Malcolm Ruthven

Many people who need to file bankruptcy also want to pay certain people or businesses, particularly if they have a personal relationship with them. Wanting to pay family members and friends is very common, as is the desire to…more

I'm behind in my house mortgage payments and the bank is threatening to foreclose. Can bankruptcy save my house?…more

Are you struggling with debt and considering a "debt settlement" company? In 2011, the New York City Department of Consumer Affairs called debt settlement “the single greatest consumer fraud of the year.” The Better Business…more

If you filed bankruptcy and can't afford to keep your house (payments too high for your income), how long should you stay there? As a part of your bankruptcy filing, you'll tell the court that you're surrendering your house…more

This holiday time a time of coming together for family and friends. That makes it a time for remembering what is really important…more

If you're paying off credit card balances using money you've taken from your retirement account or received from a home equity loan, you're entering dangerous (financial) territory. Let's take a look at this. - Do you have a…more

It came to my attention last week that a bankruptcy judge recently told the client of a bankruptcy attorney to get another attorney. Why? Because the original attorney had not shown up for the client's hearing and left the…more

The 2005 bankruptcy laws provided a $1 million exemption (protection from your creditors) for your IRA (Individual Retirement Account) if you file bankruptcy. That's great, but you need to know more than that. One thing you…more

I've heard that question - Can I lower my house payments by filing bankruptcy? - many times. The answer is "it depends". Let's see what it depends on and how you might go about it. First, the 2005 bankruptcy code prohibits…more

Three years ago I wrote a rather lengthy article titled Will bankruptcy ruin my credit? I re-read it this morning, made a few minor changes, but found that not much has changed since then about that question. What prompted me to…more

People often ask me if filing for bankruptcy will ruin their credit. You may already know that the fact of your bankruptcy may stay on your credit report for ten years, and isn't that really bad? Let's take a look at that…more

We read about the student loan problem frequently, and if you're a person who has large student loans and is having difficulty paying them back, you're experiencing the "student loan problem" very personally. huffingtonpost.com…more

Are you retired in California, with lots of debt, and considering bankruptcy? Are you also wondering if you will be able to keep your home, your Social Security savings, and your pension savings? The short answer is that you may…more

"Here be Dragons" is a phrase that was supposedly placed on old maps at the edges of the known world. In fact, that may not have happened but let's not let reality get in the way of a good phrase. What does "Here be Dragons"…more

If you're paying the minimum payments on your credit cards each month and have no money left over, barely scraping by, you may be short-changing yourself and your family…more