Natasha started her career as a lawyer representing labor unions and other investors in multi-state class action lawsuits. Passionate about the civil rights elements of her cases, she moved into practicing employment law to represent employees against discrimination of various kinds in the workplace. She has successfully litigated cases under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and other state anti-discrimination laws in the state of Wisconsin. Her experience as a litigator inspired her to begin writing about anti-discrimination laws in the workplace. Through her writing, she hopes to provide helpful information to both employees and human resource professionals who would like to make their workplace more inclusive. While practicing, Natasha also saw firsthand how losing a job impacted her clients' financial stability. As a contributor at Upsolve, Natasha writes articles to help her readers overcome financial problems as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Articles written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.
How To Sue Debt Collectors Who Break the Law
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated March 13, 2025
Under the federal Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (FDCPA), third-party debt collectors are prohibited from harassment, abuse, and other unfair or abusive practices toward debtors. If a debt collector is violating the FDCPA in their attempts to collect money from you, you have the right to sue them. In this article, we explain how to sue an abusive debt collector, what an FDCPA lawsuit can and can’t help you with, and what other options you have to stop communication from collectors.
Read More →25 Companies That Will Help You Pay Your Student Loans
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Many companies recognize how much student loan debt can affect their employees. In order to ease that burden, a lot of companies had added student loan repayment assistance and tuition reimbursement as a part of their employee benefits. Below, we list 25 well-known companies that help repay their employees’ student loans.
Read More →Debt Consolidation: What Is It & How Does It Work?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Debt consolidation involves combining multiple debts into a single payment. If you can secure a lower interest rate and you can make the new single monthly payment, debt consolidation can be a great debt relief strategy. But there are also drawbacks to debt consolidation. In this article, we’ll help you understand how debt consolidation works so that you can decide whether it’s a good choice for you.
Read More →Debt Consolidation Programs: How Helpful Are They?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Making late payments, paying the wrong amounts, or missing payments altogether can have a negative impact on your credit score and overall financial health. If you have no other debt-relief options, debt consolidation programs can help by bundling certain debts into a single account so that instead of making multiple payments every month, you’ll make just one. There are many kinds of debt consolidation programs. There are also other forms of debt relief that might be better for you. In this article, we’ll cover what a debt consolidation program is, how it works, and how to choose one.
Read More →Debt Consolidation vs. Debt Settlement: A Comparison
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Both debt consolidation and debt settlement can help relieve the pressures of overwhelming debt, but they have different functions. Debt settlement reduces total debt by allowing a debtor to pay off a debt account for less than the total balance. Debt consolidation, on the other hand, reduces the number of lenders but doesn’t reduce the total amount of debt. Each option has its pros and cons. If you’re considering using either of them, you’ll want to know what those pros and cons are.
Read More →Does Debt Negotiation Really Work?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Debt negotiation can work to help you settle your debts for less than you owe. But it only usually works with certain kinds of debts and with accounts that are several months late or nearing their statute of limitations. It may work better with a third-party debt collector than the original lender. To negotiate successfully, you'll need to know how much you're willing to pay and you'll need to be confident and persistent.
Read More →Payoff Statements: What They Are and How They’re Used
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
A payoff statement is a document that shows how much money a borrower must submit to fully pay off a loan. These statements differ from monthly account statements because they take into account interest, penalties, and/or benefits that could impact the overall balance before the "good through" date listed on the payoff letter.
Read More →Refusing a Job While on Unemployment
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Claimants typically qualify for unemployment insurance benefits if they lost their full-time or part-time jobs for reasons outside of their control. As part of your regular certification process, you’ll need to state that you did not refuse a suitable job during the time period in question. Suitability generally refers to work that is in line with your professional background, is safe and legal for you to perform, and has a similar salary to your previous career or one that’s appropriate to the local job market. But there are a few situations where you can show that you had a good cause for refusing the job. Read on to learn more.
Read More →The Judge in Small Claims Court Was Wrong. Can I Appeal?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
Unlike other types of lawsuits, not everyone has a right to appeal a small claims case. This article will explore how small claims appeals differ by state. It is important to understand how your state deals with small claims appeals specifically, as rules vary significantly from state to state.
Read More →My VA Loan Was Foreclosed On. Can I Get Another VA Loan?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 30, 2025
One of the most common questions veterans have is whether they can still get a VA home loan after foreclosure. The answer is often yes, but the size of the loan will be affected by the previous foreclosure and what your remaining entitlement benefits are. It's much better for the service member, and the VA, to avoid the foreclosure in the first place. Read on to learn what options you have for avoiding foreclosure, and what you can do to get a new VA loan if foreclosure was unavoidable.
Read More →What Can I Take From My Foreclosed Home?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 28, 2025
During the process of foreclosure, you do have legal rights to certain items, but it’s important to know what you can’t legally take when you leave your residence. The general rule is that you can take all of your personal belongings from the home, but you can’t take any fixtures. Beyond that, what you can take and what’s considered a fixture depends on your state’s foreclosure law.
Read More →What Happens if a Creditor Gets a Judgment Against Me?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 28, 2025
If you are overdue on a payment owed to a creditor, you might be running the risk of a deficiency lawsuit and judgment against you. Depending on the kind of debt you owe, a creditor may be able to take your personal property, like your car, and put liens on real property, like your house. Read more to learn how these judgments work and what creditors can legally do to satisfy outstanding debt.
Read More →What You Need To Know About Georgia’s Debt Collection Laws
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 28, 2025
If you’re a consumer in Georgia, the FDCPA is your best line of defense against unfair debt collectors, but it’s not the only law that can help. In this article, we’ll cover everything you need to know about what debt collectors in Georgia can and cannot legally do when trying to collect money.
Read More →609 Credit Dispute Letter: What It Is, How It Works + Free Template
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Jonathan Petts
Updated January 22, 2025
A 609 letter is a tool that helps you request information about items on your credit report and address errors. It’s named after Section 609 of the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), which allows consumers to access all data used to calculate their credit score. While 609 letters can’t remove verified or accurate debts, they can help uncover documentation issues that might support a formal dispute. The process requires persistence, as credit bureaus are obligated to respond to your request within 30–45 days but may not always provide adequate information on the first try. By drafting a clear 609 letter and following up as needed, you can take an important step toward repairing your credit and improving your financial health.
Read More →When Debt Collectors Break The Law: FDCPA Violations
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D.. Legally reviewed by Attorney Paige Hooper
Updated April 12, 2024
The FDCPA is a federal law that protects debtors by preventing third-party debt collectors from engaging in harassment or unfair activities while trying to collect money. Here’s a list of the six most common violations of the FDCPA: - Attempting to collect debts you don’t owe - Sending written notifications with insufficient information about the debt - Taking or threatening to take legal action or other negative actions - Making false statements or misrepresenting themselves or the debt - Engaging in harassment (usually with repeated calls) or using abusive language - Threatening to contact a third party about your debt (such as a friend, family member, or employer) or to otherwise improperly share information about your debt publicly
Read More →How a Fair Credit Score Impacts You
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated August 1, 2023
A fair credit score has certain negative consequences, some of which may matter to you more than others depending on your personal financial goals. With a fair credit score, it’s possible to get a credit card or loan, but you won’t be able to get good interest rates or terms. In this article, we cover how a fair credit score works and how to improve your score beyond the fair classification.
Read More →Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated May 15, 2023
Before Congress passed the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act of 2007 (MFDRA), struggling Americans had to pay additional taxes on debt forgiven due to foreclosure. Because of the strain of these additional taxes, taxpayers usually faced even greater financial troubles than had caused them to face foreclosure in the first place. The MFDRA is a unique law, and only applies to certain forgiven or canceled debt. This article explains how the MFDRA works and what kinds of debt it covers.
Read More →Subordination Agreements: Who Gets Paid First?
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated November 19, 2021
Subordination agreements assign the order of priority to who can collect on a debt and when they can collect. They come into play when borrowers default on their mortgage or declare bankruptcy. There are often subordination agreements for second mortgages or home loan refinancing.
Read More →Eviction Laws and Tenant Rights in Michigan
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Landlords in Michigan can’t just change the locks, toss your belongings out on the front yard, or shut down essential utilities. A landlord must follow the eviction process in order to have a tenant evicted for any reason. Here's an overview of what this means for tenants in Michigan.
Eviction Laws and Tenant Rights in Mississippi
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Landlords in Mississippi can’t just change the locks, toss your belongings out on the front yard, or shut down essential utilities. A landlord must follow the eviction process in order to have a tenant evicted for any reason. Here's an overview of what this means for tenants in Mississippi.
Eviction Laws and Tenant Rights in New Jersey
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Landlords in New Jersey can’t just change the locks, toss your belongings out on the front yard, or shut down essential utilities. A landlord must follow the eviction process in order to have a tenant evicted for any reason. Here's an overview of what this means for tenants in New Jersey.
Wage Garnishments in New Jersey
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
A wage garnishment order allows creditors to take money directly from your paycheck. Most of the time, this is only possible after a court has entered a judgment. Here's how New Jersey regulates wage garnishments.
Eviction Laws and Tenant Rights in Louisiana
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Landlords in Louisiana can’t just change the locks, toss your belongings out on the front yard, or shut down essential utilities. A landlord must follow the eviction process in order to have a tenant evicted for any reason. Here's an overview of what this means for tenants in Louisiana.
Eviction Laws and Tenant Rights in Indiana
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated January 30, 2025
Landlords in Indiana can’t just change the locks, toss your belongings out on the front yard, or shut down essential utilities. A landlord must follow the eviction process in order to have a tenant evicted for any reason. Here's an overview of what this means for tenants in Indiana.
Wage Garnishment in Louisiana
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated September 29, 2023
A wage garnishment order allows creditors to take money directly from your paycheck. Most of the time, this is only possible after a court has entered a judgment. Here's how Louisiana regulates wage garnishments.
Wage Garnishment in Indiana
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated December 31, 2021
A wage garnishment order allows creditors to take money directly from your paycheck. Most of the time, this is only possible after a court has entered a judgment. Here's how Indiana regulates wage garnishments.
Wage Garnishment in Mississippi
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated October 21, 2021
A wage garnishment order allows creditors to take money directly from your paycheck. Most of the time, this is only possible after a court has entered a judgment. Here's how Mississippi regulates wage garnishments.
Wage Garnishment in Michigan
Written by Natasha Wiebusch, J.D..
Updated October 21, 2021
A wage garnishment order allows creditors to take money directly from your paycheck. Most of the time, this is only possible after a court has entered a judgment. Here's how Michigan regulates wage garnishments.
