“Country superstars Tim McGraw and Faith Hill performed at its 20th annual invitation-only Christmas party this month. . . .Last year, country band Rascal Flatts headlined the party, and in 2010, it was Sting who performed.”(A Texas law firm’s Christmas party, 2012)

“When I see those party lights come on, the party’s over for me.”(Junior Brown)

Extravagance tends to have short-term rewards and long-term consequences, the short-term reward being the party itself and the long-term consequences being the jail term for driving while intoxicated.

Bankruptcy is the same, but the opposite.  How’s that for lawyerly analysis?  Bankruptcy has short-term monetary and emotional costs, but long-term benefits.  Put another way, bankruptcy is the prudent choice as opposed to the extravagant choice.

Make the prudent choice.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post Party Lights appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

Ah, the subtle interplay between labor and management.

Many of the posts on this site have some common themes, to-wit:

If you have money problems, you are not alone.  You are part of the crowd.

Millions of Americans file bankruptcy every year.  Millions of other Americans should probably file bankruptcy, but they are afraid to do so.  A long list of celebrities, from star athletes to media moguls to American Presidents, has sought bankruptcy protection in the past.  Many more will take the same measure in the future.

Financial problems may not be your fault, but it is your responsibility to deal with them.

Some people’s financial troubles are rooted in multiple home equity loans and the purchase of luxury SUVs.  For most people, the root is unemployment or illness or some other similar disruption.

You may not have asked for that disruption, but the bills are due.  And burying your head in the sand is nearly always a poor response to a traumatic situation.

The medicine tastes bad, but the medicine makes you well.

It costs money to file bankruptcy.  It costs time to file bankruptcy.  It may cost prestige to file bankruptcy.  These costs are real.

Only bankruptcy can protect you from your creditors.  Only bankruptcy can eliminate your debt.  Only bankruptcy can offer you a new start.  These benefits are real, and the benefits greatly outweigh the costs.

With apologies to Paul, today is the day for your new start.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley to make it happen.

The post CienBlog appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

Obviously, you would include items such as the money in your pocket, the car in your driveway, and the books on your shelf.

But what if the money is not really in your pocket?  What if you already wrote the rent check?  Is that really your money?  And how much are those books on your shelf really worth?  A few cents?  A few thousand dollars?  Somewhere in between?

And what about potential property?  What if you’re living on top of an oil well without even knowing it?  Or what if someone offers you $10,000 to not tell your life’s story?

These are questions only an experienced bankruptcy attorney can answer.  And as the government becomes more and more hostile to debtors, it’s more important than ever to work with a lawyer who knows how to make the laws work for you.

Have your questions answered accurately and honestly.  Call or email the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post The Rest of The Story appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

It would be very nice to think that we may soon all live in some sort of financial utopia.  Unfortunately, there will always be poor in the land.  There will always be people whose debts exceed their income.  There will always be bankruptcy filings.

Bankruptcy has very little to do with pie charts, trends, or even the financial decisions that you make.  Bankruptcy is simple mathematics.   In a society where nearly half of us live from paycheck to paycheck, even a brief income loss can have significant consequences for you and your family.  Fortunately, these consequences do not have to be permanent or even long-lasting.

Bankruptcy can help you eliminate debt while you keep your property.  If you take full advantage of this fresh start, in a few short years the debt will be a distant memory.  To take that first step out of debt, call the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post Don’t Mark Your Calendar appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

Many of these ignominious leaders share a common trait: the failure to heed warning signs.  While it is very easy to look back and say that the Bay of Pigs was a bad idea or that the writing on the wall was easy to read, warning signs are not always easy to spot.  When it comes to your personal finances, some warning signs include an irrational fear of mailboxes and their contents and the urge to let every incoming call roll over to voicemail.

If you have seen some warning signs regarding your personal finances, there are a few points to remember.  First, you are not alone.  Millions of your neighbors declare bankruptcy every year.  Second, the problems will not get better on their own.  You must take some sort of action.  Third, seek professional advice to get you back on the right monetary path.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley for your fee consultation.

The post And The Oscar Goes To… appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

The majority of tax returns are unaudited.  If you make some innocent (or even not-so-innocent) omission on your tax return, statistically those omissions may never come back to haunt you.  Bankruptcy does not work in that way.  The court appoints a bankruptcy trustee to scrutinize every petition.  So, it is very important to have a bankruptcy attorney ab initio.  Only an experienced bankruptcy lawyer can even tell you the difference between a Chapter 7 and a Chapter 13, let alone give any competent advice about what bankruptcy will mean to you personally.  Only an experienced bankruptcy lawyer can represent you at the creditor’s meeting, the confirmation hearing, or any other bankruptcy court hearing.  Only an experienced bankruptcy lawyer can help you take full advantage of your financial fresh start, and help you establish good financial habits that will permanently keep you in the black.

When the bankruptcy court scrutinizes your petition and schedules, do not face that magnifying glass alone.  Do not expect “oops…I forgot” to be an effective defense.  Have the law on your side for a change.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post Oops appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

Personal finance is really almost that simple, and almost that brutal.  You can go here or maybe here to find tips on how to make your money last longer.  Many of these tips are very worthwhile.  After you take this sage advice, if you still have more bills than money, Chapter 7 bankruptcy is the way to get back in the black (with apologies to AC/DC).

Chapter 7 bankruptcy is an investment.  It costs money to hire a lawyer.  It can be somewhat embarrassing.  Your credit score may be adversely affected.  The accounting types like to talk about “return on investment”.  You can say ROI to impress people at seasonal cocktail parties.  ROI is a simple question: after I invest x, will the return on my investment be x-plus-something?

In the case of Chapter 7 bankruptcy, the answer is a resounding “YES”.  Only bankruptcy can stop creditor harassment.  Only bankruptcy can eliminate your debts.  Only bankruptcy can give you a new start.

To begin your investment, forget about QE and ROI and any other financial acronyms, and call the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post Quantitative Easing?? appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

After the rousing success of the Bay of Pigs invasion in 1961, JFK said that “Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.”  His maxim is not exactly true.  Defeat is never alone.  There are always plenty of people to blame.  As for what happened at Hostess (whether it was greedy managers or greedy workers or some combination of both) this much is clear: Hostess had more bills than it could pay.

Thankfully, our personal financial ledgers will probably never wind up on the evening news.  But many of us face this same problem: we have more bills than we can pay.  If you have more bills than you can pay, bankruptcy is probably your best option.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post Snack Cakes appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

1. Do I really need to hire a lawyer?

If you were charged with a major crime, would you act as your own lawyer?  Debt problems can be every bit as serious.  More importantly, debt problems can be emotionally and physically overwhelming.  Why deal with these problems on your own, when you already have so many other occupational and familial goals to meet?

1. What was my experience at the initial consultation?

Did you choose your appointment time, or were you just given a few times to choose from?  Did you have to fill out forms and pay money before you ever saw anyone?  Was the lobby as full as a doctor’s waiting room during flu season?  In sum, was the lawyer’s office too big?

On the other hand, did the attorney have no support staff?  When you asked questions, did the attorney know the answers?  Were you asked to pay in cash?  In sum, was the lawyer’s office too small?

Goldilocks wanted a bowl of porridge that was neither too cold nor too hot.  You deserve an attorney that has both the expertise to deal with your case and the time to deal with your case.  Call the “just right” attorneys at Henley and Henley for your free consultation.

The post The Cost of Filing Bankruptcy appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.

Suppressing wages to increase profits is nothing new.  Famously, baseball owners colluded with one another not to compete over free-agent signings, thus decreasing player salaries while increasing profitability.

Could the quest for profits at the expense of wages be more wide-spread than previously thought?  Corporate profits are increasing at near-record levels, while wages are falling at near-record levels.  Coincidence or conspiracy?

Regardless of what label you choose to assign, facts are facts.  As wages fall and prices rise, American families will probably be forced to borrow money to fill in the gap.  Debt has a way of eating away at your finances incrementally, a few dollars this month and a few more dollars next month.  If you find yourself on this path, you are not alone!  Take control of your financial future and eliminate your debt using government-backed programs.  Call the law office of Henley and Henley to find out how these programs can work for you.

The post Conspiracy Theory appeared first on Dallas Bankruptcy Attorney.