If you are having problems managing your household debt, you are not alone. November 2017 statistics from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showed that household debt rose by $116 billion, or 0.9%, to $12.96 trillion in the third quarter of the year. The most rapid increase in debt was seen in credit-card debt, which [...]

Ohio's Debt Crisis: Understanding the Causes and Finding Solutions Through Bankruptcy Ohioans are facing a debt crisis. The state consistently ranks among the top ten in the nation for personal bankruptcy filings. This financial distress stems from factors like the lingering effects of the Great Recession, stagnant wages, and the rising costs of essential needs. [...]

If you need a car but don’t have the credit score to qualify for a regular auto loan, you may be tempted to take out a subprime auto loan instead. This could prove to be a mistake, as the chances of financial problems resulting from these loans are growing, even to the point of endangering [...]

Finally, Equifax is going to do something to change its unfair policy that has been making it more difficult for Chapter 13 filers to remove the red flag of bankruptcy from their records. For a long time, Equifax has been keeping bankruptcies on credit reports for 10 years, while the other two major credit rating agencies, [...]

You work hard at your full-time job, so you figure you should be able to pay your rent and put food on your table.  Guess again.  Some people making minimum wage in Ohio, are not going to be able to rent a median two-bedroom apartment without heading toward bankruptcy. According to new research by the National Low [...]

When you’ve worked hard to accumulate assets, the last thing you want is for your beneficiaries to lose it all if they find themselves having to file for bankruptcy.  This can happen if your heirs wind up in financial trouble and have to face bankruptcy when their inheritance arrives. While assets from an estate can [...]

It is wonderful to receive an inheritance, but you may not be able to keep it if you have recently filed for bankruptcy.  It all depends on factors such as timing, the way the inheritance was created, the exemptions you can claim, and what type of bankruptcy you have filed. The bankruptcy process is complex, [...]

There is bad news for those who are behind in paying tax debts -- the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is taking a hard line against taxpayers who have certain overdue tax debts by hiring private debt collectors to do their collecting.  These private collectors are allowed to use tactics and methods that government agents are [...]

It’s natural to try to hold on to your assets, so when faced with the prospect of filing for bankruptcy, people often look for ways to keep as much as possible after the bankruptcy is over.  Bankruptcy is a way out, usually as a last resort, for people whose debts have become overwhelming, and there [...]

While the U.S. economy appears to be doing nicely, an increasing number of Americans are still struggling to pay their bills.  Take credit card debt, for example.  According to the latest study from WalletHub, Americans are piling on credit card debt at levels that rival the end of 2008, in the heart of the recent financial crisis.  [...]

Bankruptcy will stay on your record for 10 years after filing, but that doesn’t mean that life is over for you.  The purpose of bankruptcy is to allow you to have a fresh start, so by making some changes in your lifestyle and taking some prudent financial steps, you can get back on the road [...]

So you are getting a tax refund – now it is time to come up with smart decisions as to what to do with it.  Sure, it might feel good to go on a big shopping spree when the money comes in, but then what?  You wind up with stuff that does nothing to better [...]

If you’re one of the many people who struggle with financial problems, you might have asked yourself "Can you go to jail for debt?" Debt collectors cannot arrest you for credit card or other consumer debt, but they can take you to court and sue you for payment. And, under certain circumstances, debt can lead [...]

If you are an Ohio resident struggling to deal with debt, you might be wondering how your neighbors are faring so well.  According to a survey by GOBankingRates.com, the top source of debt for people in Ohio is mortgage debt, and residents of 41 other states also reported that mortgages are the biggest source of [...]

The Federal Reserve Board (FRB) keeps talking about raising interest rates, and if it does, it sets off a chain reaction of events affecting everything from how many people have a job to what they pay for groceries. If you have a credit card or savings account, are invested in stocks or bonds, invest in [...]