All Articles — page 7
Every Beacon article, grouped by section. Use the filters or search to narrow it down.
-
Family Law
Marriage and Immigration Status: What a Family Court Case Does Not Decide
A state family court can end a marriage, divide property, and set a parenting schedule. It cannot grant, revoke, or protect immigration status, however the decree is worded.
6 min readAnalysis -
Family Law
Changing an Adult's Legal Name: Petitions, Notice, Records, and Limitations
A legal name change is a short court case followed by a long paperwork exercise. The court order is the easy part; the record updates are where people get stuck.
7 min readGuide -
Family Law
Health Insurance for Children After Separation: Orders and Enrollment
A support order usually names which parent must insure the children. Turning that order into actual coverage runs through a federal notice, a plan administrator, and a short enrollment window.
7 min readExplainer -
Family Law
International Travel With a Child: Consent Letters, Passports, and Holds
A child's international trip usually turns on three documents: a valid passport, the other parent's written consent, and a custody order that says travel is allowed.
7 min readGuide -
Family Law
Emancipation of a Minor: Standards, Petitions, and Consequences
Emancipation releases a minor from parental control and ends a parent's duty of support. It requires proof of real self-sufficiency, and it does not lower any age-restricted right.
7 min readExplainer -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Student Loan Default: Collection, Administrative Remedies, and Rehabilitation
Federal student loans are collected with administrative powers no ordinary creditor has. They also come with notice rights, a hearing, and two defined routes out of default.
7 min readGuide -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Funeral Goods and Services: The Price List Rule and Contract Terms
Federal law requires funeral providers to hand over a general price list, quote prices by telephone, and let families buy only the goods and services they choose.
7 min readExplainer -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Subscription Traps and Negative-Option Billing: Cancelling Recurring Charges
Silence is not consent to a monthly charge. Federal law and a patchwork of state automatic-renewal statutes govern how recurring billing must be disclosed and canceled.
7 min readGuide -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Yo-Yo Auto Financing: Conditional Delivery and a Changed Deal
Spot delivery puts a buyer in the car before the loan is final. The contract's conditional delivery clause, and state law, decide whether the dealer can unwind it.
8 min readExplainer -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Payday and High-Cost Installment Loans: Terms, Rollovers, and State Limits
Whether a payday loan is legal, and on what terms, depends on the state. Federal law adds disclosure duties and a separate rate limit for military borrowers.
7 min readAnalysis -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Rent-to-Own and Lease-Purchase Agreements: Cost, Ownership, and Default
A rent-to-own contract is structured as a renewable lease, which is why it escapes most credit law and why the total paid can far exceed the price on the tag.
6 min readExplainer -
Consumer & Personal Finance
Buying a Used Car: As-Is Sales, Title Brands, and Undisclosed Damage
As-is disclaims the warranties the law would otherwise imply. It does not protect a seller who misstates the history, and title brands remain checkable facts.
7 min readGuide
