How Can I Keep My Things and Still File Bankruptcy?           I had a friend who recently shared with me that she once survived a tornado.  She was a child when it happened and lived in a rural area in the...

It’s human nature to get emotionally attached to objects. Maybe for you it’s a seashell from your honeymoon thirty years ago. Or perhaps the tiny pink cap that your first child wore home from the hospital. For some, it’s that...

For some, negotiating a credit card debt or a hospital bill is like the blind date from Hell.  It’s a stressful and sweat-inducing situation.  You never know if the person on the other end will be nice or a complete pyschopath. ...

          Starting a small business is a scary thing. Most data shows that while 80% make it through their first year, only a 1/3 will make it to a ten year anniversary. Despite this, the same reports indicate...

     I’ve heard the scenario a thousand times and I’ll hear it a thousand more: “I want to move out of my crummy apartment but my bad credit is stopping me!” In Chicago, rental companies tie credit to...

     Will Paying My Debt Help My Credit Score?   We’re raised on a few simple rules: Never talk to strangers. Eat your vegetables. Pay your debts. Nowadays though, we have strangers driving us around in random Honda...

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is a repayment plan that allows a consumer to restructure debt over an organized plan.  It’s an effective plan for people who are seeking to take care of a variety of debts, such as income taxes and parking...

     Bankruptcy seems like a great idea but most people are scared of the “consequences.”  “It’s on my credit report forever.”  “I’m not allowed to have credit...