Do you have a will or an estate plan? For about half of Americans, the answer is “No”. The website The Motley Fool says that estate planning is an opportunity to provide for loved ones and protect your own interests in the face of life’s uncertainties.

Debt can be a handy tool for purchasing property or assets that you cannot finance in a lump sum. At the same time, it can become a burden if your income is reduced, you lose your job, or take on more debt than you can handle. In the event of excessive debt and absolutely no way out, your last resort is to apply for bankruptcy.

Updated Dec. 3, 2020: I am in Minnesota; the guy I was talking about is in Pennsylvania. To my astonishment he called me today and asked to take down this post. He said he had just gotten out of prison. Because I have no reason to wish him ill, I have updated this entry to delete the guy's last name. He did say that if I had a client who was contemplating lying he could talk to the client and tell them how badly it turned out!

Minnesota is in the Eighth Circuit, which includes the Dakotas, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri and Arkansas. Nevertheless, cases from other circuits may be helpful in understanding the law.

Back when Congress was about to pass the "Cares Act" -- the response to the Covid 19 pandemic -- I emailed a couple of US senators asking them to exclude the proposed $1200 per person payments from being swept up in bankruptcy cases. Unfortunately, the Congress seems to have ignored my suggestion. Humpph.