Curtis Law Group

Why You Should Avoid Probate

admin — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 19:16:48 +0000

Probate is the legal, court-supervised process to locate, value and administer the assets of a deceased person. It is usually not considered the best choice for handling a person’s assets, but it will be the only choice if no alternative plans, using a living trust, limited liability corporation or family limited partnership, for example, are made in advance.

Here are some of the main reasons to avoid probate:

1. Probate records are public:

How To Recognize A Credit Repair Scam

admin — Mon, 04 Apr 2011 19:19:41 +0000

Are you looking for help to repair your credit? Maybe you recently filed for bankruptcy, faced foreclosure, wage garnishment, or any of those unexpected, unwanted, but sometimes unavoidable financial wrecks that life puts in our path. It is natural to try and put ourselves back on our feet as soon as possible. But there may be more enemies along the way.

There are more than a few questionable so-called companies that offer to repair your credit in no time, and will only let you more vulnerable than before.

Identifying credit repair scams is easier than you think. These organizations are subjected to the Credit Repair Organization Act, which requires any credit repair service to fulfill certain requirements. For example:

Harry & David Filed For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy

admin — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 21:01:04 +0000

Harry & David Holdings Inc., fruit basket and gift seller, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Monday in a Delaware court, due to increasing number of competitors and stumbling economy.

The Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition listed Wells Fargo Bank as the company

Want To Be An Indentured Servant? Take Out A Student Loan.

admin — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 00:44:03 +0000

It’s very frustrating to me to read articles, even articles written by financial advisers, extolling the benefits of student loans. I see advice columns proclaiming that student loans are a fantastic opportunity for students that otherwise would not have the ability for higher education college degrees, vocational school, and so on, and so on. Well, to me student loans are little more than another form of indentured servitude.

Indentured Servitude

Let’s take a look at a little history. Indentured servants became very common in colonial America when landowners wanted a cheap source of labor to work their land. One way to find relatively cheap labor was to offer to pay an immigrant’s passage in exchange for a commitment to work on the land without pay for a period of years. At the time there were many European, mostly British, citizens who were poor but willing to work hard for the promise of a better life. Unfortunately, travel across the Atlantic was very expensive.

Underwater Mortgage? Save Your Home With Bankruptcy Protection.

admin — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 01:25:56 +0000

When thinking of how to deal with debt, many homeowners are terrified of filing for bankruptcy. It is a common belief that a Chapter 7 bankruptcy or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy can affect your credit in years to come. But, what happens when you are facing a critical situation? Can bankruptcy really help you keep what is most important and dear to you? Most important, can you keep your home if you file?

Let

Trying to Get Debt Payments Under Control: What Are My Options?

admin — Thu, 17 Mar 2011 21:21:34 +0000

Whether you are dealing with a large amount of debt or just starting to have a difficult time making payments on a few small loans you have options. An important thing to remember is that you will need to closely monitor your situation and spend some time and effort resolving it.

The First Step: Realistic Budgeting

This is the most difficult part: analyze your situation and create a budget. There are a few things that can be done to change your current financial situation to deal with excess debt, but you’ll need to know what you have to work with in order to develop an “exit strategy.”

The Second Step:

More Underperforming Borders Stores May Be Closed

admin — Wed, 16 Mar 2011 17:55:33 +0000

After having immediately announced closures of over 200 stores throughout Southern California after filing their bankruptcy case, reports now indicate that Borders Group, Inc., is contemplating as many as 75 additional store closings. Borders Group already announced the closing of stores in Orange, La Habra, Tustin and Yorba Linda. The additional stores could include other Southern California stores such as those still open in Tustin, Mission Viejo, Brea and Rancho Santa Margarita.

CEO Mike Edwards explained of the bankruptcy Orange County Register:

“One hundred and forty stores have been identified as on the bubble stores, which up to (an) additional 75 could be put in liquidation; the decision will be made early next week. We do not anticipate a major closure program with regard to our small format stores or airport stores, which are performing well and have already benefited from previous landlord concessions. The store closing sales have been progressing extremely well. It is always a difficult decision to close stores, but is a necessary part of positioning ourselves for a more profitable future given the major changes that are happening in our industry.”
Closing this many additional stores could mean losing as many as 100 additional jobs (in addition to the jobs lost from the initial round of store closings) and Borders reports that unfortunately this may not be a final number of jobs lost, as they are still in negotiations with landlords.

How To Protect Yourself From Debt Settlement Scams

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 21:28:33 +0000

It doesn’t take an economical worldwide crisis for people to find themselves with debt issues.

Steve Nolan, Corona City Councilman Filed For Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Or Personal Bankruptcy.

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 20:19:55 +0000

Nolan cited

Mortgage Loans: The Last Few Days Before Signing

admin — Tue, 15 Mar 2011 00:01:09 +0000

Some people have the luck of Tom Hank’s Forest Gump. No matter what devastation is around them, lady luck shines through and everything works out. It would be nice to think that life were like a Hollywood movie, we all know that it is definitely not. The rest of us must deal with reality.

Reality has taken on a new tone recently – particularly when buying a home or refinancing a mortgage.