By Associated Press
ST. AUGUSTINE, FLA. — First came the health problems. Then, unable to work, Ada Noda watched the bills pile up. And then, suffocating in debt, the 80-year-old did something she never thought she'd be forced to do.
She declared bankruptcy.

While the bankruptcy filing rate for those under 55 has fallen, it has soared for older Americans, according to a new analysis from the Consumer Bankruptcy Project, which examined a sampling of noncommercial bankruptcies filed between 1991 and 2007.

Check out this webinar on our YouTube channel to identify common mistakes that lenders make before and during consumer bankruptcy cases – and how to avoid those mistakes to better protect the lender's rights and collateral.

Many individuals and families are filing bankruptcy due to medical bills. If you are overwhelmed by medical bills, you are not alone. The Center for Disease Control released a report in 2012 that 1 in 4 American households are struggling with medical debt. Even households with public or private insurance are having trouble paying off medical debt. The research data demonstrates a growing number of households facing financial hardship due to medical bills. See the CDC report data below.
 

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU LAUNCHES PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO STUDENT LOAN SERVICING PRACTICES
Bureau Seeks Information On Industry Practices That Can Create Student Debt Stress

CONSUMER FINANCIAL PROTECTION BUREAU LAUNCHES PUBLIC INQUIRY INTO STUDENT LOAN SERVICING PRACTICESBureau Seeks Information On Industry Practices That Can Create Student Debt Stress

You can file a bankruptcy case on your own which is known as filing pro se. However, I would not recommend this and I would certainly never recommend it in a chapter 13 bankruptcy case. Approximately once per month, someone will come into my office who has filed a bankruptcy case on their own behalf+ Read More

 I highly recommend this great article in the New York Times.  Everyone should understand the issues related to protecting your own or your parents’ hard earned retirement funds