Perhaps you’re self-employed. Or maybe you own a small corporation or LLC. Times are hard. Time to see a bankruptcy attorney. You might be surprised to realize that these two items are considered assets: accounts receivable and unbilled work in progress. A trustee can try to take these by telling your customers to pay him instead. This will definitely [...]
L. Jed Berliner, Springfield, MA Bankruptcy Attorney
Bankruptcy stops most collection efforts. There’s an automatic stay, an injunction, as soon as the case is filed. Then there is the discharge injunction, when the case is over. Those are the core protections you want and get by filing the bankruptcy case. That’s why you do it, right? The harassment is out of control. You’ve [...]
What was an affordable property division while you were working may not be affordable after you’ve lost your job. Bankruptcy may help. A Chapter 13 discharge includes property division obligations incurred through a divorce, possibly even a pension division. It does not include an alimony obligation. It’s not always as easy as one might think [...]
The shocking realization is that your spouse might have to contribute to your Means Test-required payments even if you file alone. You aren’t happy about this at all. ”But they’re my debts. Why should my husband or wife have to contribute?” Because that’s the law. Your income includes all regular contributions to the household expenses [...]
You’ve made your mortgage or car payments after bankruptcy. Your credit report says “zero payments made”. That’s as it should be, and it’s for your benefit. (Your credit will rebuild anyway. Here’s more, and here’s even more. But it’s not all roses.) Here’s why. A mortgage consists of two parts, the personal obligation that you [...]
Dear Jane, Your mother entrusted her funeral expense money to you last year. You spent it on living expenses. You don’t want your mother to get notice of the bankruptcy as a creditor because you are very much ashamed. You said that you were hoping to repay your mother with your expected tax refund, and asked if we could forget that [...]
