| Volume 135 Number 10 |
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The People’s Lawyer’s Tip of the Day
Thinking about buying a car or house in the future? Now is the time to check your credit report and make sure there are no errors. Waiting until you apply for the loan is too late. Remember, you can check your credit report with each of the three credit bureaus for free once a year. Click here for more.
FCC takes next step in scrapping net neutrality by voting to return jurisdiction of the internet to the Federal Trade Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has started the process of eliminating net neutrality, voting Thursday to shift internet regulation to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The commission had voted last month to begin unraveling the designation of the internet as a public utility. Prior to the utility designation, the internet had been under the jurisdiction of the FTC, which mostly goes after deceptive trade and anti-competitive practices. Opponents fear that, once the internet is deregulated, AT&T, Comcast and other gigantic conglomerates will give preferential treatment to their content, making it harder for smaller content providers to grow and prosper and, thus, depriving consumers of access to diverse content.
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Your Money
15 times you're perfectly positioned to ask for a raise. Many employees dread asking for a raise, even if they deserve it. Knowing when you're in a perfect situation for salary negotiation can take the edge off. (1) the market rate for your job is higher than you’re being paid; (2) You've taken on additional job responsibilities; (3) Your annual review is coming up; (4) There's an offer letter on the table from a competing company; (5) The company is doing well and you can show you contributed; (6) When you've been the company's biggest fan; (7) You created something of immense value; (8) You receive a promotion; (9) You’ve nearly accomplished your work plan; (10) Your employer will lose money if you quit; (11); You’re the only one skilled in a task that is business-critical; (12) You consistently exceed performance goals; (13) You covered for your manager; (14) A few months before raises come out; and (15) After company turnover. Click here for more.
For the Lawyers
Changes in debtor’s financial condition allow modification of confirmed plan. The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Michigan recently allowed a debtor to modify his confirmed Chapter 13 plan based upon a mistake by the debtor’s counsel. The result of the modification was to reduce the plan to 36 months from 60 and reduce the repayment to unsecured creditors by 80 percent. In re Luman (Bankr. E.D. Mich. 2017). Click here for more.