If you’re in Chapter 13 bankruptcy you can still sell your home but you must first get approval from the bankruptcy court before you close on the property. The bankruptcy court must approve the terms of the sale and your attorney must notify all of your creditors before the property is sold. You attorney must disclose to the bankruptcy court and creditors the home’s sale price, the value of the property and proof of the current value of the property and how you propose to allocate the proceeds from the sale. After the home is sold your attorney must provide to the bankruptcy trustee and creditors the sale price, all deductions and the profit made from the house. All proceeds must be paid directly to the bankruptcy trustee. If the proceeds are enough to pay off your Chapter 13 bankruptcy debts your case will be discharged.

Many middle-class families worry about increased inflation, student loan costs and the credit squeeze as they plan for their children’s college education. But Texas state officials hope their new prepaid tuition plan, Texas Tuition Promise Fund, will help families get a head start on saving for college.

The prepaid plan will cover only undergraduate education, allowing families to lock in tuition and required fees at the current prices of Texas’ public colleges and universities according to the Dallas Morning News.

The money placed in the fund may also be used for private and out-of-state schools (with some penalties), helping to decrease future student dependency on burdensome student loans and credit.

The way it works is that a family buys tuition "units" at current prices. Each set of 100 units equals one year of college, or 30 credit hours.

There are three types of plans:

•Type I – The units are priced to consider the costs of attending the most expensive public four-year universities– University of Texas at Austin and Texas A&M University. The current price is $98.50 per unit, or $9,850 a year.

•Type II – Unit prices are pegged to the average cost of tuition and fees at all public four-year colleges in Texas. The current price is $67.65 per unit, or $6,765 a year.

•Type III – This plan’s prices are fixed to reflect the average cost to attend any public community college in Texas. The current price is $16.99 per unit, or $1,699 a year.

The price of units will be adjusted each year. Prepaid tuition accounts must be paid in full and open for at least three years before tuition benefits can be redeemed.

The fund is an excellent idea that helps families beat inflation that causes the cost of college to go through the roof every year. Also, families can help the next generation’s debt load by reducing or even eliminated the need student loans to pay for college.

1. Create A Budget - Watch what you spend and create limits on how much you spend.
2. Be Frugal - Shop at discount stores, use coupons and cut out unnecessary expenses such as Cable TV or a gym membership you never use.
3. Pay Off Your Debt - Create a schedule to pay off debts. If you have delinquent bills, make arrangements with the lender immediately
4. Pay Your Bills On Time - Make sure you pay bills in a timely manner to avoid unnecessary late fees and penalties.
5. Pay Yourself First - Make sure that you save at least 6 months of expenses.
6. Invest In Retirement - Make sure that you investment in a retirement account. Make sure your investments are diverse and think long-term.
7. Buy A Home You Can Afford - When buying a home make sure that it fits in your budget. Include maintenance and insurance when calculating the true cost of owning a home.

Buried deep within the novel length Bail Out bill passed last week, is a provision known as the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 requiring employers to equally cover mental health costs in their health coverage plans. The provision states that financial requirements and treatment limitations for mental health care, if covered, cannot be any more restrictive than those put on the group plan’s other medical and surgical benefits. What that could mean is that employees suffering from mental health issues would be able to continue coverage as they visit mental health professionals until they are deemed healthy. Currently many mental health plans limit the number of visits to mental health professionals.

Many critics of the provision fear that the new law will scare employers and prompt them to end any existing mental health coverage they offer employees because of the additional costs associated with extending that coverage. Already, health care costs in the Dallas area have increased 8.1 percent this year, up from 6.6 percent in 2007, according the Dallas Morning News.

In today’s volatile market, many are worried about bank failures, the security of their deposits and the handling of mortgages, credit cards accounts and investments by faltering banks. Let’s take a look at some facts.

Fact #1: Your deposit accounts worth up to $100,000 are insured by the FDIC. In a joint account, each depositor is insured up to $100,000. Also, some retirement accounts, such as IRAs and 401(k)s, are insured for up to $250,000 per person. Any money over $100,000 is not insured.

Fact #2: Banks that fail, file bankruptcy, sell their assets or are placed in conservatorship by the FDIC will usually continue near normal business operations during the transition.

Fact #3: If your bank is sold or placed in FDIC conservatorship, deposits, mortgages, credit cards and investments will be placed under the jurisdiction of the new owner or FDIC.