The division of the debts of a failed marriage, however carefully crafted at divorce, can be utterly destroyed if one of the former spouses files a Chapter 13 bankruptcy. A Chapter 13 discharge is double barreled. It will eliminate the debts that the filing spouse owes to creditors. But, it also wipes out any obligation to […]
Why Credit Cards Win Clash of Creditors
In the tug o war of which creditor to pay, why is it that credit cards win over taxes and child support? I’m accustomed to clients who pay creditors rather than provide for their own health care, emergency fund, or retirement. That’s taking care of commitments to others before self. But I haven’t figured out […]
Protecting Your Co signor When You Can’t Pay
Cosigning a loan links you and your cosignor together for the life of the debt. If you get in financial trouble, your troubles are your co signor’s troubles too. If you can’t pay your debts, the standard bankruptcy discharge will get rid of your debt, but it doesn’t help your co signor. Even while you […]
How You Can Collect From The Debt Collectors
I team up with consumer lawyer Mike Cardoza to identify your rights against debt collectors and then to preserve those claims through bankruptcy. The longer you resisted filing bankruptcy, the more likely that you’ve endured harassing encounters with debt collectors. And the more encounters you have with debt collectors, the more likely that you’ve been […]
Bankruptcy and “Ruining your credit score”
No matter how precarious their financial situation, almost every client I meet thinks bankruptcy will ruin their credit score. Not only ruin it, but damage it for all time, precluding normal life after bankruptcy. Some resolve to stagger along, burdened with their debt and the fear of escaping debt. So, my encounter with a financial […]
What Happens To My Stuff In Different Bankruptcy Chapters
Will it be Chapter 7 v. 13? After you’ve made the decision to get a fresh start, you need to choose a bankruptcy chapter, usually Chapter 7 or Chapter 13. The choice of chapter is complex, involving many interconnected factors. Here we’re going to compare just the treatment of different kinds of assets in Chapter […]
When Giving Isn’t Good
When you owe money to others, you are not free to give assets away. Or retitle them. Or put them in an irrevocable trust. That’s the universal principle of Anglo-Saxon law that prohibits fraudulent transfers. But the concept of a gift being wrong in the law is among the most difficult for ordinary folks to […]
Pay No Tax On Debt Discharged In Bankruptcy
Debt discharged in bankruptcy is tax free, even if you get a 1099 claiming otherwise. It’s unnerving when you get a 1099 after you thought the debt, and all its complications, were gone. But for bankruptcy clients, the answer is simple: Debt discharged in bankruptcy is not taxable. Tax on cancelled debt The tax code […]
Jailed For Debt In The USA?
Worried about being arrested and jailed for not paying your bills? A surprising number of people think it’s possible. Yet the only way that you can end up in jail for not paying your bills comes from not opening the mail. Ignoring debt doesn’t work In my experience, people with money troubles often stop opening […]
Scammers Spoof IRS To Get Your Info
Tax season saw a 400% rise in fake email to taxpayers pretending to be from the IRS. The scammers want you to click a link, give them information, or otherwise open yourself to identity theft. Identity theft and the diversion of tax refunds is the number one tax scam. Fake email is third. Protect yourself as […]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- …
- 18
- Next Page »
