The North Carolina Bankruptcy Information Blog

With many experts predicting a protracted economic malaise with imperceptible growth and stubbornly high joblessness, bankruptcy filings appear to be in true recession-era form, rising in recent months, and, according to many analysts, increasing with no end in sight. In fact, during early summer, the American Bankruptcy Institute (ABI) validated these fears, reporting that personal bankruptcy filings increased in 2010 compared with only one year ago.

As bankruptcy figures continue to rise, many critics are charging insolvent Americans—seeking shelter from personal bankruptcy—as being responsible for raising interest rates, cutting consumer confidence and retail sales, and outfoxing creditors while other, less indebted Americans are required to pick up the slack…and the tab.  In reality, though, Americans who have filed for bankruptcy are in many ways saving all of us money.  And you could too, while also saving yourself years of bills, harassment and stress.…

It was easy to spend money a few years ago, somewhere around late 2005 and into 2006, when the economy was flying, anyone could get a loan and every house in the zip code was appreciating at eight percent a year.

Those who managed to avoid subprime loans and the desire to keep up with whatever the other side of the cul-de-sac was spending turned out to make it through the recession in decent shape, provided the unemployment crisis didn’t catch up with them.

Truthfully, the degree of financial difficulty at which someone finds themselves is no measure of intelligence or social wherewithal.…

Well, it’s the holidays, so it’s time have some fun and hopefully, forget about all those pesky financial problems. They say humor is the best medicine, so we searched around and came up with a few great jokes about, well, what else? Money! Enjoy …

At the annual Christmas gathering, all the kids were at the feet of their wealthy old great granddad, who was settled in his chair entertaining them with classic yarns about days gone by and memorable life adventures. One of the kids asked him, “Pappy, how did you make all of your money?”

“Well, son,” he said while stuffing his pipe with fragrant cinnamon tobacco.…

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. Although, not to the extent most people believe. It doesn’t take private jets and multiple homes on palm-lined beaches for us to be content. It does take shelter and food, though, along with a sense of security.…

After living with the stress of debt for a while, it’s very possible to become accustomed to it. Maybe you think that financially, things are just always going to be that way. “I’ll owe more than I make and somehow, I’ll just manage to get by every month.” Serious debt is an emotionally trying and socially problematic complication of life and unfortunately, almost like an illness, many of us learn to accept the pain and find a way to live.

But it simply doesn’t have to be that way.

Living with the sleepless nights and monthly frustrations of just scraping by is not your lot in life.…