raquel_1208

Eastwood, Libis. I choosed it for security reasons. I used my iphone out in the open everyday for a month because of all the free wifi in the restaurants and bars without the fear of being snatched in my hands or mugged by thieves. We rented a condo and stayed there for a month.

Your husband is entitled to a balikbayan visa which will be stamped on his passport, no fee to avail it because he is married to a Filipina which is valid for 1 year stay. You might want to bring a copy of your marriage certificate in case you need it. Just ask the immigration officer about it before they stamped your husband's and your passport. We also just got back from the Philippines a month ago and my US citizen husband and 2-year old US citizen son have them in their passports. We stayed there for 30 days.

Yes you can get an sponsor.

Thank you so much for the information. Just want to know your opinion...which is better to easily find a good job in US...being a CPA or have Masters Degree? Been wanting to choose between the two. Thanks again.

Did you finish or planning to take your Masters Degree here in the US? Based on my experience and from the information I read on cpa forums about job hunting, our work experience and education in the Philippines basically does not have any value in applying for a job here. One you pass your CPA exams, that has still no value unless you work on your license by getting a work experience under a US Certified Public Accountant for a required number of hours which is like a year or so. Your CPA supervisor needs to sign a letter about the hours you work for proof and that is the document you will need to submit to the California Board of Accountancy in order to get the license, at least that is what I know here in California. And I forgot about the ethics exam, this is usually done after passing the CPA exams and before getting the license. Other states have different requirements. So if you are going to apply in a different state, I do not have accurate information on that and you just have to google them.

Back to your Masters Degree question, before I took the CPA exams I was also thinking the same thing. But considering how much is the cost of Masters Degree here in the US which is basically a lot of money ($20k-50k depending on the school) I went to the CPA exam route. If money is not problem, then US Masters Degree, CPA license and a few years of work experience will give you an opportunity in finding a non-entry level job.

The reason I took the exam is that I got tired of doing clerical/data entry job(usually the entry level job for filipino accountants who just immigrated here in the US with no US work experience). Blame it on the present economy, most people who passed the CPA exams still have a problem looking for a job and in order to pay the bills or student loans some of them will just take a job which they are overqualified for and not mention that they have CPA certification or license. Right now, it does not really matter to me about not having a full time job because my kids are my priority. If I am living in the Philippines, I could just leave them to my mom and concentrate on my career and not have issue with it. The culture is different here and if you have kids and really care about how they are going to grow up, then your time as a parent will be so important in their growing years. The reason I moved to US is to be with my husband and raise a family, not to earn more money even though I was used to working my #### off in the Philippines since I finished college.

Whatever route you are going to take research on it thoroughly, good luck.

Do you think I still need additional units? I graduated in Accountancy in 1996. Been a long time I have a bestfriend who lives in Canada and she told me the CPA exams there are similar to that of US. She said it's easier compared to our CPA here because they only cover certain specialized field. Unlike here where it covers all from Taxation, Law, etc. She took one specialized in Auditing and she failed. So she took another one specialized in Management Accounting and she passed. She's a CMA in Canada now. Do they have the same there in US? Thank you.

We graduated the same year. No you don't need additional classes. The 4 sections of CPA exams are Financial Accounting and Reporting(FAR), Auditing(AUD), Business Environment Concepts(BEC) and Regulation(REG).

FAR-same as our financial accounting except for government and non-profit accounting

AUD-same as our auditing theory with ethics

BEC-composed of subjects such as economics, financial management, cost accounting, information technology..etc.

REG-federal taxation(individual,partnership & corporation), ethics related to taxation & business law(contracts, sales contracts, agency, insurance, etc.)

The only good thing about the US CPA exam here is you can take one section at a time. You should visit www.cpanet.forum for more information that will guide any US CPA candidate.

Sure, I will be glad to answer your questions. You are the 3rd person who contacted me here in VJ about studying and passing the US CPA exams. The other two are currently doing self-review and bought same review materials that I have used.

Yes Im planning to take one. But while studying, I would like to work too. Nice to know there is someone from PI who tooked and passed the US CPA exams.

How long did you study and review for the board? Do I need to take additional accounting courses for me to take the exam?

No, our accounting units are enough to qualify to take the CPA exams. Just have it evaluated. The list of companies that can evaluate your transcript and diploma is in the website of California Board of Accountancy. Look for the "new applicants" section. The exams are divided into 4 sections. I studied for almost 2 years and have to pass the other sections within 18 months when I passed the first section or else my score gets forfeited. It took me that long because I have a newborn at that time. If you don't have a job right now you should study and take the exams first so you will not have so much stressed studying, working and having a relationship with your family here in the US at the same time. You might want to start looking into it now because I think the they will increase the required units by 2014. By then you might have to take additional accounting classes.

Why not study and pass the US CPA exams first? I already did. It will be hard work and cost a lot of money but will be worth it. If you are interested, google California Board of Accountancy.

Is there a BPI remittance center near you? They offer door-to-door services and branch pick-up. Here is the link:

https://www.bpiexpressonline.com/

Just click on the Overseas Filipino tab.

Yes it is a walk-in only and bring cash to pay for everything and the requirements for passport amendment.

One-bedroom usually costs $900 a month for an "okay" neighborhood which is accessible to buses. The unit usually comes with stove/oven and dishwasher. It really depends on the area. The more desirable the neighborhood is, the higher the rent. I live in San Fernando Valley, 40 minutes away from the airport and 30 minutes away from downtown LA. I'm a part-time apartment manager. Ours are mostly month-to-month rental agreement. You just need to put a security deposit and need to give 30-day written notice before you move out. You will need to pass a credit check first though. We have apartments in Glassel Park, North Hills and Panorama City if you need a place in one of those areas.

You can try taking accounting classes in community college. They teach Quickbooks and Peachtree as well.

Why would you need your US bank Statement?

Because I told the bank that he does not have alien registration card and so they told me that he needs to show any proof of bank account that he has in his country.

My husband and I were not married back then when we opened a joint checking account at bpi. He was asked to provide his passport and a copy of US bank statement and have to be there personally to sign papers.

Hello mga mommies! How are you doing mga mommies and mommies-to-be? Hope everything is doing great. Long time no post ako sa forum dito.

I just have a question to ask specially to the mommies na nagbottle feed sa mga babies nila...What brand of formula do you use to feed your babies (age 0-12 mos old)? How do you find that formula you feed to your baby? Did you not find any problem feeding it to your baby?

I am just posting this question as a sort of survey and a basis of comparison to the formula we use for our baby Aneska. Thanks a lot guys.

I am using Earth's Best formula to supplement breast milk

http://www.dswd.gov.ph/index.php/categoryb...nce-for-minors-

read the part where minors are exempted because you and your child are green card holders.

Hispanic is caucasian...

Sure if you say so.

They thought your wife is hispanic and a woman marrying a caucasian is not acceptable in their culture.

I also tried Rebtel but now I am using Smart Plug N Talk because the calls are much clearer. I bought mine at ebay. My family and friends can call and text me from their cellphone and will only be charge the P7.50-8.50 per minute for calls. I can also call them from their cellphone with the same charges.

kami din , $8K plus tax return namin 2 kids kami tsaka may earned income credit, sa H&R block kami nag file $300 din ang fee...

lolz bili ng used car for me, kaya ayon ubos na.. hehehe

i love tax season!!!

kami din pinang-down namin sa new car

Pink kahit wala kang trabaho puwede married filing jointly basta may ssn ka. Punta ka sa www.irs.gov at hanapin mo dun yong Earned Income Credit. Puwede mong malaman kung qualified ka.

oo pink kasi married filing jointly yong sa amin, isa din yon sa requirement para maka-claim ng EIC.

Hi mga mommies. Sa mga nanganak ng 2009 do not forget to claim your Earned Income Credit sa tax return. I filed our tax return using e-file 10 days ago and we got a tax refund of $4960 in our bank account today. I did not use any tax preparer like H & R Block and it saved us $200 for this year. We have 2 dependent children & I used married filing jointly. If your kids does not have SSN yet, apply for them before you file your returns. Its one of the requirements for the Earned Income Credit.

I just want to add that the sooner you adjust, the sooner you could get your son SSN which is needed in filing tax returns for Earned Income Credit(EIC). Dependent children are required to have SSN to be eligible for claiming EIC. ITIN will not be accepted. I have a tax refund of $4900 because of my 2 children. You might want to look into that if you are qualified.

The fee to remove conditions is $545 for the spouse. and $80 for each child.