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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.

If you own an Individual Retirement Arrangement (IRA) you still have until April 17, 2018 to make your contribution to be eligible for a tax credit or deduction on your 2017 tax return. If you are wondering why that particular date, this year’s tax-filing deadline is April 17th. So make sure your file your 2017 tax return or extension on or prior to then as well.

As my colleagues and I have discussed in previous blogs, a normal Chapter 13 bankruptcy case consolidates your debts and allows you to repay at least a portion of those debts over a period of up to 5 years.  As the saying goes, life can come at you fast, and a lot can happen in 5 years.

For my generation, no middle school trip to the mall was complete without a visit to Claire’s to pick up some jewelry, gifts, or maybe even get your ears pierced.  In fact, Claire’s says it has pierced more than 100 million ears around the world!  Last week, the company became the last retailer to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

If you grew up in Chicago or in the Chicago Suburbs in the late 70s and early 80s, chances are good that you will recognize this iconic symbol:

New statistics reveal that the retirement outlook is not so great for almost half of Americans. According to a recent CNBC news article (citing a report from GoBankingRates), around 42% of Americans have less than $10,000 saved for retirement.

The tax deadline this year is April 17, 2018. Filing your taxes can be complicated, but simple mistakes can lead to an audit by the Internal Revenue Service. The IRS may randomly select a taxpayer’s return and compare the return to other similar returns to check for anything out of the ordinary.

Last month, we wrote about Nashville, Tennessee based Gibson Guitar’s financial troubles and the possibility of them filing for bankruptcy.  Well, it appears that more troubles are brewing.  Bloomberg reported that

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the level of debt for consumers who are behind on their credit cards increased in the fourth quarter of 2017 by $11.9 billion. That’s an increase of 11 ½ percent.

My wife shared with me recently a chapter from the women’s bible study she is doing on Wednesday night at our church, Westwood Baptist Church in Alabaster, AL.