Things you should know: The Peacetime Emergency in the United States was protecting people during the pandemic from creditors. Things like garnishments, bank levies, account freezes were all stopped during that Emergency Order. Now that it is ending, creditors are going to be looking to start garnishing immediately. What are creditors doing now? Creditors are… Read more »
Bankruptcy Works On Cell Phone Debt in Minnesota
ARE DEBTS FOR CELL PHONES DISCHARGEABLE IN BANKRUPTCY? When going over credit reports of Minnesotans looking for debt relief, I almost always find an entry for Sprint, or Verizon, or T-Mobile, or other cell phone companies. Just like credit cards and medical bills, debts to cell phone companies in Minnesota are completely discharged in bankruptcy…. Read more »
Does My Bankruptcy Go in the Star Tribune?
THE VAST MAJORITY OF BANKRUPTCIES DO NOT GO IN THE STAR TRIBUNE People often ask me if their bankruptcy filings will go in the newspaper in Minnesota. The short answer is that the Star Tribune only publishes business bankruptcies. Right now, about 40-60 people per day file bankruptcy, so it would take lots of space… Read more »
!Garnishments are Back!
Earlier this week, the governor’s orders preventing wage garnishments and bank levies started to expire. There are still some limitations in place, but as far as creditors are concerned, they can start taking your money NOW! Garnishments are awful. No one wants to wake up one day to find their bank accounts empty or be… Read more »
Top 4 Ways to Build Credit After Bankruptcy
Most of our clients see a 720 credit score only 2 years after bankruptcy. Just follow these any combination of these 4 easy steps to improve your credit score after bankruptcy. Bankruptcy is a legal process that makes debt go away, and credit score measures how regular payments towards debts have been. Often, in the… Read more »
John Oliver Tonight Did An Episode On Bankruptcy – It’s All True
Here is a link to the episode on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GzFG0Cdh8D8 The realities of filing bankruptcy are rarely mentioned on regular media, but on 4/18/2021 John Oliver Tonight did an episode about it. Walker & Walker agrees with most of his points! The credit counseling course and financial management course are unnecessary and stigmatizing. People file… Read more »
$1400 Stimulus Is Protected In Bankruptcy, But Only If you File
THE $1400 STIMULUS CHECKS ARE PROTECTED IN BANKRUPTCY $1400 stimulus check are starting to arrive in peoples’ bank accounts, but is it protected in Bankruptcy? YES, The March 2021 checks are protected in bankruptcy. There is a special piece of the law that gave the $600 checks to everyone that also protects the $1400. This… Read more »
ARE THERE ANY DEBTS THAT DON’T GET LISTED ON CREDIT REPORTS IN MINNESOTA?
People like to think that a credit report has a complete list of the debts that a person owes, but this isn’t true. I regularly pull credit reports when I meet with new clients so that I can find as many accounts as possible and do a thorough job. I go through the reports with… Read more »
Top 4 Mistakes People Make Before Bankruptcy
TOP 4 MISTAKES PEOPLE MAKE BEFORE BANKRUPTCY I have been practicing bankruptcy law in Minnesota for just under 10 years. At this point I have seen most mistakes that a person can make before filing. Most of them come because people think bankruptcy is more disruptive to their lives than it really is and… Read more »
Top 4 things People Don’t Expect When Filing Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy sometimes doesn’t work the way people think it will work. Here are the top 4 ways that it doesn’t work the way people expect it to work: BANKRUPTCY AUTOMATICALLY INCLUDES ALL CREDITORS. That’s right, it automatically includes every company or person to whom you owe money. You can’t keep one loan or credit card… Read more »