Seven Favorite Posts of 2014

I tallied the readership’s favorite posts of the year and found the list far different than mine.

So here’s the counter-list of my favorite posts of 2014, drawn from material first published this year.

Most impactful appellate decision

Welsh was decided in 2013, but I talked about it on Soapbox in 2014: The Most Important Bankruptcy Decision of 2013. The 9th circuit said that the means test formula, flawed as it is, prevails over the Chapter 13 trustee’s view of how big a house, or how many financed cars you can have and get bankruptcy relief.

Most important how-to

Garnishment in California entitles a judgment creditor to 25% of your after-tax wages. Wage Garnishment Survival Guide provides a three part attack on a pending garnishment: what to do on the spot; what to do to get out from under; and what to do about your big picture debt.

Most significant new law

Homeowners can get as a matter of right information about what they owe on their home mortgage and what extra charges and fees have been added to the balance. Information is the beginning of power. What You Don’t Know Yet About Your Mortgage.

Best free resources

HUD certified housing counselors offer quality, free counseling to homeowners in need of a mortgage modification or other guidance about short sales and foreclosure. I listed all the Bay Area counselors in Free Expert Help With Your Bay Area Home Loan Modification.

Biggest life changer

New federal student loan programs forgive the entire remaining balance after 10 years if you work for a government or non profit. Get Out From Under Student Loans In Half the Time, regardless of your position with the employer.

Least understood legal principle

We don’t jail people when they can’t pay their debts. Yet scammers continue to fleece people with fake “tips” that the police are on the way to arrest you, unless you wire the caller money. You don’t have to Pay Your Debts To Stay Out of Jail.

Tongue in cheek award

My only partially ironic analysis of how to Avoid To Avoid Filing Bankruptcy. Make these five choices and your risk of bankruptcy falls dramatically; only trouble is, the resulting life is pretty flat.