Published Thursday, January 12, 2012 @ 6:30 am

The days between Thanksgiving and Christmas had many people wondering where America’s lingering financial issues went as millions of shoppers returned to our nation’s stores, malls and gallerias en masse to take advantage of extreme sales (and savings) and, in doing so, generated the most successful Black Friday for retailers ever.…

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Published Tuesday, September 7, 2010 @ 5:31 pm

It would be inauthentic to blame every instance of bankruptcy on sudden life changes, such as a tragic illness or other life-altering emergency. The truth is, some bankruptcies are preventable.

However, we’re not judging. We know that timing plays a big part.

For example, let’s say one morning that you look at the pile of bills on the counter and say to yourself: “That’s it, I’m changing the way I handle money.” Then, the first thing noticed on your desk at work is a pink slip.…

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Published Thursday, August 26, 2010 @ 11:54 am

So, like a very large number of Americans today, you think bankruptcy is your best route out of the financial doldrums.  After all the credit counselors, self-help books and Craigslist charlatans, it’s likely that you’ve grown tired of the debt cycle. We understand. That is what brings a lot of clients to our offices.…

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Published Tuesday, August 10, 2010 @ 9:46 am

A number of good things have emerged from the economic situation of the last several years. Recently enacted credit card reform will hopefully change the way we are treated by the industry responsible for so much of our country’s collective personal debt.

Mortgage modification, even with all its warts and scars, should eventually become an industry with real benefits to struggling homeowners.…

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Published Monday, January 25, 2010 @ 6:57 pm

Ugh. Debt. These days most Americans are sick of hearing the d-word. And who can blame us? Americans are in more debt now than ever before. Avoiding debt seems impossible…there are so many things you can’t even do without credit cards or loans that we now take debt as a matter of course.…

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Published Monday, January 25, 2010 @ 6:49 pm

If you are facing some serious financial problems, a guess that you are short on cash is not much of a stretch. Some people hesitate to file for bankruptcy protection because they believe they need to hire a bankruptcy attorney, but think they won’t be able to afford one. While they are absolutely right about the first part–an experienced bankruptcy attorney is essential to a successful bankruptcy–they may be surprised to learn how affordable legal services can be.…

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Published Sunday, January 24, 2010 @ 8:18 am

Brent T. White, a law professor at the University of Arizona, has a provocative new study out, “Underwater and Not Walking Away.” He points out that as many as 32 percent of all homeowners are ‘underwater’ on their mortgages – they owe more money than their houses are worth. The media has produced a series of articles decrying homeowners who simply stop paying on these ‘upside down’ mortgages as irresponsible and even obscene.…

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Published Sunday, January 10, 2010 @ 9:08 am

Before filing for bankruptcy protection, it is well worth your time to seek out alternatives. Here are a few you for you to consider:

You know what budgeting is, but maybe you haven’t given it serious thought.  If you are finding yourself squeezed every month as you try to make payments to your creditors, it is possible that some creativity and sacrifice can give you enough breathing room to build and execute an escape plan.…

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Published Friday, January 8, 2010 @ 8:27 am

It is a good idea to seek out alternatives to bankruptcy when such alternatives are in fact available. As you may have discovered, though, that can be a big “if” to overcome. So what kinds of alternatives are worth the trouble…and what alternatives are not all they are cracked up to be?…

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Published Monday, December 28, 2009 @ 7:10 am

The New Year is a few days away. And without doubt, millions of Americans will welcome 2010 with grand hope, desperate to put 2009 far behind them, the year the Great Recession took hold of our collars and shook us into submission. Unfortunately, many Americans will greet the end of the 2000′s first decade still in debt and financially directionless.…

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Published Saturday, November 28, 2009 @ 6:12 pm

Making the decision to file is a difficult one. Choosing the right attorney is a pretty daunting task as well. Now that all that is done it is time to make and go to your first appointment.

Expect to be a little anxious. You are about to commit to a big lifestyle change.…

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Published Sunday, November 22, 2009 @ 12:37 pm

Does anyone else find it just a little ironic that the two most commonly used bankruptcy options are lucky number 7 and the unlucky number 13? You have to wonder just a little bit if that is fates way of trying to send you a little message…

There are actually six different types of bankruptcy which a person or corporation can file: 7, 9, 11, 12, 13, and 15.…

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Published Monday, November 9, 2009 @ 6:15 am

If you are facing both bankruptcy and divorce, you might be wondering whether you should file bankruptcy before or after obtaining a divorce.

In most cases, you should file bankruptcy before divorcing.  Especially if you earn more than your spouse!  If you don’t file bankruptcy before getting a divorce, you might wind up having to pay all of the debt you and your spouse incurred during your marriage!  Or you could end up paying more in child support and alimony to make up for your spouse’s debt.  Regardless of who earns more, wouldn’t it be better to get rid of your debt rather than fighting over who pays for it when you go to divorce court?  A chapter 7 bankruptcy can get rid of some, even all, of your debt before going through the divorce, and will make your divorce case much simpler.  You may not know yet what your life will be like after your divorce, but at least you will know that your debts have been handled.…

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Published Thursday, November 5, 2009 @ 10:33 am

Bankruptcy is often filled with as many financial ups and downs as it is emotional ones. A fear of an uncertain future, the unfortunate stigmas about having to file, and the very real dose of reality can certainly be downers.. There is no shame in feeling depressed about your financial struggles.…

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Published Sunday, October 25, 2009 @ 11:26 pm

In the past 24 months, the American suburban landscape has been ravaged by personal bankruptcies. Expanded credit limits, inflated home prices and a false sense of security in everything material contributed to one of the worst financial landslides since the 1930s. Needless for some to say, a lot can be learned from the way so many of us treated our credit reports in the last few years.…

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Published Friday, September 11, 2009 @ 8:53 am

My parents filed bankruptcy when I was about fourteen. I remember being worried and a little frightened by the word “bankruptcy” and the unknowns surrounding the concept. But I also knew that it was not something my parents were entering into lightly and that every other option had been considered. It was the first time I really took notice of financial issues concerning our family.…

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Published Tuesday, September 1, 2009 @ 1:30 pm

When your debt problems get to be more than you can handle, an experienced bankruptcy attorney can be a real life-saver. Financial problems can split up spouses, fracture families, and generate a vicious cycle of stress that leads to greater financial problems that in turn lead to more stress–and so on, and so on.…

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Published Friday, August 14, 2009 @ 2:55 pm

The news sure sounds exciting, especially for those rebuilding after a bankruptcy or perhaps teetering on its edge. Economic statisticians, those in colorful bold boxes on morning stock report shows and even the country’s newspapers, long considered a haven for everything depressing, are reporting that the worst of the recession is over.…

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Published Saturday, August 8, 2009 @ 8:47 am

We hear plenty about the dangers of gambling addictions. Perhaps this is because the compulsion to gamble doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, and it is always easier to vilify from a distance.  Or maybe it’s that gambling addictions seem dangerous because a gambler could lose everything in an instant.…

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Published Wednesday, August 5, 2009 @ 7:14 am

One aspect of bankruptcy you don’t hear much about is what happens after you file. One of the steps that tends to be a little disconcerting for those who have just filed Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 is the “Meeting of Creditors.” It just sounds so intimidating, doesn’t it?

Truthfully, it isn’t.…

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Published Sunday, August 2, 2009 @ 10:02 am

You know it and we know it: There’s a lot of stigma behind the word bankruptcy. We’re here to tell you: If you’re considering bankruptcy, there is nothing to be ashamed of and don’t let anyone tell you differently. Bankruptcy has helped millions of families and businesses emerge stronger, especially in tough economic times.…

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Published Friday, July 24, 2009 @ 3:27 pm

Few of us learned much about balancing a checkbook, let alone managing our finances during high school. And for many years credit card companies have been trolling college campuses for fresh bodies to press into servitude. So it comes as no surprise that so many young adults are overloaded with debt.…

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Published Wednesday, July 8, 2009 @ 2:14 pm

Even though it completely runs in opposition to the intended goal, many states allow creditors to seize your wages should you not be able to pay a debt. The contradiction is easy to see: how can you pay your debts if your income is diminished?

Evidence is now on the table that bankruptcies are filed at a much higher rate in every state that empowers creditors to reach into your paycheck directly to get their money.…

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Published Saturday, June 13, 2009 @ 8:13 pm

It took almost five years after legislation passed to make it more difficult to file, but bankruptcies in the United States are at their highest number since 2005. It should not come as a surprise to anyone, given the extent to which job losses, tight credit and the housing market have bludgeoned our economy.…

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Published Tuesday, June 9, 2009 @ 11:10 am

As you are probably well aware, bankruptcy is an important decision that should not be taken lightly. If you are eligible to file but hesitate to do so, you stand to lose more than you may guess. Dithering too long can ruin the strategic advantage of timing; deciding not to file at all could cause you to lose everything.…

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Published Thursday, June 4, 2009 @ 11:33 am

A psychology professors at Maastricht University in the Netherlands published a study about what it takes to find true happiness. Or at least, the psychological make-up of happiness. As it turns out, yes, money does have something to do with our level of happiness. But so does uncertainty.

In a recent New York Times column on the professors’ work by Daniel Gilbert, author of “Stumbling on Happiness,” it was published that indeed, money can buy happiness.…

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Published Wednesday, June 3, 2009 @ 12:15 pm

Our blog sure does cover a lot of ground about bankruptcy. Which is a good thing. We want to be sure that you understand all the processes, terms, principles and philosophies that factor into such an important decision. We even throw in some recent news about bankruptcy to help provide additional “real world” perspective on how bankruptcy laws are interpreted and applied.…

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Published Wednesday, April 29, 2009 @ 9:19 am

Bankruptcy is a form of personal financial protection. Now, more than ever, the protections of bankruptcy can fully blanket your retirement accounts.

While retirement investments classified as employer-backed 401(k)s and 403(b)s have long been under the protection from bankruptcy of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, the BAPCPA , or Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 added IRA assets as a protected investment class as well.…

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