1.
Do not procrastinate if you are facing legal
action. Do not wait until after your house
is foreclosed, your car is repossessed, or
your wages are being garnished. Find out
what bankruptcy relief is available to you.
2.
Do not have more than about $50 in your bank
account (or other liquid assets, such as
stocks or mutual funds) on the day of filing
for bankruptcy. Taking the money out and
paying your bills with money orders for a
week or so prior to filing bankruptcy will
ensure that the balance is low.
3.
Do not file when you are owed a substantial
tax refund from the IRS or State because
the Court will take it to pay your
creditors. Wait until you receive your
refund or, if it is midyear, change the
number of exemptions that you claim on your
W-4 so that you get a larger paycheck now
and a smaller refund later. But don’t forget
to change it back the first of next year.
4.
Do not give anyone post-dated checks. This
includes pay-day loans. If you have given
any-one a post-dated check, you should
discuss it with attorney Keith Moskowitz
prior to filing your bankruptcy.
5.
Do not file when someone owes you money
because the Court will collect that money
and pay it to your creditors. Try and
collect the money before you file.
6. Do not pay a
family member or business partner
significant amounts of money (more than
about $599) within the year prior to filing
bankruptcy. The bankruptcy trustee may try
to have your family member or business
partner return the money so that it may be
paid to your creditors.
7.
Do not transfer any assets out of your name
prior to filing bankruptcy.
8.
Do not pay any unsecured creditor more than
$599 in the 90 days before filing bankruptcy
9.
Do not incur debt once you have seriously
considered bankruptcy as an option.
10.
Do not take any cash advances or make any
charges on any card for 90 days before
filing bankruptcy.
11.
Do not file if you are anticipating an
inheritance within the next year.
12.
Do not file if you are intending to sell
your real estate soon.
It
is important to discuss any of these matters
with attorney Keith Moskowitz. If you think
you have made one or more of the mistakes,
or have any issues related to them, make
sure we know about it, as most can be
corrected.