The January 30, 2007 case of In re Schwarz, __ B.R. ___, 2007 WL247649 (Bkrtcy.S.D. Fla.)(Olson, J.) held certain real property as exempt from administration in the estate under 11 522 (b)(3)(B) which allows for the exemption of any interest in property which the debtor held as tenants by the entireties to the extent that it is exempt from process under applicable nonbankruptcy law.

First Payment After Chapter Bankruptcy Is Filed If you have filed chapter 13 bankruptcy, you are required to begin making plan payments within 30 days after your bankruptcy petition is submitted to the court. These payments are held by the trustee until your confirmation is approved or denied by the court. If the court denies […]

By Mary Ann Gorman
Nickelodeon's Drake Bell, formerly known as "Drake" from the show Drake & Josh has filed for bankruptcy.
Drake Bell is 27 years old and has experienced an income roller coaster in the last couple of years. In 2012, Drake made $408,000, while in 2013 he brought in $14,099.
His month expenses are reportedly greater than $18,000, while his monthly income is under $3,000.

It happens almost every week. Somebody comes into our office with a serious tax problem -- caused by a shoddy tax preparer, either through incompetence, negligence or sometimes downright fraud.

It boggles my mind that there is no regulation of tax preparers. I thought I was the only one who had noticed this problem. But no.

The National Consumer Law Center, a consumer watch-dog group, has recently issued a very good report on this. Following is from the press release announcing the report:

It happens almost every week. Somebody comes into our office with a serious tax problem -- caused by a shoddy tax preparer, either through incompetence, negligence or sometimes downright fraud.

It boggles my mind that there is no regulation of tax preparers. I thought I was the only one who had noticed this problem. But no.

The National Consumer Law Center, a consumer watch-dog group, has recently issued a very good report on this. Following is from the press release announcing the report:

On July 6, 2007, the court in In re Electric Machinery Enterprises, Inc., ___ B.R. ___, 2007 WL 3031445 (Bkrtcy.M.D.Fla.)(Williamson, J.) issued its decision holding that unsecured creditors are not entitled to collect post-petition attorneys' fees, costs, and other similar charges even if there is an underlying contractual right to them.

Often we receive inquiries as to why the trustee in a chapter 7 bankruptcy case is requesting a debtor's income tax refund.  The client will call and state that they received word that their trustee filed a notice stating he is taking an interest in the debtor's income tax return, meaning he is going to hold the debtor's case open until they receive their tax refund, and then determine if  they need to turn over any portion of it.  If the trustee determines that there is an unexempt portion of the refund, he will require the debtor(s) to turn over a certain portion of it.  The notice the tr

Medical bills continue to be one of most common reasons why consumers file bankruptcy. Even if you have health coverage it can be challenging to pay co-pays for doctor visits, prescription medications, and make payments on bills your insurance did not cover.  Millions of Americans continue to juggle their finances by trying to make their [...]