A foreclosure is when your lender takes back ownership of your home due to nonpayment of your mortgage. It can happen quickly and is more likely to occur when you fail to communicate with your lender. There are many chances over the course of the foreclosure process for you to work with your lender so that you can keep your home. Throughout the process, you will receive many documents. These documents provide important information and may give you options to help you avoid foreclosure. It is essential that you understand…Read More
If you decide to file for bankruptcy, you can keep certain personal items. These assets, called exemptions, include your home, retirement accounts and personal items. Review the applicable laws in Maryland about exemptions before moving forward with a bankruptcy filing. Homestead exemption For 2020, Maryland allows you to retain up to $25,150 in your primary residence. The court can order you to use equity exceeding that amount to repay a portion of your debt. Professional items You can keep up to $5,000 in items you use for your occupation. This may include…Read More
The financial success of Maryland businesses can depend on many factors. However, when economic strife hits the United States, some plunge into serious debt and cannot recover. One Bethesda children’s store that offered day camps and preschools for young children recently experienced this issue and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy as it saw the closure of its Maryland location. Store permanently closed Bethesda Magazine reports that the chain has a variety of debtors and that it can no longer afford to operate in light of the current pandemic affecting the nation. This…Read More
In recent months, a staggering number of people in Maryland and across the U.S. are facing financial hardships due to job loss and other challenges. Many of these people turn to their credit cards in order to buy groceries and pay bills. However, this quickly becomes a crisis for many people who are unable to pay their debts, especially with fees and excessive interest rates. Regrettably, some people are subjected to harassment when creditors bother them and in some instances, this behavior is against the law. Those harassed by debt…Read More
If you owe money to the IRS, the penalties and interest can become over half of what you owe in taxes. The IRS has three years to audit a company for owed taxes. If you own a business and owe payroll taxes, for instance, the amount owed can become overwhelming and as explained by Forbes, you cannot discharge payroll taxes in bankruptcy. What options do you have when you owe taxes that you cannot pay upfront? There are two solutions that the IRS offers taxpayers. The solutions include an offer-in-compromise and a…Read More
When someone is struggling to make ends meet and living paycheck to paycheck, debts often keep mounting up. Trying to keep up with mounting debt is difficult enough—add to it a lowered paycheck because of wage garnishment and Maryland residents can really find themselves in a bind. A wage garnishment is when the court orders that a certain portion of one’s earnings be held and sent straight to the person to whom the money is owed, the creditor, until the debt is resolved. They can be withheld to pay credit card debt, student debt,…Read More
People’s homes in Maryland are very important to people and are usually more than just the roof over their heads. In order to keep these homes though people must continue to make their mortgage payments each month. Generally, people do this as well, however, sometimes unexpected events occur and people may fall on difficult financial times. This could be due to a medical emergency, a loss job and many other events. Many times it is out of the person’s control. However, just because it is out of people’s control, if…Read More
While bankruptcy is a legal process, it is also a method to alter a person’s life for the better when it comes to addressing financial qualms. It is easy to want debt relief, but it is difficult for you to process the methods available to do this. The word bankruptcy scares you, as it signifies major changes. The stress of your financial problems makes it challenging to fully digest what will happen if you file and what filing options you have. But what if this isn’t your first time filing for bankruptcy?…Read More
The economic crisis of the past few months is taking its toll on many people in Maryland. While state and federal programs have helped, some of these programs will soon expire, leaving many people struggling to pay their bills. If they have outstanding debt — and most Americans do — then they can soon run into serious financial trouble. The U.S. Bankruptcy Code offers some of the most powerful ways to get out of debt. The two most common forms of personal bankruptcy under the code are known as Chapter…Read More
There’s no doubt that COVID-19 has taken a financial toll on our country. Millions have lost their jobs, thrusting many of them into a dire financial predicament. If you’re in this position, then the steps the federal government has taken to provide relief might comfort you, but you need to carefully consider what these programs really mean for you before opting into them. One avenue of relief provided by the government is mortgage payment forbearance through the CARES Act. Through this program, you can stop payments for up to 180 days if…Read More
