“ Be careful when having your residence deeded to a living trust. Upon death, if the A/B trust splits into a trust (Survivor’s Trust A) and an irrevocable trust (Bypass Trust A), there could be tax consequences. If the residence is assigned to the irrevocable trust, the exclusion is lost. That may not be a…
THE year 2014 has been an interesting time for employment law with the legislature and the courts defining additional protections to employees. The following are some of the laws that may interest our readers: New minimum wage laws took effect in July 1, 2014 Effective July 1, 2014, California’s minimum wage was raised from $8…
IF you are experiencing debt problems, you may find it difficult to talk to other people about it to the point that you are not getting the help that you need to find a solution. I understand. Debt is a very personal matter so most people don’t feel comfortable discussing it with anyone. Like most…
After Pres. Obama announced Executive Action (EA) on November 20, 2014, many people asked whether a new Republican Congress can or will attempt to block those measures, especially Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA). In my opinion, once these programs are implemented, the Republicans cannot or will not…
It is typical, if not natural, for Parties to a divorce case to start hiding assets and income from each other as soon as divorce is anticipated. Spouse’s are thinking ahead of the game on how they can outsmart the other spouse so that they end up with the larger portion of the pie. This…
THE past few months have seen news headlines in the Philippines, rerun in FilAm media across the US, screaming about the corruption and unexplained wealth of Vice-President Jejomar Binay. Binay, who has continued to enjoy a wide lead over other “presidentiables” like Mar Roxas, Grace Poe, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Alan Peter Cayetano, has dismissed these…
The history behind the tradition BAGONG TAON for us Filipinos in America will always remind of of the deafening paputok of superlolo, machine guns, lucis, bawang, and the burning of old gulong that leaves black soot in our nostrils the next day. These are all believed to shoo away bad spirits and welcome the good…
BEFORE we bid 2014 adieu, we are reminded to look back and reflect on all the important events that have happened in the past 12 months. Will Filipinos learn from their mistakes and lead themselves to better lives and meaningful democracies, or constitute a false dawn? Despite some low points on the country’s track record,…
THE old year is put to bed. One’s business is finished. We commemorate the year past while invoking the illumination of the year’s days of authentic indulgence, simplicities, celebration and closure. As we welcome the new year, we need to put the old year’s unfinished business—mistakes, regrets, shortcomings, disappointment and bad memories as well—behind us….
The National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) has teamed up with OneWest Bank to offer financial education services to Filipinos. On Tuesday, Dec. 23, representatives from OneWest Bank visited Island Pacific locations in Panorama City and Canoga Park to gain an understanding of how the market serves the needs of the Filipino community. “Through our partnership…
LOS ANGELES – Undocumented immigrants in California can now obtain driver’s licenses under Assembly Bill 60, also known as the Safe and Responsible Drivers’ Act, which went into effect on Jan. 1. Even in winter-cold weather, hundreds of individuals lined up early Friday morning on Jan. 2 to take the test for their learner’s permits….
AN effort to end California’s exclusive state ban on single-use plastic grocery bags advanced this week after manufacturers spent millions on a campaign to gather signatures for a proposed ballot initiative to overturn the ban. Already passed by the state legislature and signed by Calif. Governor Jerry Brown, the bag ban known as Senate Bill…
California is leading state IN 2014, 126 law enforcement officers were killed nationwide in the line of duty—a 24 percent jump since 2013, according to an annual report from the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. Of those deaths, 15 were ambush assaults and 14 were in California. California, the most populous state in the…
WITH the New Year comes new laws, and in 2015 tougher gun laws will change the kinds of guns that can be purchased in California. In July 2014, Governor Jerry Brown signed the anti-gun legislation Assembly Bill 1964, which bans the sale of single-shot handguns that can be altered into semiautomatic weapons. The law went…
The number of Americans filing new claims for jobless benefits rose more than expected during the last week, but the trend remained consistent with sustained strength in the labor market. Initial claims for state unemployment aid increased by 17,000 to a seasonally adjusted 298,000 by Dec. 27, according to the Labor Department, after four straight…
General Motors on Thursday, Jan. 1, announced three new recalls affecting more than 92,000 SUVs and pickup trucks. The recall includes certain 2011 to 2012 models and some 2007 to 2014 models that were repaired with faulty parts, and applies to US, Canadian, Mexican and exported vehicles. One of the issues involves the ignition system….
Smartphones have been accused of adversely affecting the brain, but researchers have found that fingertip interaction with touchscreens also results in increased brain activity. A new study published in the journal “Current Biology” states that smartphone users posses “an enhanced thumb sensory representation in the brain.” Arko Ghosh of the University of Zurich and ETH…
On Dec. 31, the last trading day of the year, the selloff in oil markets continued even as US data showed a greater-than-expected decline in inventory. Oil is headed for its worst annual price drop since 2008 as the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, known as OPEC, is refusing to cut production despite an abundant…
United Airlines and and online travel company Orbitz are suing a 22-year-old who founded a website that helps travelers book cheaper flights. Aktarer Zaman from New York City founded Skiplagged.com, which uses “hidden city” ticketing to provide people with more affordable airfares. The website allows travelers to purchase a ticket with a layover in the…
Two iPhone users have launched a lawsuit against Apple, claiming the company misrepresents storage on certain devices after users upgrade to the iOS 8 operating system. Miami residents Paul Orshan and Christopher Endara filed the complaint in California on Tuesday, Dec. 30, 2014. “The defendant fails to disclose to consumers that as much as 23.1%…
The holiday season is upon us and is my favorite time of the year! Not only do I get chance to catch up and have a feast with my family and friends, it’s also very busy at PCA with client planning for the upcoming year. I’ve covered many aspects of marketing in my previous columns…
IN a ceremony on Sunday, Dec. 28, in Kabul, the United States and NATO formally ended the 13-year war in Afghanistan. “Thanks to the extraordinary sacrifices of our men and women in uniform, our combat mission in Afghanistan is ending, and the longest war in American history is coming to a responsible conclusion,” President Barack…
IN California, a leading producer of fruits, vegetables and nuts, many farmers are already fearing a major labor shortage that could be caused by President Obama’s executive actions on immigration planned for 2015. Thousands of the state’s farmworkers, who make up a significant portion of those who will benefit from the order (which protects up…
The National Asian American Coalition (NAAC) has teamed up with OneWest Bank to offer financial education services to Filipinos. On Tuesday, Dec. 23, representatives from OneWest Bank visited Island Pacific locations in Panorama City and Canoga Park to gain an understanding of how the market serves the needs of the Filipino community. “Through our partnership…
MY husband and I almost always host a family reunion Christmas party at our home, especially this year when my Mother is celebrating her first Christmas in America after my Daddy’s passing last July. Like many other Filipino families in America, this is perhaps our own way of re-creating the big fun gatherings with our…
About 1.16 million customer payment cards were affected in an October security breach at Staples, compromising cardholder names, card numbers, expiration dates and verification codes. The office retailer stated in a release on Friday, Dec. 19, that the criminals used malware to compromise customer data at 115 of its more than 1,400 locations. Of those…
With eight years of fiscal losses in the books, the United States Postal Service (USPS) is turning to e-commerce to boost its money numbers. “Really it started almost at the level of cold-calling, talking to people who really hadn’t spoken to us in a long time,” said Nagisa Manabe, USPS chief marketing and sales officer,…
National minimum wage hikes set to take place in 2015 will affect the base salaries of workers at 1,434 Walmart locations in the United States, according to an internal memo examined by Reuters. Hourly wages are set to rise in 20 states on or around Jan. 1, 2015, while pay rates in a few other states and…
THE Federal Communications Commission will adopt net neutrality rules in early 2015, possibly as soon as February, though observers have not predicted what those rules will look like. The FCC is under pressure from both President Barack Obama and major Internet service providers, as well as nearly 4 million people who submitted comments to the…
ON Christmas evening, six people, including two who were severely burned, were hospitalized after a sudden fire ripped through a three-story residential motel in the Westlake area of Los Angeles, fire department officials said. It took 100 firefighters at least 21 minutes to combat the flames at the JJ Park Motel on West Third Street,…
