When the client finally got me a copy of the car finance contract, it saved them $7000 on the price of the car. They’d tried just giving me the monthly statement. But that statement on the car loan didn’t show the bombshell that I found when I finally examined the contract: Included in the […]
Bankruptcy Debtors Entitled To Monthly Mortgage Statements
Years of uncertainty and indifference, rooted in the automatic stay and a homeowner’s ongoing obligation on their mortgage after bankruptcy, has ended with a new rule. Mortgage servicers must now send monthly statements to borrowers in bankruptcy under a new CFPB rule effective April, 2018. The earlier version of the rule, adopted in 2014, […]
Double Dipping On Retirement Savings
Any time you can double your savings and protect your money from creditors is a good time of the year. The period between New Years and Tax Day is my favorite time of the year, just for that reason. You can make contributions to your IRA last year AND contribute to this year’s IRA allowance. […]
Don’t Brag About What You Saved Unless It’s True
It’s a mark of our consumer economy that we use the word save in connection with our spending. I saved $15 on this blouse. That’s well and good for today. You bought something you wanted, or maybe even needed. But unless you put the savings aside for later, you did nothing more than spend somewhat […]
Best Bankruptcy Advice of The Year
Readers of Bankruptcy Soapbox vote for their favorite bits of bankruptcy and money advice with their eyeballs. I’ve tallied the eyeballs on the 48 posts written in 2018, and, cue the fanfare, present the top 10 most-read new posts for 2018. And in fact, this advice will stand you in good stead in 2019. […]
Fix Mortgage Troubles After Chapter 13
The mortgage servicer took less than 30 days to change its story, big time. In three weeks time, the servicer went from telling the bankruptcy court, under penalty of perjury, that the loan was current, to telling the homeowner that she was $50,000 behind. The whole story appears here. Three weeks! And there, in a […]
Bankruptcy Without A Discharge: Why Chapter 20 Works
What does a Chapter 13 bankruptcy get you if it doesn’t get you a discharge? Lots, actually. It’s complicated. Powerful, but complicated. Let’s see how all the parts interact when your Chapter 13 is filed before you’re eligible for a discharge. Law limits discharge The bankruptcy code doesn’t limit when you can file bankruptcy; it […]
Why Keep Bankruptcy Off Your Credit Record
We’ll help you do your own bankruptcy, promises the ad. And for a few dollars more, we’ll sell you the secret to keep your bankruptcy off your credit record. That pitch plays neatly into the obsession that we have about our credit reports. Even when your financial world is upside down. But this pitch has it […]
Three Cheers For Entrepreneurs
Let’s hear it for entrepreneurs. Those brave, tireless people with a dream who start or run small businesses. They possess more energy and perseverance than most of us. They form the backbone of our economy. In honor of National Entrepreneurs Day, November 20th, let’s recap Soapbox’s best on being in business for yourself. It’s probably […]
What This Lawyer Is Grateful For At Thanksgiving
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for the American judiciary and, particularly, for district court judges. In these turbulent political times, they’ve been confronted with hard questions arising out of swirling controversies. Their rulings would have national implications. Decisions were needed on short notice. Partisans gathered on the sidelines, some assured of being bitterly disappointed however the […]
