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My 7 Favorite Soapbox Posts Of 2014

By Cathy Moran

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

airstream trailer-flickr-stephen hillWelsh 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

Gavel and money in wallet isolated on whiteGarnishment 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

House_damaged_by_Hurricane-wikimedia-public domainHomeowners 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

A disappointed young woman looking at a documentHUD 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

clotheslines-clues1-storytimingNew 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

jail cells-flickr derekskeyWe 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

Naked_Hike-wikimedia-ebdow-croppedMy 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.

 

Let’s see what 2015 brings.

More from the Soapbox

  • California’s New Exemptions For Money In The BankCalifornia’s New Exemptions For Money In The Bank
  • Does Marriage Make Me Liable For My Spouse’s DebtsDoes Marriage Make Me Liable For My Spouse’s Debts
  • Costs of Incarcerated Kid Dischargeable in BankruptcyCosts of Incarcerated Kid Dischargeable in Bankruptcy
  • At Risk Of Arrest For Not Paying Your Debts?At Risk Of Arrest For Not Paying Your Debts?
  • Bankruptcy Alphabet:  D is for DischargeBankruptcy Alphabet: D is for Discharge

Filed Under: Newsworthy

About Cathy Moran

I'm a veteran bankruptcy lawyer and consumer advocate in California's Silicon Valley. I write, teach, and speak in the hopes of expanding understanding of how bankruptcy can make life better in a family's future.

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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 on how I think law should work for the consumer and small businesses when it comes to debt.

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

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You can file bankruptcy tomorrow, so long as you don't currently have a bankruptcy case pending. When you can get a discharge in that case is a different story. The Bankruptcy Code limits the frequency of getting a discharge, not the filing and completion of the bankruptcy case. My friend Gene Melchionne wrote … Read more

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