In a Chapter 7 Case, “The Only Thing We Have to Fear is Fear Itself”

There’s a lot you can do to help make your “straight bankruptcy” Chapter 7 a straightforward one, but one thing you can’t control is your creditors’ reactions to it. You know that creditors can try to prevent you from discharging (legally writing off) your debts, so naturally you worry about this. Here’s why you shouldn’t […]

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, […]

The Goal of Bankruptcy: the Discharge of Your Debts

Most—but not all—debts are written off, or “discharged,” in a bankruptcy case. Is there a simple way to know what will and what will not be discharged?   There is nothing more basic than bankruptcy’s main purpose, getting a fresh financial start through the legal discharge of your debts. Both kinds of consumer bankruptcy can […]

Keeping Vehicles That You Owe On in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy

Chapter 7 is the take-it-or-leave-it bankruptcy when it comes to your vehicle with a loan against it. In most cases you either keep on making the payments or you surrender the vehicle, nothing much in between. To be clear I’m talking here about a vehicle that you owe on, with the lender as a lienholder […]

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 […]

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 […]

Preserve Your Ability to File Bankruptcy at the Time You Want

Sometimes the timing of your bankruptcy filing hardly matters, but other times it’s huge.  The three examples in this blog should convince you that you want to avoid being rushed to file your case because a creditor sued you earlier and is now garnishing your wages. Instead you want to preserve the ability to file […]

FREE CONSULTATION CONSULTA GRATIS

Call Today for Appointment
305-817-3677

Looking to file Chapter 7 or 13 Bankruptcy? Fill out the form and receive more information.