Solve your money troubles
Subtitle: debt, credit & bankruptcy
By: Robin Leonard & Margaret Reiter
Contributors: Reiter, Margaret
Edition: 13th ed.
Publisher: Nolo; NOLO
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Berkeley, Calif
Language: eng
Number of pages: 558
ISBN-13: 9781413314212; 9781413314236; 9781413315691
Subjects: Credit; Debtor and creditor; Law and legislation; Popular works
Description: "A comprehensive guide for those on the brink of financial crisis to manage finances and get debt under control. The 13th edition includes information on the Credit CARD Act and dealing with foreclosure"--Provided by publisher.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: How much do you owe? How much do your earn? ; How much do you owe?; title: If you're married, divorced, or separated. Community property states ; Common law states; title: Debts you may not owe. You are the victim of misrepresentation or other fraud ; The seller breached a warranty ; Your car is a lemon ; Home mortgage contracts ; You canceled a contract ; You received goods you didn't order ; You don't want goods on layaway ; Canceling automatic deduction payments ; You've been "slammed" by a phone company ; You've been "crammed" by a phone company; title: Prioritizing your debts. Secured and unsecured debts ; High-priority debts ; Medium-priority debts ; Low-priority debts ; Review your worksheets; title: Negotiating with your creditors. Communicate with your creditors ; Rent payments ; Mortgage payments ; Utility and telephone bills ; Car payments ; Secured loan payments ; Insurance payments ; Medical, legal, and other service bills ; Child support and alimony payments ; Income taxes ; Student loan payments ; Credit card payments ; Negotiating when the creditor has a judgment against you ; Pay off a debt for less than the full amount ; Don't write postdated checks ; Beware of the IRS if you settle a debt; title: Finding money to pay your debts. Increase your income ; Get some of your tax refund early ; Sell a major asset ; Sell smaller items ; Cut your expenses ; Withdraw money from a tax-deferred account ; Apply for government and agency help ; Consider a home equity loan ; Use the equity in your home if you are 62 or older ; Borrow the money ; Get your tax refund fast ; What to avoid when you need money ; Avoid bank and credit union prepaid cards with advances; title: What to expect when you can't pay your debts. Eviction ; Repossession ; Tying up property before a lawsuit ; Lawsuits ; Lawsuits against third parties who hold your assets ; Liens on your property ; Jail ; Bank setoff ; Intercepting your tax refund ; Loss of insurance coverage ; Loss of utility service; title: Reducing mortgage payments and dealing with foreclosure. Foreclosure ; Overview of nonjudicial foreclosure ; Judicial foreclosures ; The sale ; Defenses to foreclosure ; Watch out for deficiency balances ; Alternatives to foreclosure ; Short-term informal payment plans ; Federal programs for homeowners facing possible foreclosure ; Mortgage workouts ; Refinancing ; Selling your house ; Short sales and deeds in lieu of foreclosure ; Other programs to help homeowners; title: Dealing with debt collectors. Creditor or collection agency? ; Negotiating secure debts ; Before your debt is sent to a collection agency ; When your debt is sent to a collection agency ; Illegal debt collection practices ; How to fight back if a collection agency violates the law; title: Choosing and managing credit cards. The credit CARD act ; Credit card traps ; Trouble paying your bill ; Using credit cards wisely ; Cards you didn't request ; Rejected and blocked cards ; Liability if your credit card is lost or stolen ; Unauthorized use of your card by an acquaintance ; To dispute a credit card bill ; Debit cards ; Prepaid debit cards; title: Understanding loan and other credit documents. Required credit disclosures ; Terms of credit agreements; title: Student loans. What kind of loan do you have? ; Figuring out who holds your student loan ; Canceling your loan ; Postponing payments ; Repaying student loans ; Getting out of default ; Filing for bankruptcy when you can't pay ; Consequences of ignoring student loan debt ; Where to go for help; title: Child support and alimony. How child support is determined ; Modifying the amount of child support ; If paternity is disputed ; Enforcement of child support obligations ; Alimony ; Bankruptcy and child support or alimony debt ; Taxes, child support, and alimony; title: If you are sued. How a lawsuit begins ; Negotiate ; Alternative dispute resolution ; Respond in court ; What to expect while the case is in court ; When the creditor gets a judgment against you ; Stopping judgment collection efforts; title: Bankruptcy : the ultimate weapon. Kinds of bankruptcy ; Filing for bankruptcy stops your creditors ; Chapter 7 bankruptcy ; Chapter 13 bankruptcy ; Will bankruptcy solve your debt problems?; title: Property creditors can't take. Property subject to collection ; Property subject to the bankruptcy court's authority ; Applying exemptions ; Is your property exempt? ; Turning nonexempt property into exempt property; title: Rebuilding your credit. Avoid overspending ; Understand credit scores and credit reports ; Clean up your credit report ; Your credit score ; Build credit in your own name ; Ask creditors to consider your spouse's credit history ; Use existing or new credit cards ; open deposit accounts ; Work with local merchants ; Obtain a credit union or bank loan ; Avoid credit repair clinics; title: Illegal credit discrimination. Basic protections ; Sex discrimination ; Marital status discrimination ; Sexual orientation discrimination ; Race discrimination ; National origin discrimination ; Age discrimination ; Postbankruptcy discrimination ; Your rights to notice regarding credit decisions ; If you are denied credit or offered expensive credit terms ; Lawsuits based on credit discrimination or notice violations; title: Help beyond this book. Looking up the law ; Lawyers ; Debt and credit counseling agencies; title: Appendixes. Federal agencies. Where to complain about credit discrimination ; Contact information for useful agencies, organizations, and other entities ; Federal and State exemption tables ; Worksheets. Monthly income ; Your debts ; Property checklist ; Property exemptions ; Daily expenses ; Monthly budget.