of her relationship with actor Matteo Guidicelli, it seems that the Popstar Princess’ lovelife is blooming. In fact, in the July 18 episode of The Voice Kids 2 (where Sarah serves as one of the coaches), the Popstar Princess commented on one of…
FILIPINOS in America are divided between two ends of the spectrum: those who believe Donald Trump is their “Messiah” who will help “reclaim” America (but from whom?) and all her glory; and those who abhor Trump and see him as a caricature, no more than a rich real estate mogul and reality star on TV…
It is called the pompous sickness — the spell which hushes the household, with its desert-like stillness felt through its innermost chambers. One in a world unto herself, her own theater. A severe fit of indisposition, under the name of a fall from dignity, amounting to a deposition that made me a prisoner of myself…
Nearly 120 youth on Saturday, Aug. 15, showcased their knowledge of Filipino dance, music, language, history and lifestyle during Filipino Cultural School’s (FCS) summer school graduation ceremony. At St. Bernard Parish Hall in Bellflower, California, youth from ages 5 through 18 took the stage and sung Filipino songs “Tanging Yaman,” “Ako Ay May Lobo,” “Kay…
Over the weekend, firefighter crews continued battling against wildfires that have destroyed dozens of homes in the West and forced hundreds to evacuate. Calmer weather on Sunday, August 16 helped firefighters tighten their grip on the blazes, but dry, hot temperatures and low humidity is expected in the days ahead. Temperatures will be five to…
THE worsening drought in California will cause the state’s economy to lose as much as $2.74 billion and nearly 21,000 total jobs this year–and ripple effects of the 4-year-old drought will likely continue through at least 2017, according to a study released August 18. The report, authored by the University of California, Davis Center for…
Plaintiffs who argue the May 2nd boxing match between Filipino champ Manny Pacquiao and undefeated Floyd Mayweather Jr. was a fraud will get a chance to settle their cases before a federal judge in California. The long-awaited match, dubbed the “Fight of the Century” at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, received 4.4 million viewers…
For the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, 18 Million Rising, an Asian American digital activist group, launched a new Indiegogo campaign to create a translation matching app designed to increase voter participation in next year’s presidential elections. The mobile app, called VoterVOX, is described as “one part civic tech, one part grassroots organizing,…
It’s busy in the seminary these days as we, faculty and staff, prepare for the new academic year. It’s also an intense and exciting time because we have 30 new seminarians. This means that the seminary priests will take in more students for spiritual direction and formation advice besides teaching classes. Indeed, seminary formation is…
Get rid of your debts now and get a head start to live up to 120! CLIENT no. 1 Client is 65. She presents her financial problem thus. Both she and her husband were gainfully employed for the last 20 years. They are both professionals. Husband was making $100K a year with a cushy job…
Mayra Casas worked as a sales clerk for Victoria’s Secret in one of the company’s California stores. Casas claimed that she, and other employees, were required by the company to “call-in” two hours before their scheduled shift to see if work was available. If there was no work for them, they should not show up….
New Foreign bank account rules were designed to combat money laundering, terrorism, and tax evasion. Unfortunately, folks like you and me get snared in the process. We get penalized if we don’t follow the new rules. I have written a series of simplified articles on this subject to help you understand the new rules and…
So often, we meet with clients who come to our law firm just before a scheduled consulate interview abroad. The clients have either done their application on their own, or maybe a friend or “document preparer” has helped them, and they believe their case is straightforward and simple. They are all set to go, their…
The last few years have been financially difficult for a lot of people. When the real estate marked crashed a few years ago, millions of people found themselves with a mortgage they could not afford. A lot of people simply walked away from their homes out of desperation in some cases, they were forced out…
After two candidates have publicly signified their presidential bids for 2016, the next question people are so curious to know is who UNA’s Jejomar Binay and LP’s Mar Roxas will pick for Vice President. In the past week, talks about Binay running with Bongbong Marcos energized both the Marcos loyalists and the Binay supporters. After…
Temple and Beverly Blvd. is a cross street that fully represents of Historic Filipinotown’s ambiance: traffic that congeals into puddings of irritability, food aroma that alone can elevate your cholesterol level and people filling streets and sidewalks, as they set out each day to their daily grind — they are simple and happy with a…
First-time high in consumer auto debt, little change in mortgage debt A surge in Sweden in new loans for cars and trucks hit a 10-year high in the second quarter of the year, pushing total auto debt above $1 trillion for the first time, according to new government data released on Thursday, August 13. Americans…
THE number of Americans filing new applications for unemployment benefits unexpectedly rose last week, but the overall trend continued to point to a strengthening labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 5,000 to a seasonally adjusted 274,000 claims for the week ending August 8, the Labor Department said on Thursday, August 13. Claims…
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has approved a plan to divert at least 1,000 low-level, mentally-ill inmates out of jails and into a new facility focused on mental health treatment. Supervisors also voted on Tuesday, Aug 11, to move forward with construction of the Consolidated Correctional Treatment Facility a new jail downtown that…
For the first time in more than 54 years, the American flag on Friday, Aug. 14, was raised over the restored US Embassy in Havana, Cuba, marking the end of cold diplomatic relations between the two countries. “We are gathered here because our leaders made a courageous decision to stop being prisoners of history,” said…
