Welcome!

We are Ray and Georgina, counselors at City. Week of Service. Teens show kindness. Auction raises $3M. Are you ready for online learning? Roadblocks to getting into competitive universities. Community Colleges Train Doctors. On-site interviews. A dying father. 10K tip. Job Interviews at City College. Budgeting. Colleges that change lives. Jobs. Saving lives.

The veterans page: Crisis line. Military benefits. Veterans Day. Suicide awareness. A surprised 8-year-old. Honoring heroic dog. Honorably discharged veterans shop tax-free. Forever GI Bill. Father takes care of 4 children. Integrate Marine Training? Robotic legs. Costs of war. Saluting a fallen soldier. 300K Lotto winner. Vets and painkillers. Vet resources. Grandmother of veteran's family deported. Housing the homeless. Veteran finds healing through adopting a cat. Wounded Marines help others.


Empowering students to fulfill their dreams through education.



Saturday, August 26, 2017

Can You Answer These Money Questions?


70% of Americans can't answer these three money questions. Can you?

Question 1

Suppose you have $100 in a savings account and the interest rate is 2 percent per year. After five years, how much do you think you would have in the account if you left the money to grow?
A. More than $102
B. Exactly $102
C. Less than $102
D. I don't know


Question 2

Imagine that the interest rate on your savings account is 1 percent per year and inflation is 2 percent per year. After one year, how much would you be able to buy with the money in this account?
A. More than today
B. Exactly the same as today
C. Less than today
D. I don't know


Question 3

Do you think the following statement is true or false: Buying a single company stock usually provides a safer return than a stock mutual fund.


This article and answers to the above questions appeared on MSN Money.







Wednesday, August 23, 2017

Taylor Swift: Strength and Dignity by Raymond M. Wong




  • A person is sexually assaulted every 98 seconds in America.
  • 1 in 6 American women have been the victim of an attempted or completed rape.
  • 9 out of 10 rape victims are female.
  • From 2009-2013, 63,000 children a year were sexually abused.
Source: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/scope-problem (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network).

I spoke recently to my thirteen-year-old daughter, Kristie, about Taylor Swift’s court battle with former radio DJ, David Mueller, who allegedly groped Swift while posing for a picture at a promotional backstage meet-and-greet in 2013. I talked to Kristie because I want my daughter to know that sexual assault is serious and how someone reacts to it does matter. After the alleged incident, Swift conveyed what happened to the people closest to her, and Mueller was dismissed from his job by the radio station that employed him after they received a complaint from a member of Swift’s team.

Mueller filed a lawsuit in 2015 against Swift claiming he lost his job over an incident that didn’t happen and asked for three million dollars in damages. Swift did not settle out of court and counter-sued for a symbolic $1 to state her case in a courtroom.

Sunday, August 13, 2017

A 32K Car-Buying Mistake by Raymond M. Wong



If you're thinking of purchasing a car, read my article in the Penny Hoarder about how buying the wrong car cost my family over $32,000.

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

5 Mistakes Made by Job Seekers



"The adage that you can't get what you want till you know what you want is especially true when it comes to employment."


Monday, July 31, 2017

Thursday, July 27, 2017

Having Fun With YouTube by Raymond M. Wong



My sixteen-year-old, Kevin, is really into video games and he is drawn to one called Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO). While I’m not thrilled with him playing a first-person shooter game, I have reluctantly come to realize my son is old enough to choose the kind of recreation he wants to take part in as long as it doesn’t hurt anyone or land him in jail.

Recently, Kevin told me he wants to put together videos of himself playing CS: GO and post them on YouTube. Now you have to understand where I’m coming from: I’m almost old enough to qualify for senior discounts at the Goodwill, so when I was a child, there were no computers in the house.  People talked on a rotary dialed landline and the Atari video game “Pong” was making its debut when I was ten.  Yes, this makes me feel ancient, and technology is not my strong suit.  

Honoring A Heroic Dog



Marine Dog with Cancer Gets Tear-Filled Farewell appeared in MSN News.

Millennials and Work Life



"Your job is meant to pay your bills, but your side hustle pays you in self-respect." -- Ann Shoket, Former Editor-In-Chief of Seventeen.

Millennials Are Changing the Workplace—and Everyone Is Better Off for It appeared on MSN Lifestyle.

Doctor Lives Life Fully Without Extravagance

Here is the story of an anesthesiologist who makes six figures but spends money on what is truly important and still buys from Craigslist. I Just Visited Someone With One of the Highest-Paying Jobs in the US and Was Blown Away By How Little He Spends appeared on MSN Money. 

Improve Your Resume

Want to write a good resume? Here are 7 tips including one which is absolutely essential: "Back up your skills," which means, don't just list your skills, show the effect of what you did. Also, in this post, watch the video of Emily Heyward, Co-Founder of "Red Antler," on what she looks for in an ideal job candidate.

Make Your Resume Stand Out With These Seven Simple Steps appeared on MSN Money.

Tuesday, July 25, 2017

10 Most Stolen Cars



If you're looking to buy a car, consider that some cars are stolen more than others. 10 Most Stolen Cars in America appeared on MSN Autos.

Honorably Discharged Veterans Can Shop Without Tax



"The intent is to really beat Amazon at their game because we have locations literally on the installations." -- Army and Air Force Exchange Service CEO, Tom Shull.

Honorably Discharged Veterans Will Soon Get to Shop Tax-Free appeared on ABC News.

https://www.aafes.com/about-exchange/


Heroes Help Homeless



"It heals something in your heart to do something like this for other people." -- Jeannette Calzada-Sebastiano, Director of Altruistic Activities for Xtreme Justice League.

Super Heroes to the Rescue in Homeless Outreach was published in the San Diego Union Tribune on July 24, 2017.