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You may or may not know that all of your debts are not all treated equally in bankruptcy.

One of the best sources of intelligent information on bankruptcy and related topics is a blog by a bunch of law professors called Credit Slips, “A Discussion on Credit, Finance and Bankruptcy.” (Well, OK, it can get a little heady, but they’re professors, after all.)

Here in California, the first thing you do is realize that the date on the last page of the papers that were served on you is not the date you are supposed to appear in court!

Is rabid partisanship and campaign money dominating national politics today? It’s mild compared to the pistol duels and banking rivalries of our founding fathers.

The last minute pull back from the fiscal cliff had some good news for homeowners who are currently short selling or planning to short sell their house.  As part of the tax package, Congress extended the Homeowners Mortgage Debt Relief Act for one year.

Chapter 13 is a type of bankruptcy for consumers that allows them to make payments on certain debts, restructure others, and discharge some (or all) unsecured, non-priority obligations.

Actually under certain circumstances you can, but you will have to file bankruptcy to do it.  According to 11 U.S.C. Sec. 547(a), a bankruptcy trustee may recover any payment made by a debtor prior to a bankruptcy case’s filing, when it is shown that  the payments were made.

No. A living trust is for financial affairs. A living will is for medical affairs; it lets others know how you feel about life support in case of terminal illness. However, a living will is limited because it deals only with very specific terminal situations and in most cases, it is not legally enforceable.

To refinance a mortgage means to pay off your existing loan and replace it with a new one.

A prospective client came in to see me today. He had taken out a payday loan approximately four years ago (FIRST RULE: Never take out a payday loan.