Category: south carolina

Recently engaged? 5 reasons why you should consider a prenup

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Categories: attorney, Kelly Brown, lawyer, Life and the Law, North Carolina, Prenupital Agreements, prenuptial agreement, south carolina
gold engagement rings, wedding bands, time for a prenup

As most of my friends are getting married or are recently married (myself included), I frequently get asked why anyone would want a prenuptial agreement. Prenups can get a bad reputation because many people assume signing a prenup means you are preparing for divorce in the future. However, this is NOT necessarily the case! There are many reasons (other than divorce) that future spouses may want to sign a prenup before getting married.

Here are my top 5 reasons for signing a prenup.

  • A prenup promotes communication between future spouses so they are fully aware of the other’s financial situation and other issues prior to marriage. In North Carolina and South Carolina, each party must voluntarily provide a full and fair financial disclosure about his or her property and financial obligations (unless waived in writing).
  • A prenup can establish how property matters will be handled in the future. If you are a person who has substantial individual or family assets, a prenuptial agreement may be a great way to specify how debt and other financial issues will be handled during the marriage.
  • A prenup can determine the rights and obligations of each party with regard to the right to buy, sell, use, transfer, exchange, abandon, lease, or otherwise dispose of, control, or manage certain property. In North Carolina and South Carolina, property obtained during the marriage is generally treated as marital or joint property, but a prenup can change the general rule for property acquired during the marriage.
  • A prenup can protect a person that has a professional practice or other service business. For all the entrepreneurs out there, this is a great way to protect your hard work, while still being able to provide for your new family.
  • A prenup can be viewed as a proactive dispute resolution system, as it can simplify the divorce process. A prenup may reduce the chance of litigation upon divorce and, in addition, reduce those litigation costs. This may be beneficial for a party that is entering into a second marriage or those who have children from previous relationships.
Contact us today to get started on your prenuptial agreement.

 

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Kelly Brown Earns LL.M. in Tax Law

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Categories: Announcements, Kelly Brown, Life and the Law, llm, McGrath amp; Spielberger, North Carolina, south carolina, Tax Issues, Tax Law, The Legal Profession
graduation cap law

 

McGrath & Spielberger, PLLC is happy
to announce that Attorney Kelly J. Brown has
earned her LL.M in Tax Law.

Attorney Kelly J. Brown has earned her LL.M. (Master of Laws) in Taxation from Boston University School of Law. Kelly is licensed in both North Carolina and South Carolina. Her practice focuses on real estate matters, including closings; business law matters; and of course, tax matters.

Can the HOA (Homeowners’ Association) Foreclose on my Home?

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Categories: foreclosure, Foreclosures amp; Mortgage Loan Relief, hoa, HOA / Homeowners' Association, homeowners' association, Jason A McGrath, McGrath amp; Speilberger, North Carolina, south carolina
In this video, Attorney Jason McGrath discusses whether the Homeowners’ Association can foreclose on your property or not. Mr. McGrath and the McGrath and Spielberger PLLC attorneys handle both “regular” and HOA foreclosure cases in multiple states, including North Carolina and South Carolina.

https://youtu.be/CQMZJjZAYPA

(Part 5) 5 Considerations as to Your Business’ Negative Internet Review

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Categories: Business Law Disputes, Civil Rights, Consumer Defense, florida, Freedom of Speech, georgia, Internet & Technology, Jason A McGrath, North Carolina, Ohio, online reviews, Social Media, south carolina, Tennessee
(Click for Part 1)  (Click for Part 2)  (Click for Part 3)  (Click for Part 4)

As attorneys with a law firm which has a significant online presence, and as lawyers who represent small and medium businesses, we are very much aware of the power of the online review and/or rating given by consumers. In fact, in this day and age, the positive or negative nature of a company’s reputation as declared by the internet can make or break your business.

For many businesses, it is almost impossible to avoid at least the occasional negative comment or even merely a lukewarm review. Many times, the information posted online is not accurate, or at least is presented out of context and/or incomplete. All businesses which encounter this face the same question: what can we do about this negative online review?   Hopefully, after you have had a bit of time to think about it, one of your next questions is: what should we do about this negative online review? We have developed a list of 5 key considerations and here is the fifth.

(5) Turn a negative into a positive, or at least into an opportunity. This can’t work in all industries or all situations, of course, but what about turning the criticism into a promotional effort? For example, let’s consider the complaint of “I had to wait more than 30 minutes for my car to be cleaned at Acme Car Wash.” Perhaps the response from Acme is similar to this: “We regret you had to wait so long, but we were simply very busy that day with so many customers who know what a good job we do. Everyone should know that this month we have a 25% discount for our Premium Customer Club memberships, which allow you to make an appointment, among other benefits!”

This creative approach focuses on the positive, while still “apologizing” to the unhappy customer. It might even increase business. Find the silver lining.

We’ve heard of Freddie Mac; what is it?

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Categories: florida, georgia, Government, homeowner, Life and the Law, loan, mortgage, North Carolina, Ohio, south carolina, Tennessee
Freddie Mac was created by the United States Congress in 1970. Its publicly stated mission is to stabilize the nation’s residential mortgage markets and expand opportunities for homeownership and affordable rental housing. Under Federal law, Freddie Mac’s mission is to:

  1. provide stability in the secondary market for residential mortgages;
  2. respond appropriately to the private capital market;
  3. provide ongoing assistance to the secondary market for residential mortgages (including for lower income families); and
  4. to promote access to mortgage credit.

Freddie Mac does not loan money to would-be property owners the way that banks do. Rather, it participates in the secondary mortgage market by purchasing mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities for investment and by issuing guaranteed mortgage-related securities. The secondary mortgage market consists of institutions engaged in buying and selling mortgages in the form of whole loans (i.e., mortgages that have not been securitized) and mortgage-related securities.

Due to the housing/mortgage crisis in America, Freddie Mac currently focuses on “meeting the urgent liquidity needs of the U.S. residential mortgage market, lowering costs for borrowers and supporting the recovery of the housing market and U.S. economy.” Specifically, Freddie Mac states that it is working toward reducing the number of foreclosures; making homeownership and rental housing more affordable; and helping families keep their homes.

McGrath & Spielberger, PLLC provides assistance to borrowers in need of mortgage relief services, such as mortgage loan modification, foreclosure negotiation, refinancing, and deed-in-lieu or other negotiated settlement resolutions. These professional services may include dealing with mortgage loans owned or securitized by Freddie Mac.

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We’ve heard of Fannie Mae; what, exactly, is it?

Posted on by g83js92js91
Categories: Collections, Credit, Debt, florida, georgia, Government, homeowner, Life and the Law, loan, mortgage, North Carolina, Ohio, south carolina, Tennessee
Fannie Mae was created by the United States Congress in 1938 to support liquidity, stability, and affordability in the secondary mortgage market, where existing mortgage-related assets are purchased and sold. Fannie Mae itself has stated that it has “a mission to expand affordable housing”.

Fannie Mae does not originate loans or lend money directly to consumers in the primary mortgage market because Federal law prevents it from doing so. However, it does purchase mortgage loans and mortgage-related securities. In other words, while you can’t get a loan from Fannie Mae, Fannie Mae might end up owning your mortgage loan.

Fannie Mae also often securitizes mortgage loans originated by lenders into Fannie Mae mortgage-backed securities (called Fannie Mae MBS)  and makes other investments which are intended to increase the supply of affordable housing.

McGrath & Spielberger, PLLC provides assistance to borrowers in need of mortgage relief services, such as mortgage loan modification, foreclosure negotiation, refinancing, and deed-in-lieu or other negotiated settlement resolutions. These professional services may include dealing with mortgage loans owned or securitized by Fannie Mae.

Foreclosure Charlotte NC – Real Estate Charlotte NC – Contracts Mt Pleasant SC