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Don’t be embarrassed by bankruptcy.  Many, if not most, people who have serious financial problems are embarrassed by those problems, but they are even more embarrassed by considering bankruptcy as a solution.  However, you should not be embarrassed by using bankruptcy to fix your financial problems. It is completely understandable that you are embarrassed because […]

You can lower your total debt payments, like credit card and medical debts, by consolidating your debts with a chapter 13 bankruptcy.  There are many debt consolidation companies, and a lot of them will rip you off.  However, you can use chapter 13 bankruptcy as a debt consolidation without the fear of being ripped off by a […]

If you receive unemployment, Social Security, disability, or other government benefits, keep your benefit money separate!  This will allow you to protect those benefits in certain instances, such as filing bankruptcy or being sued by a creditor. A person I’ll call Ted (not his real name) with debt problems recently contacted me for help.  Ted […]

If you are making student loan payments for federal student loans, be sure to stay current on them.  If your loan servicer notifies you that because of COVID-19 you do not have to make payments at this time, you will remain current even if you don’t make them.  If you are unable to make the […]

Have you gotten over your head in debt because of coronavirus? If so, bankruptcy might be the solution for you. You can eliminate your debts with a chapter 7 bankruptcy, almost always without paying anything for those debts. Many people have lost all or a great deal of their income because of the coronavirus. Or […]

Do you hesitate to file bankruptcy if you are facing foreclosure because you are concerned about your credit, even if you are in foreclosure?  Are you more concerned about your credit or the stigma of filing bankruptcy than about saving your home?  Don’t laugh; I actually had a case like that. Marge (not her real […]

Are you negotiating with a creditor to try to lower your debt?  Some people do this because they can’t or don’t want to file bankruptcy.  However, negotiating yourself without an attorney can cost you a lot more money than an attorney would cost. A current client who I’ll call Barb (not her real name) wanted […]

President Biden has issued an extension of protections against foreclosure.  This protection will extend through June 30, 2021.  While this protection is good as far as it goes, it is only temporary protection from foreclosure, and it only protects homeowners who have federally-backed mortgages.  Approximately 70% of mortgages in the U.S. are federally-backed, that leaves […]

In order to prevent foreclosure, don’t wait to get help to save your house.  Waiting until the last second could prevent you from getting the help you need. I got a call on a Friday afternoon from a person facing foreclosure the following Tuesday.  While it was still possible to file a chapter 13 bankruptcy […]

You may be able to strip 2d & 3d mortgages with chapter 13 bankruptcy!  Lien “stripping” changes junior liens like 2d & 3d mortgages from secured debts to unsecured ones that can be discharged in bankruptcy without losing your home.  The junior mortgage must be completely “underwater” in order to do strip it, so this […]