Congratulations Claire Frenkel!

WHMH congratulates Claire Frenkel, daughter of Office Manager Maureen McArdle, for receiving the NCAS Dr. Richard Lapchick Award.  The Lapchick award is an honorary award for recognition of academic and athletic achievement and utilizing sports as a vehicle for positive change in the community.

Claire, a graduate of Boone High School, will graduate in May from the University of Central Florida with a degree in Psychology, and is the Captain of the UCF Woman’s Rowing team.  She intends to attend Nursing school after graduation.  Claire is very active in community service, volunteering her time with many organizations, including the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Canine Companions for Independence and the Pediatric Cancer Foundation.  Way to go Claire! 

Employee Profile: Mellissa Anne Waters

Mellissa, who has been with the firm since 2000, is our Billing and Marketing Coordinator.  Outside of the office, Mellissa enjoys attending concerts, spending time with her husband of 13 years and volunteering at her son's school, where she is the "class mom".  Mellissa takes pride in helping our clients with all of their billing needs, whether it is providing bills or assisting clients with payment plans to fit their budget.  We are happy to have Mellissa as part of our team.  

Success After Bankruptcy

The old adage "if at first you don't succeed, try try again" is often easier said than done.  Sometimes though, bankruptcy is an excellent way to put past difficulties aside and start fresh.  Some people who have filed for bankruptcy protection and gone on to great success:

• Walt Disney - Before he became a household name, Walt Disney made cartoons under the studio Laugh-o-Gram.  His business was unsuccessful and when he became unable to pay employee's salaries he was forced into bankruptcy.  He later moved to Hollywood, where he went on to create the Walt Disney Studios and Theme Parks; 
• Abraham Lincoln -  Many more than fourscore and seven years ago, Honest Abe bought a general store, but sold his share after consistently poor sales.  When his former partner died, he became liable for back payments and declared bankruptcy.  Lincoln didn't have modern bankruptcy laws to protect him, and lost his only remaining assets to creditors.  He then went on to become the 16th president of the United States;
• Henry Ford - In 1899, Henry Ford founded the Detroit Automobile Company.  At that time, Ford had not yet invented his now famous assembly line, and the company went bankrupt after producing only 20 cars. In 1903 he founded the Ford Motor Company, which later changed its name to the Cadillac Automobile Company;
• Willie Nelson - An iconic Country singer and actor, Willie Nelson was forced to file for bankruptcy in 1990 when he could not pay a large IRS tax debt.  While all of his assets were seized, including his bank accounts and homes, he was able to recover by releasing an album titled “The IRS Tapes: Who’ll Buy My Memories?”

Filing for bankruptcy can be a stressful time, but as these celebrities have proved, bankruptcy can be just a bump in the road to greater success.

What is a discharge in bankruptcy?

A bankruptcy discharge releases the debtor from personal liability for certain debts. The discharge is a permanent order prohibiting the creditors of the debtor from taking any form of collection action on discharged debts.  Although a debtor is not personally liable for discharged debts, a valid lien (i.e., a charge upon specific property to secure payment of a debt) that has not been avoided in the bankruptcy case will remain after the bankruptcy case. Therefore, a secured creditor may enforce the lien to recover the property secured by the lien.