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As I write this, I am well aware that my law partner, Ron Sykstus, wishes that I was writing this blog about a best-selling fiction novel that he has written! Unfortunately for him, that is not the case!

American households are carrying a good bit of debt these days according to a recent NBC News article. From what I’m seeing, no matter how you categorize the debt or spin the numbers, it’s not welcoming news to begin the new year. Still, there is no better way to illustrate a point than by staring at the cold, hard numbers, so I will break down a few.

I had the privilege of giving a Continuing Legal Education seminar on bankruptcy to Montgomery’s Legal Services of Alabama.  Currently, there are no attorneys trained in handling bankruptcy cases in the Montgomery office. Some attorneys have a general idea of how bankruptcy works but were reluctant to take on any cases without current training.

The largest oil refinery on the East Coast has filed for bankruptcy. Philadelphia Energy Solutions LLC is the owner of the biggest oil refinery that serves the New York Harbor diesel and gasoline market. The company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sunday, January 21.

So, you didn’t start off the New Year by winning any of the latest big lottery jackpots. However, two lone winners did. One winner from New Hampshire has yet to claim the $560 million Powerball jackpot. The other 20-year-old winner from Florida claimed his $450 million Mega Millions grand prize. He chose the one lump sum amount of $282 million.

I have seen a number of variations of what I broadly refer to as "seizure disorders" over the years of my SSA disability practice. Whether emanating from some malformation in the brain, a traumatic brain injury or epilepsy, etc., these ailments can have a devastating effect on a person's employability through no fault of their own.

Three days ago, Yahoo News reported on Americans’ love of their plastic. According to the story, the Federal Reserve reported that consumer credit card balances jumped 13% in November of last year.

On Thursday, January 11, 2018, Sam’s Club began abruptly closing many of its stores across the US and the US territories, including Puerto Rico.  In some cases, employees found out their store was closing when they arrived at work, in their work uniform, only to find the doors pad locked and sign stating the store was closing, effective immediately.

One of the most common ways to pay off accumulated medical bills and credit card debt is to take a home equity line of credit, or HELOC, on your home. According to a recent CNBC article by Diana Olick, homeowners are sitting on trillions of dollars in cash.

As we begin 2018, we cannot help but be reminded of some of the 50 retail chains that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2017.   The list includes: