February 28th, 2011 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Look in the mirror. It’s likely that you have more in common with the average person who files bankruptcy in Canada than you may think. I’m a licensed bankruptcy trustee in Ontario, and today we released a comprehensive new research study profiling the average person who files a consumer proposal or bankruptcy in Ontario. We […]
November 29th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Earlier this month we broke the story about Draft Statements of Claim – Collection Agency Dirty Trick Number One. Then, last week, we followed up with Draft Statements of Claim – More on This Questionable Collection Agency Tactic. In both articles we referred to the work of Mark Silverthorn, a former collection agency lawyer who […]
November 15th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Why do Canadians have problems with money? Why do we have too much debt, and no savings? Obviously the prolonged recession has not helped, but I believe one of the reasons we get into financial trouble is that we simply don’t fully understand money, credit and debt. In Canada, financial education is not a priority […]
September 27th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
What’s the fastest way to accumulate so much debt that you have no option but to file bankruptcy in Canada? As a bankruptcy trustee I have handled thousands of personal bankruptcy filings over the last two decades, and the answer to that question, based on my experience, is easy: Credit cards. If you want to […]
September 6th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
On September 1, 2010 new credit card regulations took effect in Canada. What are the new rules, and what will they mean to you? Here are the three new regulations: The New Credit Card Regulations in Canada First, credit card issuers must offer a minimum 21 day grace period, during which they can’t charge you […]
August 23rd, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
An interesting debate has emerged in the pages of the Financial Post over the last two weeks regarding the need for senior citizens to file bankruptcy in Canada. The debate started with an article by Jonathan Chevreau published on August 11, 2010 titled No Immunity to Bankruptcy. That day Mr. Chevreau also published a blog […]
August 16th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
I have written quite a few pieces were I am critical of the “debt consulting” industry and persons presenting themselves as credit counsellors when they have little or no formal education or credentials. It’s not that I begrudge any of these people a livelihood – I just wish they’d pick a career that doesn’t involve […]
May 17th, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
Would your financial well-being be noticeably affected if your paycheque dropped by 10%? For most of us, the answer is “yes”. We tend to live paycheque to paycheque, so any drop in income can lead us down a slippery slope that often ends with a person filing bankruptcy in Canada. The Certified General Accountants Association […]
May 3rd, 2010 by A Licensed Insolvency Trustee
As we have discussed many time on the Bankruptcy Canada Trustee Talk blog, a consumer proposal is a great alternative to filing bankruptcy in Canada. The concept is simple: instead of going bankrupt, you offer to pay a portion of the amount owing to your creditors, and if they accept you avoid bankruptcy. But why […]