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The Bankruptcy Process, Step by Step To A Fresh Start

By Cathy Moran

steps in bankruptcy process

Let’s walk through the basic bankruptcy process and what’s required to wipe out debts you can’t pay. I’ll keep this simple and assume that you’ve decided to file. ( At each step, links will point you to a further discussion of each issue. ) If you are undecided about whether bankruptcy is the right decision, […]

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: 2026, filing bankruptcy, steps in bankruptcy

Hold Or Fold? How To Decide If Filing Bankruptcy Is Right For You

By Cathy Moran

considering bankruptcy

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 […]

Filed Under: Considering Bankruptcy, Featured Tagged With: bankruptcy and poker, hold or fold

4 Compelling Reasons To File The Tax Return Even If You Can’t Pay

By Cathy Moran

Should you file the tax return if you can’t pay the tax? You got to the bottom of your tax return and the amount you owe is bigger than your checkbook balance. Nope.  It doesn’t work that way. The IRS does not start harassing nonpayers for money immediately after a return is filed.  Or even […]

Filed Under: Featured, Taxes Tagged With: 2016

What’s Your Retirement Theme Song?

By Cathy Moran

tax time

Why does tax season put me in mind of September Song ? Oh, the days dwindle down, to a precious few…. A precious few days to make your contribution to tax advantaged retirement accounts. Or, do you tap your foot to a different song:  Do You Believe in Magic?  Do you expect that finances in your old […]

Filed Under: Featured, Life after bankruptcy Tagged With: 2026, old age, retirement

The Kind of Person Who Files Bankruptcy

By Cathy Moran

who files bankruptcy

You’d think the person who files bankruptcy is some alien fraudster, to listen to my clients. This is last place I ever expected to be, says the client sitting in my bankruptcy office.  I hear that probably twice a week. Or, the client assures me:  I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t pay their […]

Filed Under: Featured

Everyone gets $1M + bankruptcy exemption

By Cathy Moran

IRA safe in bankruptcy

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. Roll-overs into an […]

Filed Under: Featured, How bankruptcy works Tagged With: 2024, exemptions, IRA, retirement

The Tortoise Is The Mascot Of Retirement Savings

By Cathy Moran

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, […]

Filed Under: Consumer Rights, Featured Tagged With: asset protection, exemptions, retirement

Get The Most From Meeting With A Bankruptcy Lawyer

By Cathy Moran

documents

To get the most out of a consultation with a bankruptcy lawyer, you need to come with some basic information and an idea about your goals for a possible bankruptcy filing. After all, you want to know how your situation lines up with the available bankruptcy relief. Every bankruptcy lawyer is different and each one […]

Filed Under: Featured, You & your lawyer Tagged With: consultation, lawyer, meeting

Credit Scores Go Up Quickly After Bankruptcy

By Cathy Moran

After bankruptcy, credit scores go steadily up, says a 17 year study released by  the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Got that?  Scores go UP.  Every year. Importantly,  credit scores start improving the same year that the bankruptcy is filed. Think on that for a moment. Creditors and their shills shout that bankruptcy trashes your credit […]

Filed Under: Considering Bankruptcy, Featured, Life after bankruptcy Tagged With: 2019, credit after bankruptcy, credit after discharge, credit scores

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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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