Summary: Certain types of income (mainly social security and veterans disability) is excluded from the means test. Some people are not required to take a means test at all. Income That Does Not Count Towards Means Test Your household income is used to determine whether you have enough money to pay back a significant [...]
SUMMARY: Obtaining credit after bankruptcy is possible. There will be a waiting period before you can qualify for big-ticket items, such as a home or car. Other factors, such as income and your credit management after bankruptcy will also impact qualifying for new credit. After filing bankruptcy, take steps to improve your credit. Make sure [...]
With the declining economy and lack of jobs, more people are going back to school. They hope more education will qualify them for a higher-paying job. They live on student loans and borrow to pay all expenses. Unfortunately, more education is no longer a guarantee of a higher-paying job or even a job. Before [...]
Tax debt keeping you up at night? Bankruptcy may help. If not, consider solutions available without filing bankruptcy.
If you are married, you may find yourself filing bankruptcy without your spouse. There can be various reasons for this, and it is possible. There can be various reasons for this, such as the debt was made only by one person, the couple is concerned about obtaining new credit in the immediate future, or [...]
Not one of the lucky people waiting on a tax refund? One of the most stressful types of debt for people to have is tax debt. While it is true that the IRS has powerful collection tools, coming up with a reasonable plan to address delinquent taxes is possible. Many times, people who get behind [...]
Many people struggling with overwhelming debt do not consider bankruptcy because they fear losing property. While a debtor can lose property in bankruptcy, with proper use of exemptions, this is usually not true. […]
Social security recipients do not have to count their social security income in bankruptcy. This income is not counted in the means test or the budget in bankruptcy. Deposits of these benefits are generally protected in bankruptcy if using the state exemptions. Social security benefits are not counted as “income” for purposes of the [...]
Most people who file bankruptcy worry about how bankruptcy will impact their credit scores. Obviously, filing bankruptcy does negatively impact a credit score. If you are struggling to pay your minimum payments and have not defaulted on any of your debt, you may have a very good credit score even though bankruptcy is the [...]
What is "unsecured debt"?