Understanding Wills and Trusts

A will is a written document that defines how your assets will be distributed after you die. Trusts are legal arrangements that involve a separate legal entity to hold and distribute assets — during your life, after your life, or both. As an alternative to...

Bankruptcy Basics

Bankruptcy is a set of legally-defined ways for individuals or businesses to settle debts without full payment, by following rules that govern their assets and financial actions for a period of time. There are two broad types, liquidation and reorganization. Under...

Bankruptcy Protection

When a person or business concludes that meeting their debts is not realistic, they may file for bankruptcy in Federal Bankruptcy court. A bankruptcy filing places an automatic stay on debt-related actions and judgements, including wage garnishment —...

Landlord Rights & Responsibilities

A landlord owns property that is rented or leased to someone else – the ‘tenant’ or ‘lessee.’ Both responsibilities and rights for landlords are defined by law – usually state and local codes in the US. Responsibilities for...

Rent-To-Own Agreements

Picture this agreement between two players in a board game: ‘If you land on my property 10 times, pay $5 more each time, and then you can buy it for $200.’ The first player still owns the property for those 10 turns, but the second player has secured a set...