The Bankruptcy Clause of the U.S. Constitution
225 years ago this month, the Constitutional Convention adopted the U.S. Constitution. Its Bankruptcy Clause was a quiet but crucial component of a much stronger national government.
Taxes and Bankruptcy—Debunking a Hardy Myth
No wonder people think “bankruptcy can’t help me with my tax debt.” Even attorneys sometimes perpetuate the myth. A few days ago I saw a video of a bankruptcy attorney being interviewed in what amounted to be an infomercial. He was asked by the interviewer whether there were some debts that can’t be “touched” in […]
Avoiding Judgments that Can Really Hurt You, and Hurt Your Bankruptcy
Many judgments against you don’t matter once you file a bankruptcy. But certain ones are very dangerous. How can you tell the difference? Letting a creditor get a judgment against you after it has sued you can sometimes result in that debt not being written off (“discharged”) in a later bankruptcy case. Or that debt […]
10 Big Reasons to Get Legal Advice about Bankruptcy Before Selling Your Home
The SINGLE overarching reason to get advice from a bankruptcy attorney before selling your home is to save money, possibly a great deal of money. I’ll tell you ten ways to do so—three today and then the rest in a couple blogs next Tuesday and Thursday. 1. Avoiding judgment liens: If some creditor has sued […]
See an Attorney BEFORE Losing Your Vehicle to Repossession or Surrender
You may be able to keep a vehicle you thought you couldn’t afford to pay for. Chapter 13 allows you to pay less per month and less overall on a vehicle loan, under certain conditions. This blog is one of a series on the mistakes people make before seeing an attorney about filing bankruptcy. As […]
Avoid Being Nice to “Special” Creditors Before Filing Bankruptcy
One of the best ways to hurt one of your creditors is by being nice to him, her, or it. Specifically, if, before you file a bankruptcy, you pay a creditor much more than you are paying at that time to your other creditors, then that favored creditor may be required to give back that […]
Are Paying Debts a Moral Obligation?
Yes, you have a moral obligation to pay your debts. But do you have higher moral obligations to release yourself from those debts?
A Patriotic Fresh Start
If you’re financially hurting this 4th of July, you may not exactly be feeling like this is a great country. But it is.
5 More Kinds of Chapter 13 Medicine for Saving Your Home
Chapter 13 is extraordinary in the number of distinctive ways it can solve debt problems endangering your home. Here are five more ways beyond the five of the last blog.
Buying Just Enough Time for Your Home with a Chapter 7 Straight Bankruptcy
What if you don’t want to keep your house, but just need a little more time to find another place to live? Or if you just need to finish a pending sale before a foreclosure happens? Or maybe you don’t want or need the extra benefits of Chapter 13. Or you just want to put […]