Photo by Jp Valery on Unsplash. It’s all too easy to think you’re doing the right and smart thing to pay your stimulus payment to creditors. Here are examples when it’s not. Before You Make Decisions That Hurt You Last week we introduced the radical idea that the best use of your upcoming or already received $1,400 stimulus payment might … Read More
File Bankruptcy with Your Stimulus Payment
Photo by Mubariz Mehdizadeh on Unsplash. As surprising as it may sound, putting your new $1,400 stimulus payment into the cost of bankruptcy may be your very best use of that money. Last week Congress passed the American Rescue Plan Act and President Biden signed it into law. Among Its many parts is the $1,400 per person stimulus payment—officially called … Read More
Timing to Write Off Income Taxes
Photo by Manasvita S on Unsplash How do you time your bankruptcy case to write off income taxes? Usually you just need to wait long enough (but there may be other factors). Our blog post of two weeks ago introduced the importance of timing your bankruptcy filing right. We gave a list of 15 examples of timing considerations. Last week … Read More
Including New Debts in Bankruptcy
Photo by Ian Espinosa on Unsplash Bankruptcy only includes debts that you owe at the time you file your case, not new debts you incur after filing. So timing is crucial. 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 … Read More
The Best Timing of Your Bankruptcy
Photo by Monica Sauro on Unsplash There are many timing considerations when it comes to filing your bankruptcy case. Some can be real game changers. Here are 15 of them. 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 … Read More
Unexpected Benefit: Ways to Resolve a Preference Mess
A possible preference mess is the forced repayment of your pre-bankruptcy payment to a relative or friend. Here are two solutions. Last week’s blog post introduced an uncomfortable problem: preference payments to a friendly creditor. (If you haven’t already please read that one before reading further here.) The Solutions We ended that blog post by listing and giving short … Read More
Timing to Include Debts in Your Bankruptcy Case
A bankruptcy covers the debts that exist as of the time your case is filed, not future debts. So how do you know when to file your case?