Category Archives: Debt
Secured Credit Cards: An Option for Restoring Credit after Bankruptcy
Whether you are a young person starting out with no credit or are re-establishing credit after bankruptcy, one credit-building option is a secured credit card. A secured credit card requires a deposit to guarantee the card. For example, the bank may require an initial $500 deposit and give you a credit line of $500. As […]
Plusses and Minuses on Student Loan Interest Rate Freeze
Today, students are struggling to pay off student loans and this tight job market isn’t helping. Many are living with parents, delaying marriage, and taking other actions to pinch pennies so they can pay off their student loans. The student loan interest rate was about to expire at the end of June 2012, resulting in […]
Spot Foreclosure Rescue Scams
Most of us learned growing up that taking advantage of people who are struggling or “kicking them when they’re down” is unfair and unethical. However, the sad truth is that plenty of people try to do just that. Many good people whose homes are facing foreclosure are taken advantage of by foreclosure rescue schemers every […]
Debt after Death
When Whitney Houston died on February 11, 2012, rumors swirled about the late singer. One of those rumors was that Ms. Houston was broke when she passed away, having run through all the money she earned in the 80s and early 90s. This begs an interesting question. What happens to your debt in death? Does […]
Credit Cards and Bankruptcy
With credit cards as easy to get as ever and disruptions to income, such as job loss or serious medical disability, occurring to people every day, it’s no wonder that credit cards make up a large portion of discharged debt in bankruptcy. Here are a few things to note when considering bankruptcy as an option […]
How to Stop Wage Garnishment
Wage garnishment can be a very distressing event. Wage garnishment means that a creditor has gone to court and gotten a judgment against you, and you haven’t paid. The creditor can then go back to court and get an order of garnishment. When the order goes into effect, money comes directly out of your paycheck […]
Personal Bankruptcies Dropped During 2011
According to a report by Professor Ronald Mann of Columbia Law School for the National Bankruptcy Research Center, the number of Americans who filed for bankruptcy fell from 1.5 million in 2010 to 1.35 million in 2011, a 12% decrease. Chapter 7 filings dropped by 17% and Chapter 13 filings dropped by 25%. This decline […]
Does My Spouse Have to File Bankruptcy Too?
The simple answer is no. Only one spouse has to file for personal bankruptcy. However, there are a number of qualifications to this rule. First, if you are considering filing bankruptcy alone in order to conceal the high salary of your spouse, stop right there. As a married bankruptcy petitioner, you will be required to […]
Bankruptcy and Discharge of Debts
When we talk about bankruptcy, we talk a lot about “discharge of debts,” but what exactly does that mean? When are the debts discharged? What debts are discharged? Can creditors object? Let’s discuss. Bankruptcy discharge is a court order that releases a debtor from the obligation to pay certain debts. The creditor is no longer […]
What to Expect at the 341 Bankruptcy Meeting
When filing for bankruptcy, many clients express anxiety at the thought of the Meeting of Creditors (also called the 341 meeting, after Section 341(a) of the Bankruptcy Code). Knowledge is power, and the Meeting of Creditors isn’t as scary as it sounds. Here is an idea of what to expect, and hopefully cut down on […]
