Published Saturday, March 26, 2011 @ 11:00 am

For jobless Americans—forced from their careers during an era of economic uncertainty (and in an environment of staggering unemployment rates)—the lingering financial malaise has proven to be more than just a little bit hazardous to their health.

As it turns out, nine million laid-off Americans lost all health insurance in last two years.…

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Published Monday, March 7, 2011 @ 7:49 am

If you’re a recent retiree or even if you have long-since left the workforce, the lingering economic malaise just got a little bit more hazardous to your health. As it turns out, many states and municipalities searching for places to trim their budgets are setting their sights on the relatively sizeable expenses of providing health care benefits to millions of retired state and local workers.…

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Published Tuesday, January 11, 2011 @ 12:23 pm

Retirement is the time when we’re supposed to enjoy our money. With decades of work behind us, mortgages paid off and a healthy 401(k) ready to be cashed, retirement is when we hang it all up and really start to enjoy life. Right?

Hello? Anyone?

Yeah, not many of you there huh?…

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Published Tuesday, October 5, 2010 @ 12:12 pm

Following the last several years of the worst economic downturn in recent history, economists, commentators and financial experts have recently been heartened about prospects for economic growth and recovery as industries increasingly report better profits and the potential for new jobs with these increased revenues. Yet, even as the economy begins to emerge from its recent doldrums, many Americans remain buried in bills, job applications, and home and consumer debts.…

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Published Tuesday, August 31, 2010 @ 7:32 pm

Millions of Americans have been suffering from near double-digit unemployment—averaging at about 9.5 percent—for more than a year; unfortunately now news is coming to light that these very same jobless Americans are paying more than most when suffering from an illness, injury or basic medical conditions or assistance.

According to a recent report by The Huffington Post’s Laura Bassett, the average cost of health care plans for jobless Americans is steadily increasing.…

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Published Saturday, August 7, 2010 @ 8:45 am

The Obama Administration’s recent landmark health care laws will mean exciting changes for Americans seeking better medical insurance and/or facing crushing medical debt. But for many, these changes can’t come quickly enough. And for some the changes may come late—especially for already beleaguered and bankruptcy bound individuals facing unexpected illnesses, injuries or surgeries.…

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Published Wednesday, May 5, 2010 @ 8:25 am

Even the briefest of hospital stays can result in bills just big enough to tilt a person already precariously balancing their finances over the edge and into a long-term financial abyss. The problem with being able to afford medical care is enough to make many Americans wait until circumstances become dire before heading to the emergency room.…

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Published Friday, April 16, 2010 @ 5:31 pm

When President Obama signed landmark health care legislation into law, it meant unprecedented changes for Americans seeking better medical insurance and facing crushing medical debt. For many, these changes can’t come quickly enough. Even amid surging unemployment and a national housing crisis, health care expenses have quickly become the primary budget buster for millions of beleaguered Americans.…

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Published Thursday, April 8, 2010 @ 9:18 am

This blog talks at length about savings strategies and offers a great deal of consumer spending advice. Our goal is to create an all-encompassing approach to helping readers, clients and potential clients be financially successful after bankruptcy.

Having a healthy savings account should be the goal of anyone rebuilding after bankruptcy.…

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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 Thursday, December 24, 2009 @ 7:26 pm

Medical debt is one of the nation’s largest bankruptcy stimulants. Hospital stays, exotic medications and steep monthly premiums have helped fester a plague of debilitating debt obligations that is said to affect millions of Americans.

Today, on what may eventually be considered an historic day for American government, the United State Congress may have found a cure.…

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Published Tuesday, December 15, 2009 @ 1:48 pm

In these painful financial times, the toughest bind facing many Americans is financing their well- being. While it’s vital to stay healthy and seek medical help when necessary, with health care costs on the rise and health care reform largely in limbo, the results of putting wellness over wealth can be financially devastating.…

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Published Saturday, December 12, 2009 @ 11:25 am

Most people who have filed for bankruptcy understand the feelings of angst and dread that accompany the weeks and months before you make the decision to file.

Eventually, the walk to the mailbox becomes an exercise in personal bravery and the sound of the phone is like a bomb going off inside your psyche, sending shards of guilt-shrapnel into your chest.…

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Published Saturday, December 5, 2009 @ 3:10 pm

For far too many people in North Carolina, and the country, job loss has been the primary driver of excessive debt. Even those who spend wisely and are conservative with credit can quickly feel the impact of being laid off. Three months of savings may help. But only for three months.…

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Published Tuesday, November 10, 2009 @ 11:16 am

The number of people filing bankruptcy due to medical bills has been rising every year. A recent study in the American Journal of Medicine shows that more than 62% of people filing for bankruptcy do so at least partly because of medical bills they can’t pay. Many filers have insurance – often they’ve ‘capped out’ their insurance and the insurance company refuses to pay any more bills, leaving them tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt.…

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Published Sunday, October 4, 2009 @ 1:27 pm

The current administration would love to perpetuate the common belief that most personal bankruptcies are the result of ruinous medical bills. News articles cite numerous studies and statistics that support this theory. But is it really true?

The “recent” Harvard study that has been bandied about lately as proof that the broken US healthcare system is behind the majority of personal bankruptcies was originally published in 2005, five years ago, and was based on data collected in 2001.…

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