Blogs

The hits just keep on coming for Wells Fargo. As if the $185 million settlement/penalty the bank has already paid to resolve the fake accounts issue wasn’t bad enough, Wells Fargo could now face up to $1 billion in penalties for auto insurance and mortgage lending abuses according to a new CNBC article and Reuters report.

Almost every day a client tells me about receiving a phone call that sounds like a scam.  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has reported an increase in “neighbor spoofing”. Neighbor spoofing is when illegal robocallers use tactics to try and trick you into answering calls.

The Weinstein Co. bankruptcy has now endangered the continued existence of one of its marquis properties: Project Runway. According to reporting in Page Six, A&E Network cancelled its distribution deal with The Weinstein Co. for Project Runway based upon a breach of contract.

In a number of my blog posts I have examined what criteria the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks for when evaluating physical and emotional ailments for the purposes of awarding disability benefits. A simple diagnosis is never enough.

The Bankruptcy Court in the Eastern District of Tennessee recently ruled that back child support owed to by a non-custodial parent is not property of the bankruptcy estate, and therefore the debtor does not have to pay the back child support to her creditors in her bankruptcy.

In a month or so, many high school seniors will be walking across that stage to get their diplomas and mark the milestone in life that is high school graduation. Moms, dads, grandparents, siblings, family and friends will be there to cheer on their high school seniors and offer their warm congratulations and best wishes. Many of those graduating seniors will be college bound come the fall.

Money problems can put a strain on our lives.  Over the years, I have had many people confide in me that they had contemplated suicide because of their debt problems.  There are countless articles about debt problems being the cause of suicide.

Recently I had the opportunity to be involved with a "round table" discussion regarding the damaging effects of student loans on at least two generations now as more and more people are getting hooked into the idea that they must get a college education.

Recently, we had an individual come to our office complaining about another attorney in the area where she had to Skype with the attorney for a free consultation about her filing bankruptcy.  She said she felt rushed and only received about 15 minutes with the attorney on the Skype call. When the Skype call was over, she still had a number of questions but was left with an assistant (non-attorney) to answer those questions.

Tax Day is nearly upon us! Have you filed your 2017 tax returns yet? This year’s tax due date is April 17, 2018, only a few weeks away. I’ve found that many people put off filing their tax returns for many reasons. One of those reasons is that they cannot afford to pay a tax preparer or certified public accountant to help them and don’t have the resources or access to try and file the returns on their own.