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If you’re considering filing for bankruptcy, you’re going to hear the word “creditor” thrown around a lot. Generally, a creditor is anyone to whom you owe money, and this can include banks that hold your mortgage or car loans, credit card companies, and even your landlord if you’re behind on the rent. In a bankruptcy filing, your creditors will be split into three groups, depending on the type of debt – priority, secured, and unsecured creditors – and their claims for repayment will be handled differently depending on the type of creditor and type of bankruptcy you’re filing....

Canadians are friendly, and that’s not just a stereotype. But that also doesn’t mean that their borders are any less secure than our own. There are strict requirements for identification to cross the Canadian border as well as stringent controls on what you can bring into and out of the country. So whether you’re headed for work or a weekend getaway, by boat, car, train, or plane, here’s what you need to know about crossing the Canadian border:...

As it has has been said, everything ends badly, otherwise it wouldn’t end. But even if your marriage is ending, there are ways to make sure your divorce isn’t unnecessarily traumatic. Taking the right steps for your children, your business, your taxes, and especially yourself can prepare you for a divorce and make the divorce process a more positive experience, both financially and emotionally. 1. Take Care of Your Kids This may not apply to all divorcing couples, but for those with children, a few pointers on what to expect and how to help your children through divorce are essential:...

Job applicants are used to employers advising them that their employment will be contingent on passing a thorough background check. But it looks like the shoe might be on the other foot for once. A Monster survey of over 1,400 job seekers found that 80 percent said they check employer review sites before applying for a job. This means your potential hires are probably running a background check on your business before you ever get the chance to run a background check on them....

Arkansas’ newly passed ban on abortions after 12 weeks is the strictest in the nation, and it was passed shortly after an Idaho law banning abortions after 20 weeks was overturned. Arkansas’ measure was passed on Wednesday with enough support to override the governor’s veto of the law. It prohibits abortions from the time a fetal heartbeat can be detected, at around 12 weeks. It’s scheduled to take effect in August....

Over 20 years after the federal government guaranteed workers at businesses with over 50 employees unpaid family leave time, California is now extending those protections to small business employees. Last week, Governor Jerry Brown signed the New Parent Leave Act into law, requiring companies that employ at least 20 workers to grant new parents up to 12 weeks of unpaid leave within a year after a child’s birth, adoption, or foster care placement....

A Pennsylvania insurance scam has been busted by Philadelphia law enforcement, exposing an alleged plot to use dead deer in fake car crashes. Ron Galati, 63, is accused of using his family-owned American Collision and Auto Center as the means to stage and fabricate car crashes with deer. The auto shop owner allegedly kept deer blood and carcasses at the shop to use in staged photos to be sent to insurance companies, reports Newser....

A disabled woman will get a second shot at suing United Airlines over alleged mistreatment during two cross-country flights. But not all of Michelle Gilstrap’s claims have been reinstated by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Notably, the court held that she cannot pursue her claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act, Reuters reports. Here are the facts of the case: Gilstrap, who has a collapsed disc and osteoarthritis claimed that she was not given a wheelchair at the airport when she asked for one, and that she was forced to stand in line, which she couldn’t do....

Most of the time, when a police officer pulls you over they will just ask some questions about your license, registration, speedometer, and whether you saw that stop sign you rolled through. But every now and then, a traffic stop will get a little more serious, and officers will threaten to or actually call for canine reinforcement. So, are cops allowed to dog search your vehicle for drugs during any traffic stop?...

The current estate tax debacle isn’t only a mess for Congress. It’s causing phones to ring at the offices of estate planners across the country. Estate planners are left with the riddle that is the current state of affairs – estimating what the Obama Administration’s actions will be with regards to estate tax in the coming years. Will the pre-Bush era estate tax rates and personal exemption amounts be revived? Or will the government introduce a new scheme, applied retroactively to the date of the lapse?...

Another news cycle, another malware story. With everyone from the biggest credit agencies to the smallest home businesses at risk for cybercrime, many small biz owners are reassessing their risk of being hacked. And while preventative measures are essential, they’re not always perfect – that’s where insurance comes in. Cyber insurance can cover everything from pre-incident security audits to post-incident criminal investigations. So how do you figure out if cyber insurance is right for your small biz?...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 200,000 kids are injured on playgrounds each year. About half of those injuries are serious, including bone fractures, internal injuries, and concussions, and 67 percent involved falls or equipment failures. So who is responsible if your child is injured at school because of faulty or unsafe playground equipment? Here are a few considerations: Equipment Malfunctions With so many playgrounds and pieces of equipment, there are bound to be a few accidents due to defects with the equipment itself....

Chapter 7 vs. Chapter 13. There are a variety of reasons why consumers may end up filing for bankruptcy. Maybe it’s the lack of jobs after a stagnant economy zapped the market, or a business that had promise but ultimately crumbled. Whatever the reason, knowing the differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy can help consumers get back on their feet. Both are forms of bankruptcy that can give consumers a level of protection against creditors, and in some cases, can even eliminate or discharge debt....

The nation’s $15 trillion debt is now a few million dollars smaller, thanks to a Florida man who left his savings and his historic $1 million house to the U.S. government in his will. James H. Davidson Jr., who died a year ago without children, gave the U.S. government $1 million in his will to help pay down the national debt, The Miami Herald reports. Davidson also donated his home – a 1929 Spanish-style structure that’s been designated a historic landmark....

A Gap ad featuring a Sikh man – or more accurately, the defacement of said ad in a New York subway – has sparked conversations on racism and diversity. But an interesting centerpiece to the discourse is Gap’s role in the matter. From its Sikh ad campaign, the clothing giant demonstrates that a well-crafted diversity ad initiative makes for powerful marketing – and effective legal protection. As part of its holiday “#MakeLove” campaign featuring a wide variety of diverse models, Gap created an ad featuring a Sikh man posing with a Caucasian woman, reports The Huffington Post....

A Los Angeles jury returned a verdict in defamation case against Guess Jeans co-founder Georges Marciano in favor of five former employees–to the tune of $370M. The plaintiffs filed the defamation action as a response to a suit by Marciano who accused the five of stealing his emails, embezzling money and conspiring to sell costly art and wine from his collection. And though that case was dismissed in December 2008 for the mogul’s failure to comply with court procedure, the case against Marciano made it all the way…deep into to his designer jeans’ back pockets....

When choosing new tenants, landlords have a host of valid concerns. Besides needing someone who can pay the rent (and on time), a landlord wants a tenant who is respectful of his neighbors and the property, does not engage in criminal activity, and won’t necessitate a trip to a landlord-tenant lawyer. Make those phone calls. This is perhaps the most important of these landlord tips. Tenants often rely on the fact that so few landlords call employers and past housing references....

A small plane crashed onto a New Jersey freeway Tuesday morning. Initial reports say three adults and two children on board the plane were killed. No one on the freeway was hurt. The plane took off from New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport and was headed to an airport near Atlanta, an FAA spokesman told New York’s WABC-TV. Witnesses say the plane spiraled out of control, slammed into a wooded median strip on Interstate 287 in Morris County, N....

Bad checks can be a huge hassle for small businesses, and not just because of lost revenue. Getting even with the customer who wronged you can cost precious time and money – and perhaps even affect your other customer relationships. Bad checks generally fall into one of several categories: Insufficient funds, a closed account, stopped payment, or forgery. Your options to pursue payback may include a civil lawsuit, or even a criminal complaint....

If you’re ordered to pay alimony, how long can that order continue? The answer varies by state, with some still allowing courts to order lifetime alimony. But those orders are becoming less common, as alimony reform has brought down sweeping changes in alimony laws in the past few years. For example, a Massachusetts law abolishing lifetime alimony in most cases took effect in 2012. Ex-spouses now only need to pay until their former spouse reaches retirement age or moves in with another partner....