Stepping Over the “Means Test” Hurdle Without Breaking Your Stride
Are you among the large majority of people whose income easily qualifies them for Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy”? You can find out right here and now. As you’ve likely heard, a few years ago Congress passed a major set of changes to the bankruptcy laws intended to make it harder for some people to file […]
When Chapter 7s Are Not So Simple
The goal of most Chapter 7 cases is to get in and get out—file the petition, go to a simple 10-minute hearing with your attorney a month later, and two months later get your debts written off. Mission accomplished, end of story. And usually that’s how it goes. So when it doesn’t go that way, […]
How to File a Chapter 7 “Straight Bankruptcy” Even If You Make More than the “Median Family Income”
The amount of your income may not disqualify you from Chapter 7.
The Simplest Save-Your-Business Chapter 13 Case
Here’s how to focus on running your business, by stopping your creditors from taking the wind out of your sails. In the last few blogs I’ve been talking about some of the extra considerations that come into play when you own a business, are having financial troubles, and wonder if bankruptcy can help. No question—most […]
The Limited Power to Force a Creditor to Surrender Your Garnished Wages
Once garnished, that portion of your wages or salary is forever gone. With one exception.
The Collision between State Garnishment Law and Federal Bankruptcy Law
Bankruptcy quashes a garnishment, but only if it’s filed in time.
Bankruptcy Stops Wage Garnishments Before They Can Hit You
Bankruptcy protects your paycheck because it’s more powerful than a creditor’s garnishment court order.
Writing Off Income Taxes with a “Straight Bankruptcy”
You don’t always need to file a Chapter 13 case—with its 3-to-5-year payment plan–to deal with income tax debts. Thinking that you do is a myth, alongside the broader myth that “you can’t write off taxes in a bankruptcy.” Both have a kernel of truth, which is why they persist. It’s true: some taxes cannot […]
Residential Income Segregation Varies Widely Across the U.S.
Increasingly, the rich live among the rich, and the poor among the poor. Especially in the big cities of Texas. Less so in Miami, Cincinnati, Boston, Sacramento, and Portland.
As the Middle Class Gets Smaller, More of Us Live in Income-Segregated Neighborhoods
Over the last 30 years in America, more of the rich are living among the rich, and more of the poor are living among the poor.