Nashua Legal Issues Blog

There’s a better way to ask for divorce

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Divorce on Thursday, August 22, 2019.

If the time comes to ask your spouse for a divorce, it's natural to experience a variety of feelings. While you may be looking forward to your new life, it's likely that you'll also feel poorly about how your marriage is ending.

There are many ways to put your divorce on the right track, but it all starts with the first conversation you have with your spouse. Here are three things to do when asking for a divorce:

Remain calm: Don't cry, get angry or become violent. When you keep calm, it's easier to have a rational conversation that puts your mind at ease moving forward.
Prepare accordingly: You know your spouse better than anyone, so prepare accordingly. Understanding how they'll react will allow you to best prepare for the conversation.
Don't get caught up in the details of your divorce: Your sole goal is to express your feelings to your spouse. Let them know that you want a divorce and will be moving forward with the process. Don't get caught up in the details of your divorce, such as who will get the family home and who will have physical custody of your children.

How can Nashua residents bounce back after filing for bankruptcy?

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in chapter 7 bankruptcy on Thursday, August 22, 2019.

Sometimes when a person in Nashua is facing insurmountable debts, filing for bankruptcy is the responsible thing to do. However, just because a person filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy doesn't mean that their post-bankruptcy financial future is ruined. In fact, rebounding financially from bankruptcy is sometimes not as hard as it might seem, and it is certainly better than letting debts grow and go unpaid.

After a person's debts are discharged through bankruptcy, they should regularly check their credit report to make sure that they are not being held liable for discharged debts or other questionable activity. This also will allow them to track their improving credit history.

How to get a mortgage modification

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Chapter 7 on Thursday, August 15, 2019.

There may come a point in your life when you're no longer able to make your mortgage payments. Maybe you've fallen behind because of a serious health problem. Maybe you've lost your job and are not earning nearly as much money as you once were.

If you're struggling to stay current with your mortgage payments, consider contacting your lender to discuss your situation. A mortgage modification may be just what you need to save your home and improve your financial situation.

How are Chapter 13 bankruptcy plans calculated?

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in chapter 13 bankruptcy on Thursday, August 8, 2019.

When people in New Hampshire think of bankruptcy, their first thought may be of Chapter 7 bankruptcy, in which the debtor's assets are collected and sold to pay back creditors. However, another bankruptcy option available to some is Chapter 13 bankruptcy. In this type of bankruptcy, the debtor will execute a three to five-year repayment plan that is approved by their creditors and the court. The plan will have the debtor pay monthly installments to a trustee, who will use those funds to pay back the debtor's creditors.

It is important, then, for Chapter 13 debtors to understand how much they should be paying each month under their repayment plan. Determining these payments goes beyond simply adding up the debtor's past-due bills and then dividing the total by 60 months, for example. Instead, the debtor's income and expenses will be considered, as will the types of debts and the value of the debtor's assets.

Tips to successfully negotiate medical debt

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Debt Relief on Wednesday, August 7, 2019.

Even if you have health insurance, a serious illness or injury could result in large medical bills.

If you don't have the money to pay these bills upon receipt, learn more about the best way to manage your debt.

Marriage red flags that lead to divorce

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo on Tuesday, August 6, 2019.

Sometimes, when one spouse says that they want a divorce, the other spouse feels shocked. They never thought this would happen to them; they thought they were in a happy marriage. How could things have changed so fast?

Odds are, things did not change very quickly at all. What really happened, in many cases, is that the happy spouse ignored red flags that their partner was not nearly as happy as they were. They overlooked clear signs that divorce was on the horizon. They felt shocked when it finally happened, but their partner had been thinking about it for a long time.

The goals and benefits of divorce mediation

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Divorce on Thursday, August 1, 2019.

While your divorce may end up in court, you may want to first give mediation a try. There are many benefits to mediation that can give you peace of mind as the process begins.

Some of the primary goals of divorce mediation include:

Creating an equitable divorce agreement
Avoiding the expense often associated with litigation
Speeding up the process
Minimizing hard feelings

It's not too soon to review your school year child custody plans

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Child Custody on Saturday, July 27, 2019.

While some of our readers may feel that it is too early to think about going back to school, for children whose parents are divorced it is not too early to review child custody and child support arrangements for the upcoming school year, so that there is plenty of time to make modifications if necessary.

As far as child support goes, parents need to agree on who will be responsible for purchasing school supplies and other educational expenses. In addition, parents need to agree on who will pay for after-school care, if needed, and who will stay home with the child if the child is too sick to go to school. These arrangements should be made part of the divorce decree and should be reviewed before the school year begins in case one or both party's life has significantly changed, and the current agreement needs to be modified by the court.

How Chapter 7 bankruptcy could help you

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo on Thursday, July 25, 2019.

Being in a tough financial situation can cause huge amounts of stress, and this stress can make it difficult to make logical and well-considered decisions. Knowing how to deal with overwhelming debts in the best way can be challenging, especially because there are so many possible options.

If you are feeling that your finances have become a heavy burden on your life, it is important to take your time to find a solution that will work best for you. By conducting careful research on the possible options, you will have the best chance of finding a way out of your financial troubles. The following are ways in which filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy may be able to help you.

Anyone can follow these debt relief tips

On behalf of Law Office of Paul Petrillo posted in Debt Relief on Tuesday, July 23, 2019.

If you find yourself swimming in debt, there's no time like the present to implement a strategy for improving your finances. It's not always easy to make progress but every little bit counts.

Here are several debt relief tips that anyone can follow:

Review your debts: Before you do anything, you must understand your debts. How much total debt do you have? How is it broken down by type? Which debts are costing you the most money each month? It's difficult to implement a sound strategy before you fully understand your debts.
Set a budget: If your old budget has got you into trouble, it's time to review it with an eye toward making changes. Your new budget should help you pay down your current debt, while avoiding adding more.
Have a plan: It's not enough to say that you want to pay down debt. It's critical to have a plan in place for doing so, such as knowing which debts to eliminate first.
Negotiate with creditors: For example, if you have a large amount of credit card debt, contact your issuer to see if they're open to negotiations. It may not work out, but it's always worth a try.