Monthly Archives: May 2024
Maximizing Social Security and Other Asset Exemptions
For many families, the Social Security benefits exemption is the most important property exemption in an Illinois bankruptcy. About 40 percent of Americans rely exclusively on Social Security benefits for retirement income. These benefits, along with VA disability, workers’ compensation, and most other government benefits are exempt in bankruptcy. The trustee (person who manages… Read More »
Bankruptcy Filings Increased in Q3 2023
The expected wave of pandemic-related bankruptcies may wash ashore after all. Consumer bankruptcy filings rose 13 percent in the third quarter of 2023. Business filings rose 29.9 percent, from 13,125 to 17,051, in the year ending Sept. 30, 2023. Non-business bankruptcy filings rose 12.4 percent to 416,607, compared with 370,685 in September 2022. This… Read More »
Are Bankruptcies on the Rise in 2024?
The overall number of consumer bankruptcy filings increased in 2023, for the first time in a very long time. However, the number of over-65 bankruptcies (gray bankruptcies) has risen almost every year since 1991. The combination of a shrinking social services safety net and increasing medical bills has caught many older adults in a… Read More »
Why Should I File Chapter 7 Bankruptcy?
In a nutshell, control is the best reason to file Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or more specifically, regaining control. Divorce, job loss, medical bills, and other unpredictable financial storms cause most bankruptcy filings. During these storms, ships are tossed around wherever the wind and other weather takes them. Bankruptcy calms the storm and allows your… Read More »
