Money Troubles: Legal Strategies to Cope With Your Debts

Table of Contents......Page 10
Intro. Being in Debt Is Not As Bad As You Think......Page 16
1. Secured and Unsecured Debts......Page 18
A. Secured Debts......Page 19
B. Unsecured Debts......Page 20
2. How Much Do You Owe?......Page 22
A. How Much Do You Earn?......Page 23
B. How Much Do You Owe?......Page 25
3. If You’re Married, Divorced or Separated......Page 30
A. Who Owes What Debts in a Community Property State?......Page 31
B. Who Owns What Property in a Community Property State?......Page 32
C. What Property Is Liable for Payment of Debts in a Community Property State?......Page 33
E. Who Owns What Property in a Common Law State?......Page 34
F. What Property Is Liable for Debts in a Common Law State......Page 35
4. Debts You May Not Owe......Page 36
A. The Seller Breaches a Warranty......Page 37
B. Your Car Is a Lemon......Page 40
C. You Are the Victim of Fraud......Page 42
D. You Want to Cancel a Contract......Page 44
F. Canceling Goods Ordered From a Phone Solicitor......Page 46
G. Miscellaneous Remedies......Page 49
5. Prioritizing Your Debts......Page 52
A. Essential Debts......Page 53
C. Review Your Lists......Page 56
6. Negotiating With Your Creditors......Page 58
A. Communicate With Your Creditors......Page 59
C. Try to Pay Off a Debt for Less Than the Full Amount......Page 71
D. Don’t Write a Bad Check......Page 72
E. Writing a Postdated Check Is a Bad Idea......Page 73
F. Beware of the IRS If You Settle a Debt......Page 74
7. Finding Money to Pay Your Debt......Page 76
B. Sell Some Stuff......Page 77
D. Withdraw Money From a Tax-Deferred Account......Page 79
E. Apply for Government and Agency Help......Page 80
F. Consider a Home Equity Loan......Page 81
G. Use the Equity in Your Home If You Are Elderly......Page 82
H. Borrow the Money......Page 84
J. What to Avoid When You Need Money......Page 85
8. The Consequences of Ignoring Your Debts......Page 88
B. Foreclosure......Page 89
C. Repossessing or Taking Property......Page 97
E. Lawsuit......Page 102
F. Lien on Your Property......Page 103
H. Bank Setoff......Page 104
L. Loss of Utility Service......Page 106
M. Take a Deep Breath......Page 107
9. When the Debt Collector Calls......Page 108
A. Original Creditor or Collection Agency?......Page 109
B. Original Creditors’ Collection Efforts......Page 110
C. When Your Debt Is Sent to a Collection Agency......Page 113
D. Debt Collection Practices—Legal and Illegal......Page 119
10. Credit, Charge and Debit Cards......Page 136
A. Credit and Charge Cards......Page 137
C. Automated Teller Machine (ATM) and Debit Cards......Page 148
11. Consumer Loans......Page 150
A. Required Loan Disclosures......Page 151
B. Evaluation of Credit Applications......Page 152
C. Terms of Loan Agreements......Page 155
12. Reporting Credit Violations......Page 162
B. Federal Savings and Loans and Federal Savings Banks......Page 163
D. State Banks (Members of the Federal Reserve System)......Page 164
F. Department Store, Gasoline Company and Other Creditors......Page 165
13. Student Loans......Page 166
A. Types of Loans......Page 168
C. Repaying Student Loans......Page 169
D. Strategies When You Just Can’t Pay......Page 171
F. Consequences of Ignoring Student Loan Debt......Page 174
G. Where to Go for Help......Page 175
14. Child Support and Alimony......Page 176
A. How Child Support Is Determined......Page 178
B. Modifying the Amount of Child Support......Page 179
C. Establishing Paternity......Page 182
D. Enforcement of Child Support Obligations......Page 183
F. Bankruptcy and Child Support/Alimony Debt......Page 189
15. If You Are Sued......Page 192
A. How a Lawsuit Begins......Page 193
B. Negotiate......Page 196
C. Alternative Dispute Resolution......Page 197
D. Respond in Court......Page 200
E. What to Expect While the Case Is in Court......Page 205
F. If the Creditor Gets a Judgment Against You......Page 210
G. Stopping Judgment Collection Efforts......Page 217
16. Bankruptcy: The Ultimate Weapon......Page 224
A. Don’t Feel Guilty......Page 226
B. Filing for Bankruptcy Stops Your Creditors......Page 227
C. Bankruptcy Might Not Help You......Page 229
D. An Overview of Chapter 7 Bankruptcy......Page 231
E. An Overview of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy......Page 232
F. Does Bankruptcy Make Economic Sense?......Page 233
17. Property You Do—and Don’t—Get to Keep......Page 236
A. Property Subject to Collection......Page 239
B. Property Subject to Bankruptcy Court’s Authority......Page 243
C. Applying Exemptions......Page 247
D. Instructions for Completing Worksheet......Page 250
E. Turning Nonexempt Property Into Exempt Property......Page 264
18. Rebuilding Your Credit......Page 268
A. Avoid Overspending......Page 269
B. Clean Up Your Credit File......Page 273
D. Add Information Showing Stability to Your Credit File......Page 282
E. Build Credit in Your Own Name......Page 283
G. Use Existing or New Credit Cards......Page 284
I. Work With Local Merchants......Page 287
K. Don’t Use a Credit Repair Clinic......Page 288
19. Credit Discrimination......Page 296
C. Marital Status Discrimination......Page 297
E. National Origin Discrimination......Page 298
H. Post-Bankruptcy Discrimination......Page 299
I. What to Do if a Creditor Discriminates Against You......Page 300
20. Help Beyond the Book......Page 302
A. Do Your Own Legal Research......Page 303
B. Lawyers......Page 311
C. Debt and Credit Counseling Agencies......Page 314
Appendix 1. Glossary......Page 318
Appendix 2. State and Federal Exemption Tables......Page 322
Index......Page 352
Related Products......Page 374