Celebrity and the threat of bankruptcy
Saturday, 6 November 2010
Most people feel as though they are living life in the slow lane compared with the stars with their fast cars and hectic lives.
But everyone - celebrities included - can witness their financial affairs come crashing around them when hit by debt.
And ahead of insolvency statistics, to be published later this week, debt advisers are warning that anyone, whatever their celebrity status, could take on the basic tips to avoid bankruptcy.
Most of all this means facing up to debt and taking action early to sort it out.
Tax affairs
"When you are a celebrity, the wins can be enormous," says Louise Brittain, a partner at Deloitte, who has dealt with a number of high-profile bankruptcy proceedings.
"But sometimes it can make things more complicated."
The majority of household names who find themselves in the civil courts do so because they fail to sort out their tax affairs.
Typical of this was the case of former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona.
The mother-of-four and reality TV star was declared bankrupt in August 2008 when she failed to pay the final £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill.
Ms Brittain says that the self-employed can face difficulties if they fail to organise their tax affairs.
But she stresses that there is plenty of warning for anyone who faces bankruptcy because they owe tax - or indeed any other type of debt.
Three months is the shortest possible time from the initial indication from a creditor that they intend to go to court, to the final date of being declared bankrupt.
However, such a time period is rare, with most cases taking between six and nine months, and others up to a year. The most complicated cases can go on for almost three years.
Early action
Although the proceedings can take time, it is important to address the issue as soon as the problem becomes clear.
"Do not live with the burden of debt, do not wait until the bailiffs arrive, and deal with debt early," Ms Brittain says.
Charities such as Citizens Advice and Christians Against Poverty offer free counselling and advice to those facing debt problems.
All licensed insolvency practitioners will offer one hour's free advice before they start charging for services.
Nick Howard, director of policy at the Insolvency Service, said: "Formal personal insolvency is never an easy option and the effects can be far reaching."
The Insolvency Service has also produced a guide on how to deal with creditors.
Other businesses charge a fee for advice and to come up with solutions, such as debt management plans or deals with creditors known as individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs).
This debt management sector was the subject of a damning report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in September which concluded that some of these firms are posing as charities and are driven by a sales culture.
The OFT found cases of misleading advertising, poor debt advice, and up-front charges.
Earlier this week, it withdrew a licence to offer credit from the Compensation Professionals Network (CPN), based in Basingstoke.
The regulator discovered that CPN had been sending automated messages without consent, implied that calls were being made on behalf of the government, claimed that it was able to write off consumer debts and claimed the services were free.
Caught in court
Another lesson that can be learnt from high-profile cases is the financial burden that can come from court cases.
Former MPs Jonathan Aitken and Neil Hamilton both ended up declared bankrupt after failed libel actions left them with large legal bills.
Mr Aitken was reportedly left with a bill of more than £2m, and Mr Hamilton with a bill understood to be about £3m, after their libel cases collapsed.
Although these cases were high-profile and high-cost, Ms Brittain says that the principle of making sure you can afford to lose before embarking on a legal bid should be taken on board by anyone considering litigation.
— BBC News
But everyone - celebrities included - can witness their financial affairs come crashing around them when hit by debt.
And ahead of insolvency statistics, to be published later this week, debt advisers are warning that anyone, whatever their celebrity status, could take on the basic tips to avoid bankruptcy.
Most of all this means facing up to debt and taking action early to sort it out.
Tax affairs
"When you are a celebrity, the wins can be enormous," says Louise Brittain, a partner at Deloitte, who has dealt with a number of high-profile bankruptcy proceedings.
"But sometimes it can make things more complicated."
The majority of household names who find themselves in the civil courts do so because they fail to sort out their tax affairs.
Typical of this was the case of former Atomic Kitten member Kerry Katona.
The mother-of-four and reality TV star was declared bankrupt in August 2008 when she failed to pay the final £82,000 of a £417,000 tax bill.
Ms Brittain says that the self-employed can face difficulties if they fail to organise their tax affairs.
But she stresses that there is plenty of warning for anyone who faces bankruptcy because they owe tax - or indeed any other type of debt.
Three months is the shortest possible time from the initial indication from a creditor that they intend to go to court, to the final date of being declared bankrupt.
However, such a time period is rare, with most cases taking between six and nine months, and others up to a year. The most complicated cases can go on for almost three years.
Early action
Although the proceedings can take time, it is important to address the issue as soon as the problem becomes clear.
"Do not live with the burden of debt, do not wait until the bailiffs arrive, and deal with debt early," Ms Brittain says.
Charities such as Citizens Advice and Christians Against Poverty offer free counselling and advice to those facing debt problems.
All licensed insolvency practitioners will offer one hour's free advice before they start charging for services.
Nick Howard, director of policy at the Insolvency Service, said: "Formal personal insolvency is never an easy option and the effects can be far reaching."
The Insolvency Service has also produced a guide on how to deal with creditors.
Other businesses charge a fee for advice and to come up with solutions, such as debt management plans or deals with creditors known as individual voluntary arrangements (IVAs).
This debt management sector was the subject of a damning report by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in September which concluded that some of these firms are posing as charities and are driven by a sales culture.
The OFT found cases of misleading advertising, poor debt advice, and up-front charges.
Earlier this week, it withdrew a licence to offer credit from the Compensation Professionals Network (CPN), based in Basingstoke.
The regulator discovered that CPN had been sending automated messages without consent, implied that calls were being made on behalf of the government, claimed that it was able to write off consumer debts and claimed the services were free.
Caught in court
Another lesson that can be learnt from high-profile cases is the financial burden that can come from court cases.
Former MPs Jonathan Aitken and Neil Hamilton both ended up declared bankrupt after failed libel actions left them with large legal bills.
Mr Aitken was reportedly left with a bill of more than £2m, and Mr Hamilton with a bill understood to be about £3m, after their libel cases collapsed.
Although these cases were high-profile and high-cost, Ms Brittain says that the principle of making sure you can afford to lose before embarking on a legal bid should be taken on board by anyone considering litigation.
— BBC News