If I’ve used credit cards before filing bankruptcy, do I have to wait? Too many people considering filing think there is some sort of waiting period between financial activity and filing bankruptcy. So, let’s look at the issues in play surrounding recent credit card charges and seeking bankruptcy relief. There’s no 90 day rule Everyone […]
What The Fool Got Wrong About Filing Bankruptcy
The famous poem begins, “how do I love thee? let me count the ways”. But what if it’s not love that we are counting, but loathing? Let me count the ways I loathe the Motley Fool’s article asking should I file bankruptcy? The Fool’s underlying assumption is that people in debt flock to bankruptcy as […]
Inclusion in Bankruptcy Doesn’t Equal “Discharged”
Convincing clients that all of their debts must be included in bankruptcy is one of the hardest parts of being a bankruptcy lawyer. The struggle often seems Herculean. Sometimes, they will tell me they don’t want to include their car loan in the case because they “need the car”. Sometimes I find the student loan payment […]
The Tortoise Is The Mascot Of Retirement Savings
Every campaign needs a logo. Make the logo of your retirement planning a turtle, rampant. Rampant, you say? Turtle? In the Middle Ages, knights put their ID’s on their shields in elaborate heraldry that told bystanders who he was, what his birth order was, and which side of the blanket he was born on. Heraldry featured animals, […]
Time Runs Out For Claiming A Tax Refund
Did you know there’s a deadline for claiming a tax refund. If you are entitled to a tax refund for an old tax year but haven’t filed the return yet, time’s running out. If you are more than three years late in filing your tax return, you forfeit any tax refund that you would otherwise […]
Everyone gets the $1 M bankruptcy exemption
Bankruptcy exemptions vary from state to state, but everyone gets an exemption of $1.5 M for money in an IRA. It’s part of the Bankruptcy Code (section 522(n)) that applies to all filers, wherever they live. The exemption covers both classic, before-tax IRA’s and Roth IRA’s that are funded with after-tax dollars. Roll-overs into an […]
10 Things Tax Professionals Need To Know About Bankruptcy
As tax season approaches, tax pros need a basic understanding of bankruptcy to serve clients well. Tax preparers stand a good chance of encountering clients who either have filed bankruptcy, or who may benefit from a bankruptcy filing. Here’s my list of bankruptcy nuggets that a good tax professional should have at hand. 1. Debts […]
Discharge Taxes in Bankruptcy: Move Beyond the Myth
Myths about discharging taxes in bankruptcy are as common as myths about fire-breathing dragons. Central to the bankruptcy tax myth is the claim that taxes can’t be discharged in bankruptcy. Not so. Bankruptcy can wipe out many kinds of taxes. And that discharge can restore order to a family’s economy. Which ones are dischargeable? Let’s see. […]
Resolve To Thrive In The New Year
May I suggest a 2024 New Year’s resolution? It doesn’t involve diets or workouts or commitments to huge personal transformation. Take a hard look at your financial situation. Consider whether a fresh financial start makes sense. Just getting by A life of minimum payments, minuscule bank accounts, and no retirement savings is a life fraught […]
In Debt? Plan For Holidays And A Better New Year
The countdown to the holidays is on. It’s after the holidays that the desire to turn over a new financial leaf usually blossoms, when the bills from Christmas arrive in January. What was a seed of an idea about getting out of debt, sprouts and grows after the holidays. After the New Year, I see […]
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