Recent Blog Posts
Credit Reporting Agency Predicts An Increase In Credit Card Delinquency In 2023
The economic hardships that have characterized the past three years do not seem to be letting up any time soon, but predicting what will happen next in the economy is an inexact science. Too many unexpected events could cause obstacles or opportunities that neither consumers nor professional economists could have guessed. The credit reporting… Read More »
Credit Counseling And Your Bankruptcy Case
No two bankruptcy cases are exactly alike, but filing for bankruptcy protection is never anyone’s first attempt to get out of debt. People only file for bankruptcy after they have made every effort to reduce their discretionary spending, increase their earnings, and buy time to repay their debts. Why, then, does the court require… Read More »
4 Ways To Reduce Your Debt In 2023
You might be young enough that you can still stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve and almost every night except the ones when you have to get up early for work the next morning, but you have been an adult long enough that setting overly ambitious New Year’s resolutions is a recipe… Read More »
Learning From Your Mistakes With Buy Now Pay Later In 2023
Another year has started, and many consumers are taking an honest look at their debt situations. 2023 is shaping up to be the year in which we give up the bad habits we picked up during the pandemic. Those who vow to improve their mental health in 2023 are giving up doom scrolling, or… Read More »
Meet The Homeowners’ Freebie So Diabolical That It Can Turn Into A Multigenerational Curse
Imagine that a fire insurance company has set up a booth outside PetSmart on a sunny day. Whether or not you buy fire insurance, they are giving away free iguanas. Florida has plenty of iguanas already, but freebies are freebies, so you take one, even though you can neither afford fire insurance nor anything… Read More »
Short-Term Goal: Pay Your Medical Debt Down To $500 By March
No matter which strategy you use, putting as much money as you can toward debt repayment will help you make progress toward your financial goals. Some people swear by the snowball method, where you start with the smallest debt, while others prefer the avalanche method, where you start with the biggest debt; some even… Read More »
Fertility Treatments: Another Reason To Tackle Your Debt Problems
Tabloids news sites are full of stories about celebrities welcoming babies by surrogacy, and wannabe celebrities post images and videos on social media, depicting their fertility journeys, from the litany of clomiphene side effects to the now-cliched image of a woman looking askance at a needle as she prepares to give herself the first… Read More »
Can You Borrow Money While In Chapter 13 Bankruptcy?
If chapter 7 bankruptcy feels like getting a clean slate, chapter 13 bankruptcy feels more like running the gauntlet. You don’t get your debts discharged until after you complete your payment plan, which can range from three to five years. It is a lot like being obligated to make payments on your debts as… Read More »
Surprise, Surprise! Medical Debt Continues To Wreck Floridians’ Finances
The cost of healthcare is a major burden to Americans in all 50 states, but the situation is especially bad in Florida. The Sunshine State is one of only 12 states that has not adopted Medicaid expansions pursuant to the Affordable Care Act. It is almost impossible for adults to get Medicaid in Florida… Read More »
Are Pawn Shop Loans Even Worse Than Payday Loans?
One of the worst things about not having your own bank account is having to pay to use your own money. Cashing a paycheck costs a percentage of the amount of a check, and the cost of money orders adds up when you don’t have a checking account or debit card to pay bills… Read More »