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When times are tough, people must turn to bankruptcy as the only way out. With our economy and unemployment numbers not getting any better, more people than ever will be filing. The problem comes when you must find a bankruptcy lawyer for help. When you are in a desperate financial situation the last thing you can afford to do is pay an attorney. Some attorneys ask for a huge fee to provide you with these services. This means you may have to file on your own. This can easily be done with a little research and some work.

There are two types of bankruptcy chapters that you can file. They are Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. Chapter7 is typically filed to remove all debt, while Chapter 13 is set up to negotiate payment plans. The first thing you will need to do is gather all your personal financial information. This includes your mortgage papers, car payments, and credit card debts. Make sure that all this information includes, names, addresses, and phone numbers so that you have everyone’s contact information. You should also have information about school loans and any back taxes or child support payments that you make. These are not items that you will be able to get cleared but it will be important that you have the information.

Next, you want to make sure that you have all the proper bankruptcy forms you need to file. Sometimes you can find these at a government office or courthouse. If this is not possible, you can download these forms online. These forms will provide you with all the information you need on filling them out and how to file. Make sure you pay close attention to what you are doing so that you don’t waste any time. They will also tell you what can be included in the bankruptcy and any other information that you may need to provide. Before you send in your paperwork, make a copy and be sure you have signed all the documents.

There is still a cost to file for bankruptcy even when you do it on your own. It will still be significantly lower than hiring a professional. If you feel that you cannot do this yourself you should be able to find a bankruptcy attorney in Encino or a bankruptcy attorney in Woodland Hills that can provide you with affordable help. Don’t let your financial situation ruin your life. Take action and you will see your life become a lot easier.

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If you are a private sector employee or you a small business owner, chances are you most probably participating in a 401(k) plan. The plan number refers to the Internal Revenue Code Section that created the plan. New changes are in the horizon for 401(k) plans.

Two of the most important changes that may go into effect in April 2012 are requirement to disclose 401(k) plan expenses and comparison of the plan performance to an appropriate bench mark. There has been one extension of the implementation of these rules and this time it may go into effect in April.

Based on your quarterly statement, you may think that your plan doesn’t charge any fees. But all plans include charges for managing the investments, recordkeeping fees, and other fees such as interest charges for obtaining a loan or hardship withdrawal. The Labor Department regulation now requires 401(k) plans to provide a detail report of fees to employers as well as participants.

The requirement to provide benchmarking information will assist the participant to compare investment strategy against popular bench marks such as 91-day T-Bills, S&P 500 Index, MSCI EAFE Index, BarCap Aggregate Bond and others.