If you are among the millions of people considering bankruptcy as a way to deal with an overwhelming financial situation, rest assured that by researching the issue and educating yourself, is the best thing you can do for yourself! This article will be a crucial aspect of your education and hopefully, answer many of your questions.
Don’t use credit cards to pay your taxes if you’re going to file bankruptcy. In most states, you will still owe money to the IRS and have to take care of the interest of your credit cards. Bear this in mind; if the tax can be discharged, then the debt can be as well. This means using a credit card is not necessary, when it will just be discharged.
If you are planning to file for bankruptcy, you do not need to lose your home, car or other items that you have loans for. If you wish to keep them, however, you must make the payments on a timely basis in order to avoid repossession. If the payments are too much to handle, your bankruptcy attorney may be able to arrange for an evaluation of your loan and negotiate a lower monthly payment. In the case of a home, you may look into a loan modification or refinance to reduce your payment amount.
Stay positive. You might even be able to get back secured property that has been repossessed in the 90 days before filing. There is a chance that you can get back your property if it has been less than ninety days since repossession. A lawyer will be able to assist you with filing the paperwork to get the items back.
If you can, keep some of your debt out of your bankruptcy. Work on paying down this debt yourself, or especially if you can negotiate a lower rate or new payment terms. This will help to preserve your credit rating, to some extent, because bankruptcy itself will do a number on your score.
After your bankruptcy is finalized, you should begin re-building your credit by, obtaining copies of your credit reports. Your reports may show that you filed for bankruptcy, but it can take a lot of time for the credit bureaus to remove the original debt from your credit history. Check your reports over thoroughly, if there is debt showing that was discharged in a bankruptcy, you can contact the credit bureaus online, or in writing and request that the information be deleted.
Keep your head up. Getting depressed about the situation you are in will not help. Many times, bankruptcy seems like it is going to be bad, but often, it is the best thing you can do at the time. You will have a fresh start and a better financial future, if you learn from your mistakes.
Remember that until your bankruptcy is filed, you must not ignore any bill collectors or lawsuits by creditors that could result in wage garnishments. The same holds true of delinquent auto loans that can lead to repossession. Once the bankruptcy has been filed, you will be protected from these creditors, but until then, be sure to make timely payments or try to negotiate with them to avoid lawsuits, lost wages and repossessed property.
When you file for bankruptcy, remember to include all credit and debit accounts. You should even include those credit cards that do not have a balance. Some people leave these out because they wish to keep these accounts open. In addition, you need to include all the information about any auto loans that you may have.
File bankruptcy before time runs out to avoid harsh penalties. If you wait too long to file, you may be forced to pay fees through garnishments taken from your bank accounts, foreclosure or even through wages. Early filing can also help prevent extensive reviews of your bankruptcy filing qualifications that may disqualify you.
Don’t make the mistake of hesitating to file for bankruptcy because you think you won’t be able to file again and may need to save it for a worse financial situation. The laws vary from state to state, but you may file again after a certain period, usually two to eight years, depending on the type of bankruptcy filed. Of course, you won’t want to file again, but in case of job loss or a major illness, the opportunity is there if you need it.
Instead of filing for bankruptcy, you may want to think about getting a personal bankruptcy loan. These loans are designed to help pay off smaller loans. In the end, your monthly payments will be a lot lower than before and the savings could add up to be an astonishing amount.
As with most consumer related issues, bankruptcy is best approached with solid information and reliable advice. Hopefully, this article has been a great source of that much needed help and you should now be better prepared to tackle your financial future and pursue the steps involved in getting back on the right financial track!
