You’ve got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em; know when to walk away, know when to run… So goes the gambler’s advice to the young card player in the hit Kenny Rogers song. Hum along as we think about how we play our cards when we’re in debt: do you file bankruptcy […]
Vince Lombardi Is To Blame
Ever feel like you’re battling your mortgage lender for your life? Or the life of your home? The unfairness and irrationality of mortgage servicing makes it easy to see the fight as one for your self worth. Who is comfortable being a victim of incompetent and indifferent institutions toying with your life? I’m equally indignant. […]
Considering Going Out Of Business?
When the virus shutdown is over, ailing businesses must consider whether to continue.
Be Prepared When You File Bankruptcy Without Your Spouse
The bankruptcy trustee’s question to the debtor was jarring: “why didn’t your spouse file bankruptcy with you?” For starters, it was the only “why” question in an entire calendar of debtor hearings. Every other question began, “what”, or “do you have”, questions about assets and financial history. This question asked for the motivation of another […]
How Much Should You Pay To Get Out Of Debt?
Shop for a bankruptcy lawyer, and you’ll end up wondering what bankruptcy should cost. When you’re flat broke and under pressure, cheaper sure looks better. If a lawyer will do your Chapter 7 for $600, what’s the point of paying $1000? Or even $2000? Like answers to many legal questions, it depends. Bankruptcy relief depends on […]
Bankruptcy Filing Requires More Than Honesty
The discharge of debts you can’t pay is the goal of a bankruptcy filing. That discharge wipes out debts, making them forever unenforceable. Yet, it isn’t a slam-dunk that your bankruptcy case ends in discharge. The Bankruptcy Code lists 12 situations in which a debtor doesn’t get a discharge. Which is why my colleague Jay […]
Rising From The Ashes Of Financial Disaster
Life doesn’t end with bankruptcy. Bankruptcy doesn’t mean that the good times are all in the past. There’s the future, too. Both the individual and society reap benefits from bankruptcy in ways that you may have missed. So, in my view, Jay Fleichman’s analysis of the bankruptcy of Halsey Minor, the founder of CNET and once […]
Before You List Your Home For Sale: The Essential First Task
Selling your home? A letter to the servicer of your mortgage. You want full disclosure of what charges, fees, expenses and other “stuff” they want to collect from you when your sale closes. For all you know, they’ve stuffed your loan full of fees, not authorized by law or agreement, that pad their bottom […]
What Happens To Liens In Bankruptcy?
Liens in bankruptcy have an uncertain fate. While most liens survive a bankruptcy discharge, some liens get wiped out. Think of mortgages, tax liens, and judgment liens. Each of them is a lien, but some get different treatment in bankruptcy. Some liens can even be reduced or eliminated . Lien basics A lien gives the […]
Do California Seniors Need to File Bankruptcy?
California, it turns out, is a great place to retire. Not because of the cost of living, certainly. It’s great in spite of the cost of living. Because California exemptions are very generous to those of retirement age. Those exemptions effectively make many indebted seniors collection-proof. Bankruptcy for those seniors may seem unnecessary. How exemptions protect […]
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