Blogs

2 years 1 month ago

five-star“She broke down the process into manageable portions that I could handle. S.S.
people entering mazeI had waited to the eleventh hour to actually contact Diane Drain for help with my Chapter 7 bankruptcy. I suffer from an anxiety issue and was paralyzed by fear. Thank Goodness I was referred to Diane Drain. She broke down the process into manageable portions that I could handle. She followed up at every turn, and nudged me when I flagged. She would patiently explain processes that I didn’t understand, and assured me that all the frustration was worth the effort. She was right. I finally filed, and every day, I began to feel a little less anxiety. Now, the discharge has been entered, and life is much more manageable.
Thanks, Diane  signed, S.S.

The post I suffer from anxiety and was paralyzed by fear. Thank Goodness I found Diane Drain. appeared first on Law Office of D.L. Drain, P.A., Arizona Bankruptcy Lawyer.


2 years 3 weeks ago

Many individuals are not aware that Social Security benefits can be used to pay student loans that are in default. The Social Security Administration (SSA) can take up to 15% of a persons benefits to pay off defaulted student loans; however, it cannot take more than $750 a month or $9,000 a year to pay for defaulted student loans.For further details see the Fox Business article at https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/student-loans-default-diminish-social-security-benefitsRegrettably these defaults often impact retired parents who have taken out student loans for their children or Parent Plus Loans.
Jim Shenwick Esq.   212 541 6224   [email protected] 


2 years 1 month ago

Many individuals are not aware that Social Security benefits can be used to pay student loans that are in default. The Social Security Administration (SSA) can take up to 15% of a persons benefits to pay off defaulted student loans; however, it cannot take more than $750 a month or $9,000 a year to pay for defaulted student loans.For further details see the Fox Business article at https://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/student-loans-default-diminish-social-security-benefitsRegrettably these defaults often impact retired parents who have taken out student loans for their children or Parent Plus Loans.
Jim Shenwick Esq.   212 541 6224   [email protected] 


2 years 3 weeks ago

The Toledo Blade is reporting that millions of businesses need to start paying back coronavirus loans. The article states that nearly 3.8 million small business owners took out Economic Injury Disaster Loans (known as EIDL loans) from the federal government, averaging roughly $100,000 per loan, according to the Small Business Administration. These 30-year loans carry an interest rate of 3.75 percent for businesses and require repayment.

The first EIDL loan monthly payments will commence in January 2023 and the article reports that 2.6 million businesses across the country will owe money by that date.
The article can be found at https://www.toledoblade.com/business/development/2023/01/14/businesses-p...

Jim Shenwick, Esq.   [email protected]   212 541 6224


2 years 1 month ago

The Toledo Blade is reporting that millions of businesses need to start paying back coronavirus loans. The article states that nearly 3.8 million small business owners took out Economic Injury Disaster Loans (known as EIDL loans) from the federal government, averaging roughly $100,000 per loan, according to the Small Business Administration. These 30-year loans carry an interest rate of 3.75 percent for businesses and require repayment.

The first EIDL loan monthly payments will commence in January 2023 and the article reports that 2.6 million businesses across the country will owe money by that date.
The article can be found at https://www.toledoblade.com/business/development/2023/01/14/businesses-p...

Jim Shenwick, Esq.   [email protected]   212 541 6224


2 years 3 weeks ago

 Office Lease Closing, Termination, or Surrender in New York City As many readers of our emails and blog are aware, at Shenwick & Associates we are helping many small businesses close, terminate or surrender their office leases in New York. As a result of the cooling labor market, many industry experts predicted employers would have more leverage to force their employees back to work. However, with the recession and troubled economy in New York City, we are seeing more and more small businesses close their offices and surrender, abandon or terminate their leases to cut costs. A recent study by a Columbia business professor stated that to provide a seat for an employee in Manhattan costs the employer  $16,000 per year. It is important to note that the Columbia business professor referred to a "seat" rather than an "office". Providing an office for every employee would cost substantially more than $16,000 per year. We were recently retained by a small garment center company that was struggling and wanted to move to a remote work structure to save business and money. The facts of the case are interesting and illustrative: the company owed $65,000 in rent and additional rent to its landlord. For them to be released from the guaranty, they needed to give the landlord three months notice and be current on their rent (total amount owed to landlord over $100,000). Jim Shenwick, Esq. was retained by the company and we reviewed the commercial lease, the guaranty, the financials' for the company and the guarantor. We formulated a strategy and negotiated a very favorable deal for our client. As part of the agreement, the tenant vacated the space quickly, abandoned its buildout to the landlord, forfeited its security deposit, and paid the landlord $25,000. The landlord agreed to release the company and the guarantor.The result  was a "win/win" for all parties,  the landlord obtained possession of its space quickly without incurring legal fees and court costs, the company saved approximately $75,000 in rent payments and the guarantor was not sued and did not have to file for bankruptcy. Jim Shenwick, Esq has experience in commercial leasing, workouts and bankruptcy and clients can contact him at 212 541 6224 or [email protected]   Excerpts from the Elon Musk story are below.Elon Musk, who was a skeptic of the benefits of remote work, recently announced that he was closing the Twitter offices in Seattle.  The Seattle Times had a fascinating article about musk's move, the article can be found at https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/musks-about-face-on-remote-work-shows-its-value-in-recession/ The article stated in part that "As part of ongoing cost-cutting measures under new owner and CEO Elon Musk, Twitter is shutting down its Seattle offices and instructing employees to work remotely. That’s despite Musk earlier claiming that remote workers are only “pretending to work” and banning remote work at Twitter upon taking it over in early November.So what explains his change of heart? Apparently, it’s the costs associated with the company’s Seattle office: rent and services such as cleaning and security.The fact that Musk — an extreme skeptic of remote work — acknowledged its cost-cutting benefits illustrates the future of remote work for the U.S. economy. It highlights the misleading nature of many headlines about how an impending recession would lead to the end of remote work. They claim that a cooling labor market will give executives more control to require employees to return to the office. That’s because many employees prefer to work remotely and most executives want their employees in the office.However, the reality is much more complex. Of course it’s true that during a recession, employers have more leverage. At the same time, executives need to focus on maximizing the return on investment from their employees.In times of economic growth, executives have more freedom to make decisions based on their personal preferences and intuitions. But during a recession, they may need to hunker down, be more disciplined, and rely on data to make decisions that make the most financial sense for the company — like Musk choosing to have Twitter staff work remotely for the sake of cutting costs. This focus on profitability over personal preferences benefits remote work."
Jim Shenwick, Esq [email protected] 212541 6224


2 years 1 month ago

 Office Lease Closing, Termination, or Surrender in New York City As many readers of our emails and blog are aware, at Shenwick & Associates we are helping many small businesses close, terminate or surrender their office leases in New York. As a result of the cooling labor market, many industry experts predicted employers would have more leverage to force their employees back to work. However, with the recession and troubled economy in New York City, we are seeing more and more small businesses close their offices and surrender, abandon or terminate their leases to cut costs. A recent study by a Columbia business professor stated that to provide a seat for an employee in Manhattan costs the employer  $16,000 per year. It is important to note that the Columbia business professor referred to a "seat" rather than an "office". Providing an office for every employee would cost substantially more than $16,000 per year. We were recently retained by a small garment center company that was struggling and wanted to move to a remote work structure to save business and money. The facts of the case are interesting and illustrative: the company owed $65,000 in rent and additional rent to its landlord. For them to be released from the guaranty, they needed to give the landlord three months notice and be current on their rent (total amount owed to landlord over $100,000). Jim Shenwick, Esq. was retained by the company and we reviewed the commercial lease, the guaranty, the financials' for the company and the guarantor. We formulated a strategy and negotiated a very favorable deal for our client. As part of the agreement, the tenant vacated the space quickly, abandoned its buildout to the landlord, forfeited its security deposit, and paid the landlord $25,000. The landlord agreed to release the company and the guarantor.The result  was a "win/win" for all parties,  the landlord obtained possession of its space quickly without incurring legal fees and court costs, the company saved approximately $75,000 in rent payments and the guarantor was not sued and did not have to file for bankruptcy. Jim Shenwick, Esq has experience in commercial leasing, workouts and bankruptcy and clients can contact him at 212 541 6224 or [email protected]   Excerpts from the Elon Musk story are below.Elon Musk, who was a skeptic of the benefits of remote work, recently announced that he was closing the Twitter offices in Seattle.  The Seattle Times had a fascinating article about musk's move, the article can be found at https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/musks-about-face-on-remote-work-shows-its-value-in-recession/ The article stated in part that "As part of ongoing cost-cutting measures under new owner and CEO Elon Musk, Twitter is shutting down its Seattle offices and instructing employees to work remotely. That’s despite Musk earlier claiming that remote workers are only “pretending to work” and banning remote work at Twitter upon taking it over in early November.So what explains his change of heart? Apparently, it’s the costs associated with the company’s Seattle office: rent and services such as cleaning and security.The fact that Musk — an extreme skeptic of remote work — acknowledged its cost-cutting benefits illustrates the future of remote work for the U.S. economy. It highlights the misleading nature of many headlines about how an impending recession would lead to the end of remote work. They claim that a cooling labor market will give executives more control to require employees to return to the office. That’s because many employees prefer to work remotely and most executives want their employees in the office.However, the reality is much more complex. Of course it’s true that during a recession, employers have more leverage. At the same time, executives need to focus on maximizing the return on investment from their employees.In times of economic growth, executives have more freedom to make decisions based on their personal preferences and intuitions. But during a recession, they may need to hunker down, be more disciplined, and rely on data to make decisions that make the most financial sense for the company — like Musk choosing to have Twitter staff work remotely for the sake of cutting costs. This focus on profitability over personal preferences benefits remote work."
Jim Shenwick, Esq [email protected] 212541 6224


2 years 3 weeks ago

 The New York Times has an article about "What to Know About Biden’s Income-Driven Repayment Proposal". The story can be found at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/your-money/student-loans-income-driven-repayment.html.
The Income-Driven Repayment Proposal would tie a  borrowers’ monthly payments for their student loan debt to their income and family size, and after a set number of years, any remaining debt is forgiven.  Jim Shenwick, Esq.  212 541 6224  [email protected]


2 years 1 month ago

 The New York Times has an article about "What to Know About Biden’s Income-Driven Repayment Proposal". The story can be found at https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/10/your-money/student-loans-income-driven-repayment.html.
The Income-Driven Repayment Proposal would tie a  borrowers’ monthly payments for their student loan debt to their income and family size, and after a set number of years, any remaining debt is forgiven.  Jim Shenwick, Esq.  212 541 6224  [email protected]


2 years 3 weeks ago

 US Bankruptcy Court Rules Celsius Deposits Belong to the Firm. This story can be found at  the bitcoin website at https://news.bitcoin.com/us-bankruptcy-court-rules-celsius-deposits-belo...There ruling is bad news for people or companies who had deposits at Celsius, but may be good news for Celsius' unsecured creditors. 
At Shenwick & Associates, we are helping creditors file Proof of Claim in the Celsius and FTX cases.  Jim Shenwick, Esq   212 541 6224  [email protected]


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