Dallas bankruptcy blog

What are the Texas bankruptcy exemptions?

Many of our clients wonder how a bankruptcy proceeding will affect their property and their family’s future. Contrary to popular myth, bankruptcy will not result in the loss of all of your property.

Each state decides on the available “exemptions”, which are basically lists of things that you can keep and isolate from a bankruptcy proceeding. In other words, the exemptions are removed from the estate – so the trustee and court are not able to touch them.

In Texas, the following exemptions are available:

Homestead exemption

If you live in a city and your home in on 10 acres or less OR if you’re in the country on 100 acres or less, your home is protected. If you sell your home, the proceeds from the sale are exempt for six months after the sale.

Motor vehicle exemption

You can protect the entire value of one vehicle per each member of your household who is licensed to drive.

Personal property exemption

If you’re a single adult, you can exempt up to $50,000 worth of personal property, or up to $100,000 worth if you’re married. Personal property can include home furnishings, clothing, food, jewelry (which can only account for a quarter of the total exemption), sporting equipment, up to two firearms, burial plots, and health savings accounts.

Retirement account or pension exemption

Most tax exempt retirement accounts and pension accounts are exempt in a bankruptcy proceeding.

If you’ve got more questions about exemptions or how your property and possessions can be protected in a bankruptcy case, please call us today at 214-760-7777 for a free consultation. We’re happy to take the time to sit down with you and explain the ins and outs of your potential bankruptcy proceeding.

By Mark Rubin|2016-03-12T15:56:00-06:00March 12th, 2016|Bankruptcy|

Wondering how bankruptcy will affect your tax refund?

It’s tax season again, and we’re getting a significant number of calls from people wondering what will happen to their tax refund if they file for bankruptcy.

It really depends on two factors – what type of bankruptcy you’re filing and the size of your refund. With a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, most of the time your refund will be protected because it’s considered an asset. If you’re filing for bankruptcy during tax season, make sure you work with your attorney to be sure you’re maximizing your refund. When our clients are filing for bankruptcy around tax season, we typically encourage them to wait and file after they get their refund – then they can use that extra money to help with the cost of the case.

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By Mark Rubin|2016-02-29T11:26:37-06:00February 29th, 2016|Bankruptcy, Money Management|

5 Tips to Lower Your Debt

Sometimes, we talk to potential clients who are surprised when we tell them that bankruptcy might not be their best option. During every free consultation, we map out the financial picture for a potential client, then walk them through every available option.
Many times, people are overwhelmed by their mountain of debt. Someone told us recently that they felt like they were trying to dig a hole using a single chopstick. Even though it feels like a lost cause, many times you can avoid bankruptcy by using one or two of these tips:

1. Talk to your creditors

It never hurts to ask for a little help. Hopefully, you know everyone that you owe, but if you’re not sure, pull your credit report. Make a list of everyone you owe, and how much you owe each institution. Figure out how much you’re able to pay each one. Call each company you owe and tell them that you want to pay off your debt, but you’re only able to afford a certain amount. Sure, debt settlement will go on your record – but it’s better than not paying anything and letting your debt continue to spiral out of control.

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By Mark Rubin|2023-12-01T14:58:30-06:00January 31st, 2016|Bankruptcy, Debt|

5 Steps to a Financially Steady 2016

Now that 2015 is coming to a close (can you believe it?), it’s time to look forward to 2016. No one plans to let their debt get out of control – most of our clients have been good people who simply had unforseen events occur. By planning ahead and making good financial decisions, you can avoid those credit-busting bumps in the road.

The best way to avoid bankruptcy is to set a solid financial foundation and stick to your game plan. The following tips will help you plan ahead and form the right habits so that 2016 will be the year you can finally feel secure.

1. Talk about money

If you can’t dedicate the time to sit down and talk about your finances, then nothing else matters – the rest of the steps will be pointless. It’s important to talk openly about your money, so you know what’s coming in and what’s being spent. If you wait for a financial crisis, it’s probably already too late. If you sit down with your spouse and set goals together, you’re much more likely to stick to the plan you create.

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By Mark Rubin|2015-11-14T13:21:04-06:00November 14th, 2015|Bankruptcy, Personal Finance|

We’re offering a college scholarship!

Let’s face it – College is expensive, and costs continue to increase every year. We feel a responsibility to help support the Dallas area students who are interested in pursuing a career in law, so we’re proud to announce our the new Rubin & Associates college scholarship program!

If you’re a local Dallas area student and are either enrolled in college or plan to be enrolled in the fall of 2016, you’re eligible. All you have to do is write an amazing essay about why you want to be a lawyer, and what you hope to be able to contribute to society once you’ve passed the bar.

We’ll collect essays from now until April 30, 2016, and then our team will choose the winner. We’ll cut a $1,000 check right to your school – you can use it on books, living expenses, or tuition – it’s up to you!

To enter, and for the full details of the scholarship competition and disclaimers for entrants, head over to our scholarship page. Good luck to all our entrants!

By Mark Rubin|2015-09-30T11:20:33-05:00September 30th, 2015|Bankruptcy|

What College Students and Graduates Should Know About Bankruptcy

College is supposed to be an exciting time, full of hope and promises for a bright future. For most students, the real world crashes in once the college ride is over. The job market is tougher than ever before, and even when students find an amazing job, they still have thousands of dollars of student loan debt hanging over their heads.

It’s not uncommon to spend 3 or 4 times as many years paying off student loan debt as you spend in college. With student loan debt spiraling out of control the last few years, we’re getting calls from clients who are younger and younger. If you’re struggling with debt and student loans, there are a few facts you should keep straight about bankruptcy options:

1. Credit card debt is manageable – but can be discharged in bankruptcy

You’ve heard the stories about aggressive debt collection calls – credit card companies are notoriously un-friendly about debt repayment. It’s best to avoid running up large amounts of debt while you’re in college, or shortly after graduation. If you follow a few simple tips, it’s easy for 20-somethings to avoid bankruptcy. If you find that your credit card debt is out of control, it can be discharged through Chapter 7 bankruptcy.
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By Mark Rubin|2015-09-19T14:15:43-05:00September 19th, 2015|Bankruptcy, Student Loan Debt|

Bankruptcy might be closer than you think…

According to the latest US Census data (from 2010), the average family has $7,360 in revolving debt (typically, mostly credit cards). The data also shows that the average household owes $11,244 in student loans, $8,163 on automobiles, and $70,322 on a mortgage.

Total that all up, and that’s $97,089 in debt – and we know that current data shows that the average debt per family has increased.

It doesn’t take much to push a family over the edge of a downward spiral. If you’re living anywhere close to paycheck to paycheck, or if you don’t have much in savings, a single event can put you in a situation where debt skyrockets.

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By Mark Rubin|2015-08-18T17:14:11-05:00August 18th, 2015|Bankruptcy, Bankruptcy Statistics|

What happens after bankruptcy?

One of the most common questions we hear from our clients is “So – what happens AFTER bankruptcy?” Most people are so caught up in the overwhelming debt, the collection calls, and the possible repossessions or foreclosures that they don’t take the time to think about what will happen once bankruptcy gives them a fresh start.

At the end of your Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 case, you receive your discharge. Now that your financial troubles are settled, it’s time to move forward. You’ve got to start rebuilding your credit and forming solid financial habits that will keep you debt-free.

Keep a copy of your paperwork handy

It doesn’t happen often, but sometimes creditors might try to harass you to collect on a debt, even after it’s been settled by your bankruptcy case. Even though they can get in serious trouble, it does happen every once in a while. If you’ve got your paperwork handy, it’s easy to stop them cold with your discharge.

Make sure your credit report gets updated

A few months after your discharge, get a free copy of your credit report and check it out. Sometimes it takes a while for the report to get updated after your bankruptcy, but it SHOULD show that each debt included in your discharge is listed as “discharged in bankruptcy.” If you find any that still show that you owe, you can send a copy of your discharge and the schedule that shows the debt was included in your bankruptcy case. (more…)

By Mark Rubin|2015-07-28T13:07:46-05:00July 28th, 2015|Bankruptcy, Debt|

Rapper 50 Cent Files For Bankruptcy

In case you hadn’t heard yet, rapper 50 Cent has filed for bankruptcy in a Connecticut court. While the Internet has been making punchlines for the last few days since the news broke, most people don’t seem to know the details of the case.

50 Cent, whose real name is Curtis Jackson III, filed for Chapter 11 protection immediately after losing an invasion of privacy case last Friday. He had posted a sex tape on his site with his own audio commentary, and was ordered to pay $5 million in damages.

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By Mark Rubin|2015-07-20T16:42:57-05:00July 20th, 2015|Bankruptcy, Debt, Personal Finance|

Real estate laws on the move
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Real estate laws on the move

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Real estate laws on the move

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There are many variations of passages of Lorem Ipsum available, but the majority have suffered alteration in some form, by injected humour, or randomised words which don’t look even slightly believable. If you are going to use a passage of Lorem Ipsum, you need to be sure there isn’t anything embarrassing hidden in the middle of text. All the Lorem Ipsum generators on the Internet tend to repeat predefined chunks as necessary, making this the first true generator on the Internet. It uses a dictionary of over 200 Latin words, combined with a handful of model sentence structures, to generate Lorem Ipsum which looks reasonable. The generated Lorem Ipsum is therefore always free from repetition, or non-characteristic words.

By Greg Gifford|2015-07-02T16:58:39-05:00July 2nd, 2015|Acquisitions, Financial, Taxes|

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