So you admit that you just do not have control of your debt. You know that you want to do something, but are confused as to what you should do. You are considering filing for bankruptcy, but do not know where to begin. Take the time to read the following article to help you get some answers.
Consider hiring an attorney who specializes in personal bankruptcy. Although most states allow you to file for bankruptcy without a lawyer, your case could be dismissed if you don’t fill out your paperwork correctly, and you may need to file additional motions to protect your property or discharge certain debts. A bankruptcy attorney can help ensure that you get the outcome you hope for when you file.
Before resorting to bankruptcy, contact your creditors in a good-faith effort to renegotiate your payment terms, or interest rate. If you get in touch with them early enough, they may be willing to waive fees or negotiate a new payment schedule. If they are it means they are more likely to receive the money that you owe.
Before you file for bankruptcy, make sure that you sort out your taxes. When you file, the bankruptcy trustee will need to see your tax return from last year and possibly even your tax return from two years ago. If you have these documents ready, your bankruptcy attorney will be able to ensure that the whole bankruptcy process is carried out as quickly as possible.
Do not feel embarrassed or guilty about filling for bankruptcy. Many people fear that they will be treated as second class citizens after they declare themselves bankrupt. However, this is not the case. The option to ‘declare yourself bankrupt’ was developed by the government to enable assistance to be given to people who find themselves overwhelmed with debt and in need of a fresh start. Last year, over 1.4 million people filed bankruptcy and the majority of them are now living a happy, debt-free life. So, there is no need for you to be afraid of bankruptcy stigma.
If you have financial issues due to something like a drinking, drug, or gambling problem, get help instead of immediately filing for bankruptcy. You will continue to have financial issues if you have serious problems with, spending lots of money on these items. Try getting into counseling as soon as you can, to better your situation.
Do not wait too long to file for bankruptcy, if that is what you are going to do. By waiting a long period of time, you are just allowing your debt to keep piling up. Once you have decided that filing for bankruptcy is the right choice, start the process right away!
Be selective. You may have learned that you must continue to pay for auto and home loans, and to stop paying your credit card bills immediately. That money could be put to much better use somewhere else. Continuing payments on these accounts is wasted money. Apply it to the lines of credit that you plan to keep.
If you filed for bankruptcy, and now would like to restore your credit, be careful on how you do this. There are some legitimate companies out there that do want to help, and will. However, there are also very many companies that are just waiting to take advantage of people who are in a tough situation. So do your research very carefully, when trying to hire one of these companies.
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.
Start getting used to paying for items with cash. Because bankruptcy will affect your ability to acquire credit for the foreseeable future, and credit you do obtain will have a high interest rate, pay for everything you can with cash or a check to prevent racking up new, much more expensive debt.
When you plan on filing for bankruptcy, you want to protect any assets you can legally protect. During the process, your creditors are likely to liquidate assets of yours whenever possible to fulfill your financial obligations to them. Some assets are untouchable though, so make sure you take the proper steps to protect them. Your retirement account and your home are both untouchable when it comes to liquidation.
As you can see, just by reading this article, the thought of bankruptcy is not as scary and confusing as it once seemed. Hopefully, the information that was presented to you has helped shed some light. If you feel that bankruptcy is right for you, remember the information from this article, as you take the next steps.
