Bankruptcy! I don’t want to file bankruptcy! Hey, if you do want to file, there is something wrong with you. But you want to keep your house? Avoid foreclosure? Which option hurts more: losing your home, or, filing bankruptcy? We humans make decisions based on our emotions: we shy away (or run, if you are [...]
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Words are powerful. The word “bankruptcy” carries enormous emotional baggage. People hear it and immediately jump to conclusions. “Failure,” “shame,” “irresponsibility,” “ruin” all come to mind. Recently, I met with an elderly couple. They had significant cash flow problems, and a Chapter 13 bankruptcy would benefit them greatly. As I do with all prospective clients, [...]
Colleague Dana Wilkinson calls it “foreclosure limbo.” You made the difficult decision, accepted reality, you cannot pay your debts, and, even filing bankruptcy, cannot keep your condo. Or, like one of my clients, the condo you bought for your son’s family, which they could no longer pay. Whether in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy, or Chapter [...]
The Bankruptcy Code mandates that the debtor take a credit counseling course within 180 days prior to filing bankruptcy. The course is one of the many useless hoops debtors must jump through prior to filing their bankruptcy petition. If you really want to avoid bankruptcy, this “course” is not helpful I, like any other [...]
Bankruptcy Petition Preparers. Should you hire one? Let’s face it. Folks with financial problems aren’t exactly flush with cash. So it’s tempting to cut corners in purchasing legal advice and to opt for the services of a bankruptcy petition preparer. But as with most things, you get what you pay for. Preparers really can’t–at [...]
Bankruptcy is in the Bible. In fact, there are plenty of blog posts here on Bankruptcy Law Network about what the Bible says about debt. Kurt O’Keefe’s “Is Filing Bankruptcy a Sin?” is just one of many posts. Most of these posts discuss the Bible and the morality of bankruptcy or apply particular Biblical principles [...]