Posted on July 20, 2020 in Bankruptcy

A bankruptcy covers the debts you owe as of the moment you file your case, not future debts. So how do you know when to file your case?

In last week’s blog post we introduced how to time your bankruptcy filing. We gave a list of 15 examples of timing considerations. Today we start with the first example: timing your bankruptcy filing so that it covers as many debts as possible.

Debts You Might Owe Very Soon

Here are two situations in which you expect to soon owe a debt that you don’t owe at the moment.

First, let’s say you have a medical condition for which you are about to see a doctor or other health professional. Or it’s an ongoing condition for which you get treatment regularly. Let’s assume that you know that you can’t afford to pay the upcoming medical bills for these upcoming services. You are already feeling overwhelmed by your present debts. You’re feeling pressure to file bankruptcy now to get relief from those debts. But you’re wondering if you should wait to file bankruptcy until after you’ve finished incurring the upcoming medical debts.

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 Posted on July 13, 2020 in Debt Collection

The words "filing for bankruptcy" can be enough to send those struggling financially into a full-blown anxiety attack. You may be thinking about the dramatic television depictions of bankruptcy, with peoples’ belongings being publicly advertised for sale and everyone becoming aware of their financial destitute. Because of these dramatizations, many will seek alternative options for paying off their massive credit card debts. No one wants to find themselves in the situation where bankruptcy is their only option; however, these alternatives can be more harmful to your credit than properly filing for bankruptcy. Debt settlement companies are a commonly advertised substitute, but the promises are often too good to be true.

What Is a Debt Settlement Company?

A debt settlement program is one sponsored by a for-profit company with the promise that they will work with your demanding creditors to negotiate a viable settlement for you to resolve your past-due payments. This settlement will be a lump-sum amount that is less than your total debt owed. Since it is unrealistic that you would have this money on hand, you will be asked to set aside a fixed amount every month into a savings account. Once the sum totals the settlement that they negotiated, you will pay the settlement amount. These companies or programs often tell their clients to halt their monthly payments to their creditors as they gather their settlement funds in their savings account.

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 Posted on July 13, 2020 in Bankruptcy

The timing of your bankruptcy case is important, sometimes extremely important. It can determine if your case is as successful as it can be.

Five weeks ago we started a series on why you should get legal advice from a bankruptcy lawyer. We’ve also been making a point of showing why it’s smart to do so early, when you start considering bankruptcy.

It’s super important to get this legal advice so that you can learn:

1. if bankruptcy is the best option for you, and how to pursue other alternatives
2. how Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 work, and whether either are right for you
3. what actions you should take to position yourself, whether you’re possibly or definitely filing bankruptcy
4. what you should avoid doing
5. the best timing for your bankruptcy filing

If you want to look back, we covered #1 and #2 five weeks ago. The next four blog posts got into different aspects of what you should and shouldn’t be doing before filing (#3 and #4). These included keeping assets (4 weeks ago), taking on debt (3 weeks ago), filing income tax returns and paying the taxes (2 weeks ago), and paying child/spousal support (1 week ago).

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 Posted on July 06, 2020 in Child And Spousal Support

Before filing bankruptcy, should you pay child/spousal support debt in the meantime? This may depend on whether you file Chapter 7 or 13.

Our last three blog posts have been about what you should and should not do before filing bankruptcy. Three weeks ago we focused on keeping your assets, especially any retirement funds, and collateral, such as home or vehicle. Two weeks we discussed whether to take on more debt, maybe to buy time and not need to file bankruptcy. And last week we looked at whether you should file any unfiled income tax returns, and pay income taxes.

Today the question is whether to pay unpaid child/spousal support before filing bankruptcy. As with all of these issues, there are some general principles worth getting to understand. But everybody’s situation is truly unique. So you really do need the help of an experience bankruptcy lawyer to apply these principles to your personal situation. This blog post can be the first step towards becoming well-informed about your options. It’ll help you ask the right questions so that you can make the best decisions.

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 Posted on July 01, 2020 in Bankruptcy

For many people, the thought of filing for bankruptcy is a scary one. However, for many people, filing for bankruptcy is the best thing they could do for their finances. Filing for bankruptcy allows you to wipe your slate clean and discharge most of your unsecured debts, but it does come with some consequences. Filing for bankruptcy might make your life more difficult in the future, by making it harder to borrow money, lowering your credit score or even affecting your insurance rates. It can be difficult for some people to gauge whether or not bankruptcy is in their best interests, which is where a skilled Texas bankruptcy lawyer can help.

Your Debts Far Exceed Your Income

Think about all of your different types of debt: your mortgage or rent, car payment, all of your different credit cards, and personal loans. How much total debt do you have? Now, think of your income. How much money do you bring in each month? If your monthly debt obligations are much higher than the amount of money you bring in, you may want to consider filing for bankruptcy.

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 Posted on June 29, 2020 in Income Taxes

If you’re considering filing bankruptcy, should you first prepare and submit any unfiled income tax returns? Should you prioritize paying them?

Our last two blog posts have been about what you should and should not do before filing bankruptcy. These are important to consider even if you hope to avoid bankruptcy but are sensibly admitting it’s possible.

So two weeks ago we focused on keeping, and not selling or giving up your:

1. assets
2. especially any retirement funds
3. collateral on debts, such as your home, vehicles, or furniture

Last week we discussed whether to take on more debt to buy time and maybe avoid needing to file bankruptcy.

Today we look at whether you should file any unfiled income tax returns, and possibly prioritize paying unpaid income taxes.

The Quick Answer

In general you should:

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 Posted on June 22, 2020 in Bankruptcy

If you’re considering filing bankruptcy, what debts can you incur and which should you avoid? What are the possible consequences?

Two weeks ago we listed 5 crucial things you’d benefit from learning about if you’re thinking about bankruptcy:

1. if bankruptcy is indeed the best option for you
2. how Chapter 7, 11, 12, and 13 work, and whether one is right for you
3. what actions you should take to position yourself for either a possible or definite filing
4. what you should avoid doing
5. the best timing for your bankruptcy filing

We covered the first 2 of these back then. Then last week we got into # 3 and #4, actions you should take and those to avoid before bankruptcy. We focused on keeping, and not selling or giving up your:

1. assets
2. especially any retirement funds
3. collateral on debts, such as your home, vehicles, or furniture

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 Posted on June 08, 2020 in Bankruptcy Options

Businesses considering bankruptcy get intense legal advice before filing. You would also be smart to get solid advice to make a good decision.

What Businesses Do Before Filing Bankruptcy

The following are just a few of the companies which have filed business bankruptcy in the last couple months:

• Pier 1 Imports
• CMX Cinemas
• J. Crew
• Gold’s Gym
• Neiman Marcus
• JC Penney
• Hertz
• Tuesday Morning

Some of these companies will completely go out of business, some will continue on after a financial restructuring.

What they all have in common is that they got lots of legal advice before deciding to file bankruptcy. They likely got that advice over the course of many months. They likely used that advice to try to avoid entering into bankruptcy, take steps to position themselves for filing, and then to time the filing as well as possible.

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 Posted on June 01, 2020 in Discharge of Debts

Student loan debt is something that is becoming an issue in the United States. According to the latest statistics from Forbes, there are currently an estimated 45 million borrows who collectively owe about $1.56 trillion in debt for student loans. Of those, around 11 percent are delinquent on their loans, which means they are 90 days or more late on a payment. For many borrowers, student loan payments are expensive and they are struggling to make ends meet. Many have inquired as to whether or not student loan debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy, but the answer is not quite as simple as a “yes” or “no.”

Is it Even Possible?

Many people believe that student loans are ineligible to be included in a bankruptcy and they would be correct -- but only in most situations. It is not impossible to discharge your student loan debt in a bankruptcy case, but it will make your bankruptcy more difficult because you will have to file an adversary proceeding to determine whether or not you are eligible to have your student loans discharged.

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 Posted on June 01, 2020 in Mortgage

If you receive forbearance on your mortgage payments under the CARES Act, when do you have to catch up on those missed payments?

Last week we presented the new law allowing forbearance—skipping payments—on federally backed mortgages during the pandemic. Basically, if you’ve been financially affected by the pandemic you can request and receive a 6-month forbearance on payments. This can be extended another 6 months if the declared emergency continues at that point.

The obvious question this raises is when do these missed payments need to be paid. This is the topic of today’s blog post.

Major Confusion about Timing of Repayment

The CARES Act provided what is essentially a right to forbearance on federally backed mortgages. But CARES doesn’t say a word about the terms for payment of those payments missed during the period of forbearance.

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