Let me just paint you a picture. You have a two income family with two children and a lovely house. Your mortgage payment is around $1200 a month plus taxes and insurance. It’s not too bad and hovers around 30% of your income, so you’re sittin pretty.

Bam!! One of you loses your job, and your mortgage payment is now 60% of your income. In order to pay the mortgage you have to pay your other bills with credit cards in hopes that you get a new job soon. But the economy sucks, your cards are maxed out, and you’re passed due on the mortgage, so the bank is foreclosing on your home.

You finally decide that bankruptcy is the best option. So you go through bankruptcy and you say to yourself “I’ll get a modification on my mortgage and keep my home. Even though they’ll only bring it down to $1000 a month I’m sure I’m bound to get a job soon.”

Why?

Why would you put yourself through that again? Why would you want the sleepless nights and all of that stress weighing you down to pay a mortgage you can’t afford? Why would you put yourself into that cycle?

Am I missing something? Is it because I haven’t owned a home before so I don’t know the feeling? Maybe it’s a good thing this is happening to people every day. Kids will get to be on the outside looking in as their parents stress out over a house.

I know that if I was in that position I would have tried to do whatever I could to get rid of the house. Maybe try renting it out if you owe more than it’s worth. You don’t need to make a profit, just rent it for whatever covers your cost. I know that would be good for you and I’m sure some family would love to rent a home from you because it will be cheaper than renting from someone trying to make a profit.

If anything, and I was forced to bankruptcy, I would absolutely not keep my house. My family’s well-being is much more important than some drywall.

What do you think?

Many people often show an aversion towards loans that are not properly warranted. For these people, any form of debt is often bad debt. The truth however can be wildly different; loans or debt are bad when you don’t use them properly and you are not able to pay off the loaned amount in time. However, if you can take care of these concerns, you can actually be confident that the loan is good especially if it betters your situation in the way you envisioned the loan would help you.

Enter payday loans! The importance of payday loans lies in the fact that it is one of the most readily accessible types of loans out there. True, the short-term nature of payday loans lends itself highly to risks like higher interest rates but this does not negate how this loan type can be tremendously helpful for many people.

In times of emergency, payday loans can provide the quickest access to money needed to help you survive a rough period. If you’re expecting an income that is delayed, payday loans can help cover your expenses for a few days until the money arrives. If there’s a school project for the kids that needs immediate funding, payday loans can be the most important lifeline that you have to make sure the kids get what they need. There are so many scenarios that lend value to the importance of payday loans, none more so than the fact that you can use it for medical emergencies and the likes.

All this can be traced to the fact that payday loans require little documentation to support and are generally payable within two weeks or so after the loan is secured. In essence, you don’t have to think about it for extended periods thereafter. It’s really a short-term infusion of cash meant to help you move along until you are in a much better financial situation. When used properly, as already discussed, it’s more than just a life saver. It’s something that can help better your life on days when you feel you are really at a low point financially.

Think of finding payday loan lenders and getting payday loans the next time you are hard on cash. It might just be the option you need to continue taking care of the importance things while the payday is still some days away.

If you run, manage or own your own company then you will have more than likely heard about the ‘IR35’ legislation, and if you haven’t you should have. At ClearSky Accounting, as an accountancy expert, we’ve outlined everything you need to know about IR35.

What is IR35?

The IR35, so called after the Inland Revenue (now Her Majesties Revenue & Customs) press release number 35 of that year, is ‘Intermediaries Legislation’ introduced to ensure companies working through intermediary companies, such as personal service companies, are paying the appropriate tax.

Why was it introduced?

According to HMRC:

“The aim of the legislation is to eliminate the avoidance of tax and National Insurance Contributions (NICs) through the use of intermediaries, such as Personal Service Companies or partnerships, in circumstances where an individual worker would otherwise –

• For tax purposes, be regarded as an employee of the client; and
• For NICs purposes, be regarded as employed in employed earner’s employment by the client.”

Before the introduction of the legislation, individuals were able to avoid paying tax as an employee when receiving payments for services and only paying NIC in the Class 1 bracket by providing them via an intermediary.

Who does IR35 cover?

The IR35 is not aimed at any industry in particular however is does apply to you and your company if you provided services to a clients via an intermediary company (usually a services company or a partnership).

In short, if you provide services to a client, via an intermediary or under an arrangement involving a third party, and the situation is such that if these services were provided directly to the client you would be considered (for tax purposes) as an employee of the client, then you are required to pay tax within the IR35 bracket.

What happens if I ignore the legislation?

If it is found that you have not followed the proper protocol and ignored the legislation then measures will be taken to ensure that you pay the appropriate tax and NIC, and interest and penalties may be added on top.

Click here for more information on IR35 and how to avoid any penalties or charges.  

Author Bio: Leah Jarratt is a regular guest writer for ClearSky Acounting, your accountancy expert.

Serious economic challenges can exert a high degree of psychological pressure. Especially when expenses are exceeding the available income for extended periods of time, strain levels in a household can get insufferable. During this period, many will consider bankruptcy their only available option. In itself, this need not be a problem. After all, declaring bankruptcy means all financial obligations owed to lenders will be dismissed if your filing is decided in your favor. Choosing to file, however, is a serious matter and will seriously affect your life for years to come. Ahead of declaring bankruptcy you should therefore take numerous aspects into account – especially since debt and bankruptcy don’t have to go hand in hand.

The first question you should ask yourself is whether you may be able to restructure and get rid of your debt by yourself. When debts are too much to handle, after all, you are going to struggle to pay the lender commitments you agreed to. In this case, bankruptcy can be an option. Before arriving at that conclusion, however, you should take all available steps into consideration to improve your financial situation: Is there a car which can be traded in? Can the house be refinanced for a decrease in the mortgage payment? Are there higher paying jobs that can be added to the household income? There are also a variety of practical steps you can take to at least return to breaking even: Cut back on household expenses and instead of going on expensive vacations, go for cheaper alternatives. This can often help to relieve the stress of debt for you and your family. Try cutting back on extras like cable, cell phones and eating out before deciding to declare bankruptcy.

Mostly, though, bankruptcy is something best handled by experts and you should consider getting professional help. A debt consolidation company can help you negotiate with creditors to reduce the amount you have to pay each month, for example, and thereby avert bankruptcy. They can help create a plan to get you out of debt and back on the right path towards a sound financial situation. They will also assist you to determine how much debt you actually have. Although it may sound hard to believe, many people tend to hold an exaggerated view of their financial misery. You may be one of them.

The Debt Advisory Line have years of experience in helping you establish a precise picture of your debt and systematically reducing it. If you’re in need of debt management, contact us now to find out how we can assist you.