College Students Should Beware of Targeted Scams
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, August 27, 2018
As the fall semester starts for most college students, we must remind students to beware of targeted scams. Recently, a news article in USA Today highlighted a scam where students were receiving calls from someone claiming to be a college official and threatening the students with classes being dropped if they
Delinquent Debts and Security Clearance Concerns
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Friday, August 24, 2018
I have recently seen a rash of individuals holding security clearances or wanting to get a clearance who have an issue arise due to debt problems. While I have written about this topic previously here, it occurs to me to try and come up with a detailed analysis for someone with delinquent debts who is seeking a clearance (or in the process of losing
Student Loan Debts Are a Contributing Factor in Many Divorces
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Student loan debt is no longer affecting just the borrower that took out the loan, but the borrower’s family as well. The cost to attend college has been on the rise since the early 1980s, and while that may not be a surprise in and of itself due to inflation, data shows that tuition costs are now more th
HUD Files Complaint Against Facebook
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, August 20, 2018
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has accused Facebook of enabling housing discrimination. According to HUD, Facebook allows property owners and landlords to discriminate against prospective tenants and buyers on the basis of race, color, religion, familial status, national origin, disability or other factors.
New Robocaller Tactics Continue to Prey on Consumers
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Thursday, August 16, 2018
A recent article in the New York Post highlights one of life’s universal truths: Robocalls are annoying. But new strategies being employed by some of these scam artists shouldn’t be overlooked.
Student Loans Affect Older Americans Too
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Wednesday, August 15, 2018
If you are like most parents, you will do practically anything to give your children the best education possible. But for most, higher education is not possible without the assistance of student loans. Many times, it’s grandparents who step up to assist their grandchildren achieve a higher education. A new study by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (
Can You Work and Still Draw Supplementary Security Income Benefits?
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Again, yes! Sort of. In a prior blog entry, I discussed what impact working may have on drawing Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB). To complement it, I thought I would today focus on what impact working may have on drawing Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits.
Bankruptcy and Older Americans
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Friday, August 10, 2018
I recently read an article in the New York Times about the incidence of bankruptcy filings among older Americans. I know from my own practice that I’ve seen more older clients in recent years than I did early in my career. Maybe this is a result of what the article discussed, or maybe not. At any rate, it’s an interesting topic.
The State of Alabama Is Offering Some Residents Tax Amnesty but Time Is Ticking to Qualify
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Monday, August 6, 2018
The Alabama Tax Delinquency Amnesty Program of 2018 was passed to allow Alabama residents who owe certain types of taxes to the state of Alabama a chance to have all penalties and interest waived with an approved tax amnesty application.
Disabled Veterans May be Entitled to a Tax Refund!
Submitted by the Bond & Botes Law Offices - Friday, August 3, 2018
More than 130,000 veterans are eligible to apply for refunds of taxes they paid on disability severance pay dating back almost three decades, according to the IRS. The payments come after it was found the Department of Defense improperly withheld taxes on payments dating to Jan.