The couple was despondent when another bankruptcy attorney told them that, despite $100,000 in old taxes, they couldn’t file Chapter 7. This fine fellow told them that the means test showed they had $3000 of disposable income per month. A Chapter 7 would be an abuse of bankruptcy under the law. Only Chapter […]
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Who To Pay After Bankruptcy
You’ve filed bankruptcy. Your creditors are stayed. A bankruptcy discharge is ahead. You’re out from under unrelenting pressure to pay creditors. But don’t let your sense of relief keep you from planning: who should you pay now that you’re in bankruptcy? Paying bills after filing bankruptcy Two legal realities drive who needs to be paid […]
At Risk of Repossession? How To Keep The Car & Pay Less
If you are one of the 7 million Americans late on your car payments and living in fear that your car will be repossessed, consider how Chapter 13 bankruptcy can save your wheels. Losing your car can accelerate a torrent of nasty financial consequences. No car, no way to work. No work, no income. So, […]
4 Keys To Chapter 13 Success
How do I make a Chapter 13 plan that succeeds? That’s important because a successful Chapter 13 lets you keep your assets, keep control of your income, and discharge more debts than any other form of bankruptcy. Yet a distressing number of Chapter 13’s fail before they reach the finish line. Debtor writes the plan […]
3 Real Reasons Chapter 13 Plans Fail
Two out of three confirmed Chapter 13 cases fail. Those are cases that met all the tests and got the judge’s OK. And still they crater. That’s a heap of people, deeply in debt, who don’t make it out of debt by using Chapter 13. Arizona bankruptcy lawyer John Skiba has a theory about […]
Why Bankruptcy Cases Go Down The Drain
I watched dozens of Chapter 13 cases get dismissed in a single afternoon in court recently. Dismissed. Tossed out. Ended. The usual reason was that the debtor had not taken seriously the requirement that all their tax returns be filed within 45 days of the commencement of the case. Regardless of the debtor’s need […]
Did You Tell The Whole Truth In Your Bankruptcy Papers?
You must “tell the truth” on your bankruptcy schedules, bankruptcy advice sites intone. Most of us shrug that off: we can’t imagine deliberately lying to a court. But carelessness about bankruptcy schedules abounds. If you give the bankruptcy process just a lick and a promise, the resulting schedules aren’t truthful, not because of lies, but […]
Will A Second Bankruptcy Really Protect?
Immediate protection from collection is at the top of the list for most bankruptcy filers. They want the lawsuit to stop; the wage garnishment to stop; the debt collectors to stop. But, if this isn’t your first bankruptcy case, do you get that protection? What the automatic stay does The Automatic Stay (or “Stay”) protects […]
When Chapter 20 Bankruptcy Adds Up
You can look a long time in the Bankruptcy Code without finding Chapter 20. Chapter 7 is there; so are Chapters 11 and 13. But no 20. But you find it in bankruptcy courtrooms and in the arsenal of good bankruptcy lawyers. So, what’s up? Chapter 20 is really bankruptcy slang. It’s a Chapter 7 case […]
Best Of 2017: Reader Favorites On Bankruptcy Soapbox
I tallied up reader favorites from the 2017 posts on Bankruptcy Soapbox. The balloting is a bit unfair, since the fall and winter posts haven’t had the same exposure that posts from earlier in the year. But take note: the runner up is only about 8 weeks old. Your favorites, in reverse order: 10. Making […]
