Category Archives: Bankruptcy
Top Reasons That People File for Bankruptcy
Getting sued by a creditor is one of the most humiliating things that can happen in a courtroom, but business to consumer lawsuits are unfortunately common in Florida. Creditors can persuade the court to order you to pay debts that you cannot afford, and when you do not pay (as you have been saying… Read More »
Subchapter V Is a Boon to Small Businesses
You have probably heard the gloomy statistic that most businesses close within the first five years of opening. What that statistic does not take into account is that even the businesses that are still operating take a while to become profitable. Debt is a virtually inescapable part of operating a small business, even a… Read More »
Florida Celebrity Bankruptcy Files: Antoine Walker
Several years ago, ESPN made an entire series of rags to riches to rags stories of professional athletes who gained immense wealth during their sports careers, only to lose their fortune several years later. Viewers who lack athletic talent watched the show with Schadenfreude, thinking that people who made their money through boring jobs… Read More »
Filing For Bankruptcy Protection After Closing A Business
More than half of small businesses close within a few years of opening. Meanwhile, closing a business with losses is one of the most financially disruptive events in a person’s life. Just as a disproportionate number of bankruptcy filings are by recently divorced people, people who have recently closed a business with losses also… Read More »
Do You Fit The Profile Of A Typical Bankruptcy Filer?
You have probably heard all the stereotypes about people who file for bankruptcy. There’s the guy who makes extravagant purchases and invests in business ventures that have little chance of success and then, instead of paying up, declares bankruptcy when the bills come due. Then there’s the guy who declares bankruptcy after a divorce,… Read More »
Can Bankruptcy Save You From Florida’s Kafkaesque Public Benefits System?
Anyone who thinks that people who receive public benefits are lazy has never tried to collect unemployment insurance, pandemic-era rental assistance, or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. Trying to get the money that you qualify to receive is as much work as most jobs. In Britain, where the social safety net is much… Read More »
Credit Cards After Bankruptcy: Friend Or Foe?
Your friend’s dad knows a guy who has filed for bankruptcy five times, once after each divorce. When that guy goes out to eat with his friends, he orders the cheapest item on the menu and pays for it with crumpled banknotes and the occasional roll of quarters. You are not that guy; you… Read More »
Secured Credit Cards: The First Step To Getting Out Of Debt And Rebuilding Your Credit?
You have probably heard of the snowball method of debt repayment, where you put as much of your income as possible toward paying off your smallest debt, while making minimum payments on the others, and then when that one is paid off, you put as much money as you can toward the next smallest… Read More »
Yikes! Debt Collectors Can Contact You On Social Media
Every school year, schools send newsletters to parents, warning them about cyberbullying and alerting them to how to recognize its signs. Meanwhile, many adults have a false sense of security regarding social media; they freely revel in the public shaming of other people and assume that they will never be the target, and even… Read More »
Can Debt Collectors Call You At Work?
Even at the best of times, calls from debt collectors are annoying and interrupt your life. One of the most stressful situations to receive a call from a debt collector is while you are working and trying to earn a living. In addition to taking you away from the things you are trying to… Read More »