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The Tax Deductions That Hide In Chapter 13

By Cathy Moran

tax deductions bankruptcy

It’s tax time: don’t overlook tax deductions in Chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Tax deductions lurk in the most unlikely places. If your Chapter 13 plan is catching up home loan arrears, there’s a deduction hiding in the trustee’s disbursement records. Most likely, the lender’s filed proof of claim in the bankruptcy case is full of […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Taxes

Bankruptcy Discharge Slays IRS Form 1099

By Cathy Moran

form 1099

In a duel between a tax Form 1099 and a bankruptcy discharge, bankruptcy wins every time. The prize?  no tax on debt discharged in bankruptcy. So, if you’ve already gotten your discharge, the creditor’s 1099, with your social security number on it, is no threat. But you do need to file another form to secure […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Taxes Tagged With: 1099, 2019

Your Business Partnership Needs A Prenup

By Cathy Moran

business divorce

Financial partnerships are at least as challenging as marriages.  And business deals don’t have love to smooth the rough spots in the relationship. The traditional marriage service ends with the charge that what God has joined together,  let no man put asunder. That’s great with love, but not so great with money. Something will likely asunder […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Small business Tagged With: co owners, investor, joint venture, partnership

How Long Does Bankruptcy Take?

By Cathy Moran

Every client filing bankruptcy asks that question: how long will bankruptcy take? Probably, the real question is “when will this be over?” Like so many questions in the law, the answer is “it depends.” From filing bankruptcy to discharge In a Chapter 7, filing to discharge is about four months;  in Chapter 13 it’s three […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

Bankruptcy Questions Have Few Quick Answers

By Cathy Moran

The caller to my law office kept telling my assistant: I just want to ask Cathy a question. To which my assistant replied:  you need to first fill out our questionnaire and make an appointment. But I don’t want a meeting, I just want to ask a question. At which point, both sides of the call […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, You & your lawyer Tagged With: 2020

TImeless Wisdom Doesn’t Apply When Filing Bankruptcy

By Cathy Moran

“Don’t count your chickens before they hatch”.  It’s a time-tested bit of folk wisdom. But applying that kind of thinking to legal claims when you’re filling out bankruptcy schedules is foolish. Worse, it can get you booted out of court. Count your “chickens” Bankruptcy starts with a list of what you own and what you […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights

Find The Right Cure for Your Debt Problems

By Cathy Moran

get out of debt

Get-out-of-debt advice and sales pitches abound. But too few get-out-of-debt gurus tell you that you need a diagnosis of your financial ills before prescribing the cure. Is the stomach ache indigestion or appendicitis? Is it temporary upset or life threatening? The answer makes a big difference in how you treat it. No single prescription for […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights Tagged With: 2019, get out of debt

Can Debt Discharged In Bankruptcy Come Back To Haunt You?

By Cathy Moran

debt discharged in bankruptcy

Can debt bankruptcy in bankruptcy come back to haunt me? Worried clients ask me this all the time, fearful that the relief they get from their creditors in bankruptcy is only temporary. The short answer is no. The automatic stay that stops collectors when you file bankruptcy is replaced, at the end of the case, […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Life after bankruptcy Tagged With: after bankruptcy, debt collectors, discharge

Bankruptcy Changes Your Life, Only Not The Way You Think

By Cathy Moran

life after bankruptcy

How will filing bankruptcy change my life? My clients ask all the time.  They imagine the remainder of their life after bankruptcy with neither credit cards nor credit.  Outcasts in our economy.  Shunned by all.  Crippled by bankruptcy. They can see a scarlet “B” tattooed on their foreheads to mark them forever as Bankrupts. My […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Life after bankruptcy Tagged With: 2017, life after bankruptcy

Better Credit After Bankruptcy: Does Reaffirming A Car Loan Help?

By Cathy Moran

rebuilding credit through reaffirmation

Does reaffirming a car loan after bankruptcy help rebuild your credit? Rebuilding credit is the motivation that drives lots of debtors to waive the benefits of their discharge as to a car loan. A reaffirmation agreement has the debtor agreeing to be personally liable after the bankruptcy discharge for the car loan balance. Miss payments […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights Tagged With: 2021, credit score

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Bankruptcy Basics

About The Soapbox

You’ve arrived at the Bankruptcy Soapbox, a resource of bankruptcy information and consumer law.

Soapbox is a companion site to Bankruptcy in Brief, where I try to be largely explanatory and even handed (Note I said “try”).

Here, I allow myself to tell stories and express strong opinions. We dig deeper into how to consider bankruptcy and navigate a bankruptcy case.

Moran Law Group
Bankruptcy specialists for individuals and small businesses in the San Francisco Bay Area

How Bankruptcy Works

Everyone gets $1M + bankruptcy exemption

Bankruptcy exemptions vary from state to state, but everyone gets an exemption of ~$1.75 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. … Read more

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