Debt Relief

How Consumers Can Resolve Their Debts with the IRS

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Tax season is not always a happy time for everyone. While many consumers look forward to filing their tax returns to obtain their tax refunds, others are left with balances they owe to the IRS in the form of tax debt.  The good news is relief options are available when dealing with the IRS.

Tax debt relief is available to individuals who owe the IRS money but are not able to pay on their debts. If a taxpayer anticipates having to pay any amount in taxes, it is important that he or she first determines how much that amount will be. It is best to first file your taxes to determine what the amount owed will be.

student loan debt, Student Loans

Entering Retirement with Student Loan Debt

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An alarming number of Americans are entering retirement with student loan debt. Normally, student loan borrowers are between the ages of 18 to 39. However, a 2017 report issued by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, showed that people over the age of 60 are the fastest-growing sector of the U.S. population carrying student loan debt.

More than 2.8 million Americans over the age of 60 are carrying some type of student loan debt. This figure has skyrocketed from the 700,000 individuals reported in 2005. Between 2012 and 2017, the balance carried by people over the age of 60 nearly doubled from $12,100 in 2012 to $23,500 in 2017.

Credit Card Debt, Debt Relief

Debt Among Older Americans Reaches Record High Levels

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American seniors have seen their debt levels increase significantly over the past two decades.  It is estimated that the total debt load carried by American consumers over the age of 70 years old increased by 543% between 1999 and 2019. It now stands at a record high of $1.1 trillion, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

Individuals who were in their 60s saw their debt increase by 471%, bringing their total debt load to $2.14 trillion. Seniors were not the only group who saw large increases in their debt, but these two age groups saw the largest increases.

Debt Relief, Medical Debt

How Coronavirus (COVID-19) Testing Could Trigger Medical Debt

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The coronavirus has many people worrying about what will happen if they contract the virus. Now that the virus has spread to parts of the U.S., Americans are concerned about whether they should get tested for the coronavirus if they experience flu-like symptoms. Since this virus is relatively new and not completely understood, its testing may not be covered by private health insurance. Out-of-pocket medical costs can cost patients thousands of dollars, if the testing is not covered under their health insurance plan.

Florida businessman, Osmel Martinez Azcue reported experiencing flu-like symptoms after he returned from a trip to China in January. When he began experiencing the symptoms, Azcue went to the hospital to be tested for the virus. One of the tests he was offered at the hospital was a CT scan, which is one of the best methods used to detect the virus. He first went with the simple flu test to rule out the possibility that he was suffering from the common flu, which fortunately is what it turned out to be.  For him, the CT scan was not necessary.

Bankruptcy Law, Credit, Credit Card Debt, Timothy Kingcade Posts

Top Reason Americans Are Carrying an Average Credit Card Balance of Over $6,200

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Credit card debt is a burden for many consumers. Most have a complicated relationship with their credit cards. On one hand, disciplined and modest use of a credit card to make certain purchases can help establish a good credit score. On the other hand, if the balance on a credit card is not paid in full each month, and on time, the balance can quickly spiral out of control.

According a recent study by CompareCards, American consumers are carrying an all-time high of $1.1 trillion in credit card and other types of revolving debt. This figure is up nearly 20 percent from where it was just ten years ago.

Credit Card Debt, Debt Collection, Debt Relief

U.S. Cities Seeing the Highest Increase in Millennial Debt

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Consumer debt is increasing nationwide, affecting individuals in all types of economic and sociographic groups. However, millennials seem to be the generation hit the hardest. In fact, millennials living in certain U.S. cities are hurting the most when it comes to their debt, according to a recent study from LendingTree.

LendingTree found that individuals in the millennial generation, born between the years 1981 and 1996, carried large amounts of auto debt, as well as student loan debt. These two categories made up the biggest portion of non-mortgage debt carried by millennial consumers.

student loan debt, Student Loans

Keep Our Graduates Working Act Gathers Support in Florida

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A new piece of legislation has been introduced in the Florida State Senate which would protect the professional licenses of student loan borrowers from being suspended or revoked in the event they fall into default on their loan obligations.

The measure is Senate Bill 356, also known as the “Keep Our Graduates Working Act.” The bill expressly prohibits a state authority from suspending or revoking an individual’s professional license, registration, permit or certificate due to the person falling into delinquency or default on his or her student loan obligations.

Bankruptcy Law, Debt Collection, Debt Relief

Student Loan Tax Refund Garnishment and What Borrowers Need to Know

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Many student loan borrowers struggle to keep up with their federal student loan payments upon graduation, but defaulting on student loans can end up resulting in the loan servicer garnishing the borrower’s state and federal tax refunds. Here’s what borrower’s need to know about tax refund garnishment.

The Treasury Offset Program, established in 1986, overseen by the Bureau of Fiscal Service, gives departments within the federal government the ability to ask the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to garnish tax refunds to collect on defaulted debt owed toward either state or federal government entities. This action is known as a tax offset. A tax offset does not mean that the borrower will lose all his or her refund. The government can choose to seize the entire refund or a portion of the refund, depending on how much debt is owed. If part of the refund pays off the debt owed, including fees and interest charges, whatever is left of the refund will then be forwarded to the borrower.

Debt Relief

U.S. Household Debt Jumps the Most in 12 Years

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The total amount of household debt carried by American consumers increased by $601 billion in 2019, according to recent figures from the Federal Reserve.  This increase represents the largest annual jump seen since before the 2007 financial crisis, according to officials at the New York Federal Reserve.

While total household debt has increased by $601 billion, the total amount outstanding has now reached $14 trillion for the first time. The last time the nation has seen national household debt grow this much was in 2007. At the time, household debt jumped by just over $1 trillion.

Bankruptcy Law

Timing is Important When It Comes to Filing for Bankruptcy

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When it comes to filing for bankruptcy, it is not always a matter of “if” but rather a matter of “when.” Depending on a person’s financial situation, it can pay to properly time out a bankruptcy filing. Whether it is the right time to file for bankruptcy can depend on several factors including whether someone is facing foreclosure, vehicle repossession, wage garnishment, or any of the following.

Mortgage Modification

When someone is facing foreclosure, a few different steps can be taken to delay or even prevent the process. One of these solutions is through a mortgage modification. Homeowners facing foreclosure should try this approach first before filing for bankruptcy.