For those of you who may have missed the article I wrote "Proving Hidden Income", I thought it would be beneficial to post a link to it once again as I have had several family law attorneys ask me about this in the past few weeks. If you still have questions, or would like to [...]
The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service to now recognize same-sex marriages for federal tax purposes (regardless of what state the couple lives in). The Treasury’s announcement last week comes after the Supreme Court’s ruling back in June and applies to all federal taxes; (including income, gift and estate taxes), personal and dependent exemptions and [...]
Last month the web was inundated with news of allegations made against Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s charity, the Skyhook Foundation based out of Long Beach, CA. In 2009 when the foundation opened, Mr. Abdul-Jabbar said “I have decided to open up the Skyhook Foundation to improve people’s lives through sports and education because my life could not [...]
How to Avoid Affinity Fraud Part 3 of 3 Things to keep in mind: - If it sounds too good to be true, it is. - Never allow someone’s rhetoric to overpower your common sense. - Take a few days to think about and examine any investment decision. - A “best practice” procedure is to [...]
How is Affinity Fraud Accomplished? Typically a fraudster embodies or personifies ideals held by the group to be very advantageous. In some situations this could be a member of poor community that shows outward signs of success, such as rolling into the community in a Bentley, or an older individual that boasts great success in [...]
What is Affinity Fraud? I recently stumbled upon a 3-part video on Affinity Fraud, aptly titled Affinity Fraud: Preying on Those Who Pray. Every year, billions of dollars (in the U.S. alone) are stolen from unsuspecting victims of this kind of fraud. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUv4dDavC6U&list=PLDF985F76B59B68E7&index=1 Simply put, although there’s nothing simple about it, affinity fraud occurs when [...]
Former Detroit Mayor Back in the News In June of 2011 I wrote about former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, who has been back in the news, for a conviction on a plethora of charges, including racketeering, fraud, and extortion. He was found guilty of 24 of the 30 charges brought against him. Kilpatrick was joined [...]
Debt Collection, or Lack Thereof As reported recently by The Long Beach Post, according to an audit of the City's Business Relation Bureau that spanned two years, $2.4 to $2.6 million in outstanding business license accounts have not been collected by the City of Long Beach. http://www.lbpost.com/business/2000001889-city-auditor-2-4-to-2-6m-in-delinquent-business-license-accounts-uncollected#.UTTbYldZ_Q8 Residents are fuming at the lack of tenacity [...]
It's always stunning to me how many families represent almost no taxable income but live in splendor in vast palatial estates in fancy neighborhoods. They often have a matched pair of incredibly expensive German cars in the driveway. Their kids go to private schools and the family passports are stamped from a variety of exotic [...]
What does bankruptcy approval for the City of Stockton mean for other California cities? Perhaps it paves the way for other California cities (such as the City of San Bernardino who filed for bankruptcy protection in August) to do the same. According to Cal Watchdog, Your Eyes on California Government, the City of Stockton owes [...]
