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Can I be Fired if I File Bankruptcy?

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:54:43 +0000

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy and are in need of a Seattle bankruptcy lawyer, you should know that it is against the bankruptcy code to be fired for filing bankruptcy. Bankruptcy lawyers can assist you in determining what chapter of bankruptcy you need to file or whether bankruptcy is a good option for you at all. Many debtors who are considering filing for bankruptcy have the same concerns as you which include wanting to keep their bankruptcy filing private. When a debtor files for bankruptcy, it becomes public record, however employers and relatives rarely find out unless they are told by you. With that said, if you file for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, payments to the trustee may need to come directly out of your paycheck in order to satisfy your chapter 13 payment obligations. Sometimes a trustee will accept direct payments from the debtor, however most trustees prefer to take the payments out of your paychecks as the success of a chapter 13 payment plan greatly increases as payments or less likely to be missed.

Debtors in a bankruptcy should not be concerned as Federal Law prohibits employers from discriminating against them or from terminating their employment solely because of the debtors bankruptcy filing. More Specifically, the bankruptcy codes non-discrimination provision, 11 U.S.C. section 525(b), states as follows: “No private employer may terminate the employment of, or discriminate with respect to employment against, an individual who is or has been a debtor under this title solely because such debtor is or has been a debtor under this title. 11 U.S.C. sec. 525(b)” One caveat to the above provision is that the Bankruptcy Code prohibits discrimination solely on the basis of the bankruptcy filing. It will not protect an employee who is having other employment-related problems. If you have been terminated after filing for bankruptcy, you may want to speak to a good employment lawyer in your area to discuss whether you will have any recourse against your former employer.

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Can I File Bankruptcy Without a Lawyer?

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:53:48 +0000

One of the most popular questions debtors have for Seattle bankruptcy lawyers when considering filing for bankruptcy is whether they can file themselves. The answer to this question is yes, of course you can file for bankruptcy yourself, however it is not advisable as the bankruptcy code can be complicated and the procedures a debtor must go through go a lot smoother if you have a bankruptcy lawyer on your side. Pro se bankruptcy representation can be dangerous, and some pro se bankruptcy cases can end up devastating a debtor because of mistakes made trying to understand the complex bankruptcy law and the failure to properly apply the correct bankruptcy exemptions. Filing bankruptcy can be a demanding process and you would make it a lot easier on yourself to handle your financial affairs. If you are somebody who does not think you can afford an attorney, you should know that most attorneys have payment plans available so that you can pay in installments. With that said, a bankruptcy attorney cannot file your case until all fees are paid or else they risk not being able to collect on the remainder of the debt as attorney fees can be discharged in bankruptcy.

You might also want to consider that, judges, bankruptcy trustees, and creditors lawyers are comfortable working with bankruptcy attorneys, and don’t like working with individuals not represented by counsel because pro-se debtors do not understand the rules of bankruptcy. A bankruptcy trustee may request that you hire an attorney if you find yourself in a situation where having an attorney would be beneficial for you. If you hire a bankruptcy attorney, they will have your back all the way through your bankruptcy discharge. part of hiring a bankruptcy attorney is knowing that you have piece of mind that the work was done correctly and you have somebody to ask your questions regarding your situation.

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Find the Insurance that Offers a Lot of Benefits for Your Pet

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:53:15 +0000

Looking for a good pet insurance but does not have the budget to buy the expensive ones? Dont worry because you can still secure the safety of your pet during emergencies with the help of VIP pet insurance review. Not having a big amount of money to spare for expensive insurance does not mean that you cant get VIP insurance. You just have to make sure that you look for the one that offers a lot of benefits without having to charge you for a lot of others that you dont even use. The reason why many pet owners want VIP pet insurance is because it takes care of almost everything for their pet. It offers coverage of professional fee and annual checkup. The wellness plan also works well in making the immune system of your pet stronger. You can also expect good treatment for your pet and for yourself whenever you visit the hospital. However, not everyone can get VIP insurance for their pets because most of these come in a high price. But theres nothing you cannot do if you persevere. In this case, you have to spend effort in looking for insurance that offers many benefits for a lower price. Reviews can be your companion in this search; reviews offer information that you will not find anywhere else. Theres no better way to search for good pet insurance than by reading the reviews of other people who have used insurance for their pets. VIP pet insurance review are conveniently found anywhere. There are independent blogs that offer you their experiences with certain insurances without any payment. You can also find reviews on forums where people from different walks of life share their various experience and ask each other about what the better insurance is. Being a part of communities such as these can help in your search.

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7 Ways to Save Money on Utility Bills at Home

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:52:36 +0000

Energy Efficient Products

The best way to spend less money on utility bills is by simply buying electronic products that consume less energy. In your residence, these 7 strategies can help you save money:

Energy Star Appliances: You should buy electronic appliances that are Energy Star qualified. Almost every electronic device in your home can be of Energy Star quality or even better. The Energy Star site features a huge set of devices that meet high standards of energy efficient criteria which includes air conditioning units, personal computers, washers, refrigerators and dryers. You should check it out to see they have a certain brand name that you like that you can buy to save you money.

Lights: All lamps in your home should have fluorescent bulbs. Change all your incandescent light bulbs for fluorescent ones as soon as you can. Compact fluorescent bulbs are the way to go. They will use 20% of the energy that incandescent bulbs use and will last you 15 times longer.

Air conditioning units: Buy air conditioning units with large EER or SEER Values. EER and SEER are ratios used to determine the thermal efficiency of an air conditioning unit. EER is rated at standard conditions and SEER is rated throughout a particular season. Regardless of the units you use, the higher the number the better. For air conditioners, only buy units where the EER is more than 10 or the SEER is more than 13.

Furnaces: Buy condensing gas furnaces with an AFUE rating of 90% or higher. AFUE is an efficiency rating parameter used for boilers and furnaces that is a little more practical than the thermal efficiency, but the concept is the same.

Utility bills: You should check if your utility company has rebates for making energy efficient improvements at home. Pacific Gas and Electric from California offers discounts for acquiring products that consume less energy than standard equipment. Additionally, there are federal government tax credits for geothermal heat pumps and solar systems.

Internal Shading: It’s a good idea to buy curtains and place them on windows around your entire house. Throughout the winter, maintain your curtains open on the eastern façade. The particular morning hours sunshine gives an extraordinary level of free heating that may significantly reduce your natural gas costs. During the spring and summer seasons, it is better to close your curtains on the western façades in your home.

Home Education: At home you can instruct your loved ones about energy efficient measures like turning off lights when you exit a room or closing the refrigerator right after you take something out. You can also dry your clothes naturally on a line instead of with a dryer, use a fan and open up the windows instead of the air conditioner when you can, and lower the thermostat when you are not at home.

Learn more energy conservation tips at Go Green Academy.

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Why I Invest and Trade using ETF’s

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:51:39 +0000

ETF’s are also known as exchange traded funds. These neat little investing vehicles are like mutual funds in some ways and stocks in others. It is similar to a mutual fund because they are baskets of assets that are bundled into one asset. It is like a stock because you can buy and sell them on the stock exchanges throughout the day like you would any other stock. In that sense, it gives you a lot more flexibility.

Kill Many Birds with One Stone

The great thing about ETF’s is that you can trade major events around the world with just one asset. The reason I like them the most is because they are easy to use to play different events.

For example, if the financial sector in general takes a hit for some reason, I can short the XLF, which is the financial stock ETF. Let’s say tomorrow, Congress passes a very strict financial reform bill where the Volker Rule is implemented. That will be very bad news to pretty much all the major financial firms in this country. You would probably see all of the investment banks start to decline in stock price the day after. By using the XLF, you don’t have to decide which bank stock you are going to use to play that event.

Flexibility and Versatility

A reason I like using ETF’s as opposed to mutual funds is that they are a lot more versatile. With most mutual funds, you have to wait until the end of the trading day to buy in or sell out. With ETF’s, you can pretty much do it all day.

Let’s say you are invested in a mutual fund that holds financial stocks. If the sector crashed during the trading day and the price progressively declines over the trading day, you have to wait until the end of the day to get out. If you owned the XLF, you could get out right away.

Macroeconomic Investors and Traders

There are some people that just have a better sense of the macroeconomic picture. Those are the type of traders and investors that can really utilize these exchange traded funds in a really significant way.

I am the Managing Editor of http://stockstobuy.tv. It’s is a great resource with videos, news clips and commentary on the latest stock market news.

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Get out of debt with an IVA

BudgetBoy — Thu, 17 May 2012 09:51:15 +0000

Different countries have various laws and arrangements for dealing with debt and bankruptcy. In the UK, the government brought in legislation to make available an alternative to bankruptcy. There is now a new option called an IVA. You will no doubt be wondering, what is an IVA ?

How can an IVA help me with my debt?

Individuals who are deep in debt can choose to enter into an Individual Voluntary Arrangement or IVA with a creditor to work their way out of that debt. This arrangement was formulated as an option to bankruptcy. Bankruptcy and Individual Voluntary Arrangements have some things in common, but also have some big differences.

The serious step of using an IVA to free yourself of debt should be given careful thought. It is also a good idea to discuss the ramifications of such a choice with a qualified professional counselor. Before choosing this option, you should exhaust all other options for trying to solve your financial crisis.

How does an Individual Voluntary Arrangement work?

As an example you should determine all of your regular monthly income and then total up all of your monthly expenses. From that list, you can try to cull out any non-essential expenditures and see where there is room to save. It also would be prudent to find a second job or some other way to try to increase your income. If you can not do it on your home, consider consumer credit counseling.

An IVA is nothing more than a contract between a debtor and a creditor where the parties negotiate a plan for the repayment of the amount borrowed. It can be used for credit card debt or other unsecured debt. Instead of trying to avoid your obligations, it is better to open the lines of communication with the party you owe money to and work with them to pay down the debt over time.

Having out-of-control debt can cause you stress and actually make you more susceptible to health problems. Your creditor may offer to forgive some of the debt or reduce the interest rate if they see you are acting in good faith and are serious about resolving the problem.In the end, the debt will be gone and both parties will be happy.

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Secured Credit Cards for Students and Stay-at-Home Moms

BudgetBoy — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:54:14 +0000

Although some people with bad credit are also offered with unsecured credit card, students who still have no credit history are left with secured credit card option. Some stay-at-home moms are also beneficiaries of this kind of credit card. Employment history is checked when applying for one. Since they do not hold full-time employment, they will have a difficult time proving their capacity to pay. Although getting a supplementary card from their parents or spouse is also an option, it is also different to be a principal cardholder. So for starters, best secured credit cards are the finest option to create a credit name.

Credit cards for students especially helpful especially in their emergent needs and while financial support is still pending or temporarily cut. Overseas students are usually at the mercy of their parents who sends their allowance every month or so. Some inevitable instances like delayed money transfer can impede their school finances or personal needs. Although they may hold a part-time job, sometimes it is not enough to suffice their needs. In the case of homebased moms who are left with children and household finances, it is also important not to rely too much from their spouse supplementary cards. If the principal cardholder has maxed out his balance, most likely the supplementary cardholder will be instantly declined. If medical emergency arises and needs emergent cash, credit card comes in a handy.

Typically, you will pay a sort of time deposit in exchange of secured credit card usage. The bank or credit company will hold that as collateral or an offset in case of your default in payment. But the good thing about them is that you will get your deposit back or even get a small percentage of interest fees from the time deposit if you showed discipline and responsible payment in a year’s time. The fastest way to establish a credit history is to start it in a good way – pay as quickly as possible and in full each month and keep credit balance minimum.

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Is a Fixed Rate Mortgage Deal The Right Choice For You?

BudgetBoy — Fri, 11 May 2012 09:53:47 +0000

Here we are going to weigh up the pros and cons of a fixed rate mortgage deal and whether it is an option that you want to explore when taking out a mortgage for your home.

What is a fixed rate mortgage?

A fixed rate mortgage is where the interest rate is fixed for a specific length of time. So no matter what happens to the mortgage lenders standard variable rate, you will pay the fixed rate of interest that has been agreed. It will not go up, and it will not come down.

How long does the fixed term last?

Typically with most mortgage lenders fixed rate deals will last between two to five years. When the fixed rate period stops the mortgage will then revert back to the mortgage lenders standard variable rate. At this point borrowers can look to remortgage with another lender. If you wanted to cancel the mortgage within this fixed rate period you would incur an early redemption penalty charge.

What are the advantages of a fixed rate?

Borrowers may find it much easier to budget in terms of their monthly repayments, as they will know what needs to be paid every month for the next few years.

Interest rates are generally lower than other types of mortgages and especially on short term deals.

Borrowers are protected against any increases in interest rates.

What are the disadvantages of a fixed rate?

Borrowers will have to pay a setup or application charge when setting up the mortgage and that could result in a 1000 pound or more. This can of course be added the mortgage and be paid off over the course of the mortgage term.

A big disadvantage over other types of mortgages is that if interest rates go down, fixed rate borrowers are stuck with their current interest rate, and therefore their mortgage could become uncompetitive compared to other deals.

Early redemption penalties may apply to the fixed rate term and certainly until the end of the full mortgage term. Borrowers cannot switch to a more competitive mortgage rate with another lender in between the fixed rate term. Otherwise they could face a penalty fee for getting out of the mortgage.

NB – The following information is a quick overview of fixed rate mortgages, and more information can be found at MoneyGossip.co.uk, plus other types of mortgages. Should you wish to learn more about mortgages and which one could be right for you and your circumstances visit the website. There are lots of guides and tips that you might find useful.

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Property Management Is a Smart Way to Go

BudgetBoy — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:39:17 +0000

Do you own properties? Do you own multiple houses? Are you looking for ways to rent out your property to increase your income? The real estate business is a great industry to tap into and invest your money for the future. The nice thing about property is that it usually increases in value. This means that your initial investment into the property will pay you back in dividends if you ever need to sell it again. A lot of people invest in property and real estate because it is a great way to protect network from inflation. If you have any experience with renting properties you already know how difficult it can be. Why not take advantage of a property management Utah service? For a small fee, they will take care of all the responsibilities of the landlord and protect you from bad tenants.

Do you have a retirement fund? If not, real estate can be a great way to ensure that you have an income even after you retire. For example, apartment complex owners make thousands of dollars a month in rent. One of the benefits of investing in real estate is that you can charge rent that is higher than your monthly mortgage payments. This means that you can make a profit and pay off your mortgage at the same time. This is a very smart way to use your money. Just like the food and entertainment industry, you know the true investment will be safe because people always need a place to live.

Depending on the type of property that you are interested in purchasing, you will want to do your homework on the available real estate agents that can help you. Many real estate agents will have had experience with the different property management Utah services in the area and can connect you with a great company.

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Short Selling Stocks – Netflix Inc

BudgetBoy — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:38:48 +0000

Netflix is the darling of the last few years. They have seen their share price rise to levels only seen with hot stocks. Even George Soros, the speculator of speculators, has gone into this stock looking for huge gains. But those gains may not be sustainable over the long haul. Here are some reasons why it may not be a good stock to invest in for the long term.

I think this was a good stock at one time, but they are quickly losing their luster. I just don’t see how they are going to stay competitive at this rate.

Financial Analysis

Let’s look at their valuation to start with. They are trading at 30 times their earnings. It’s definitely a speculative stock. But even by future cash flow projections, it is still overvalued. Also, in the past year, they have lost 62% of their shareholder value. Okay, so that’s just the numbers.

Market Analysis

In terms of the competitive space, here is what it looks like. They took over market share from companies like Blockbuster. Here is the ironic thing. Blockbuster’s failure may be the thing that puts them out of business. DirectTV recently bought Blockbuster at a bankruptcy court for $300 million to expand their business. This may cause the forecasted market share by Netflix to go down.

The real reason I would short this stock is because their content sucks. I am a subscriber. I won’t lie: I watch it regularly. But I have grown more and more tired of their quality of content.

I really think there will be other competitors in this space that will eat them alive. Google and Facebook are one potential players in this market. Apple has started renting out movies on their iTunes platform. In addition, they will start pushing their Apple TV box more.

This is a market with too low a barrier for entry. Netflix has been the only player in the game for a while. I think this will easily change in the next couple of years, which they will take a huge hit on their stock price for.

I am a write for Finance World. It’s a website devoted to helping regular people learn how to invest.

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