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What Should You Bring to a Bankruptcy Consultation?

After scheduling an initial bankruptcy consultation, it is important to adequately prepare for the meeting, which includes gathering all of the appropriate documents. Without bringing the necessary paperwork, it is much more difficult for an experienced bankruptcy lawyer to assess your situation. The following will outline each of the documents that you should remember to bring to a meeting with a lawyer about your bankruptcy filing. Identification One of the most important pieces of information to bring to a bankruptcy consultation is identification. It is also important to confirm your social security number, so bring your Social Security card with you. Details About Income To file for bankruptcy, a person must provide proof of their average monthly income for the six months before they entered the bankruptcy process. This means that a person should make sure to bring income records to bankruptcy consultations. Some of the documents you should plan to bring to establish your income include details about alimony, bonuses, child support, commissions, dividends, income, interest, pension income, rental income, social security, retirement income, tips, and unemployment income. Income Tax Returns It is critical to make sure to bring the past two years of income tax returns to a [...]

2019-05-04T17:38:47+00:00Tags: |

Advice on Recovering From Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy can be an uncomfortable and overwhelming experience. While bankruptcy has the potential to let a person rebuild his or her credit score, bankruptcy can also cause a number of challenges including difficulty in securing credit. The following will review some strategies people can use to bounce back more quickly after filing for bankruptcy. Create a Budget If you are not familiar with living on a budget, it can be difficult to begin doing so. The first step in being able to successfully manage money, however, is to create a plan to do so. A budget should cover all of the necessities that you need to pay each month including mortgage or rental and insurance costs.   Use Cash to Pay for Things Carrying around a small amount of cash can help make sure that you stay on budget and avoid buying more than you can afford. While using cash might be a good temporary way to avoid excessive spending, some people discover that this is a particularly effective way to reduce sending and make it a permanent habit. Pay Bills on Time Late payments suggest to lenders that you are not responsible in handling you money. In [...]

2019-04-23T18:24:29+00:00Tags: |

Common Mistakes Made During the Bankruptcy Process

The bankruptcy process can forever change your life. While many people are capable of realizing positive change through bankruptcy, by making mistakes during the process, some people can end up facing obstacles that last for years. The following will review some common mistakes to avoid when filing for bankruptcy. Not Honestly Disclosing Your Assets Chapter 7 bankruptcy involves a means test, which requires you to disclose all of your assets and income because this amount determines your ability to pay off creditors. If you do not honestly disclose your assets, there is a good chance that your case will be dismissed. In some situations, you might even be prohibited from ever filing for bankruptcy again. Giving Assets to Family Members You are prohibited from giving away any of your assets to friends or relatives with the understanding that they will give the assets back to you at a later date, after your bankruptcy filing is complete. There is a risk that if you attempt to hide assets in such a way, you could end up losing them. Accruing Credit Card Debt Before Filing for Bankruptcy If a creditor determines that you purposefully accrued additional credit card debt in anticipation of [...]

2019-04-08T20:28:46+00:00Tags: |

Home Mortgages and Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy no longer creates obstacles for a future home buyer. Instead, many mortgage lenders have relaxed requirements so that even individuals who file for bankruptcy are able to obtain a home more quickly than ever before. The following will discuss some available mortgage loans and how they are affected by the bankruptcy process. Federal Housing Authority (FHA) Loans FHA loans are federally-insured loans and are attractive to many because they allow a buyer to put down only 3.5% of the home’s purchase price. The credit score limits for these loans are also much more generous than other types of conventional loans. In many cases following a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, a person will be required to wait two years to obtain this type of loan. If a person opens a new credit account after filing for bankruptcy, he or she will often be required to make payments on time to establish a good credit history. Other individuals decide to speed up the qualification process by not opening any credit accounts following bankruptcy. Instead, if a person is able to demonstrate that filing for bankruptcy was beyond his or her control, it is possible to reduce the waiting period to [...]

Student Loan Scams and Bankruptcy

It is common for students to pay for their education through loans. During the process of attempting to find a loan provider that will lower a student’s monthly loan payments, many students encounter companies offering fraudulent deals. If you have student loan debt, it is critical to be aware of various common refinancing scams. While bankruptcy courts have traditionally not allowed students to discharge student loans through bankruptcy, the landscape has changed significantly over the last few years. If your student loans have led you to pursue bankruptcy, you should not hesitate to speak with an experienced bankruptcy lawyer. Advance Fee Scams Advance fee scams involve companies who claim that they can help you receive the best interest rate and loan terms in exchange for a small fee, which can range from 1% to 5% of your total loan. These offers exist in stark contrast to other types of student loans, which do not require upfront fees. The only type of acceptable fee that comes with student loans is a default fee for federal loans or a disbursement/origination fee associated with private loans. A company that offers to help with your student loan debt should never require an upfront free [...]

How Bankruptcy can Affect Children

Many people place the interests of their children above their own. As such, it is common to have concerns about how the bankruptcy process will affect your children. Some relevant questions include whether children will lose property, what happens to a child’s bank account, and whether college loans can still be obtained for the child. While it might be surprising to learn, the bankruptcy process can affect your children in a number of ways. The following will review some of the most common ways in which bankruptcy is known to affect children. How Bankruptcy Affects the Child’s Property While items that were given as gifts to a child are still viewed as household property, property that a child purchased will not be classified this way. The risk of losing property arises in Chapter 7 when individuals navigating bankruptcy are allowed to only keep exempt property. In many cases, however, property belonging to a child is often not of interest to bankruptcy trustees unless the items are exceptionally valuable. Child Bank Accounts and Bankruptcy Money that is held in a child’s bank accounts is not considered property for a bankruptcy estate. Neither a bankruptcy trustee nor creditors are able to obtain [...]

2019-02-28T19:02:02+00:00Tags: , |

Bankruptcy and Divorce

Divorce is almost always an emotionally challenging process. Many people discover that every aspect of their lives are impacted by divorce more than they ever would have anticipated. If you and your former spouse have decided that divorce is your best option, it is likely that your finances will be affected, and sometimes, bankruptcy becomes a necessity for one or both spouses. Navigating bankruptcy can complicate the divorce process, however. The following will review some important things to consider if you have facing both bankruptcy and divorce. Do Not Simultaneously File for Divorce and Bankruptcy It is often best to not proceed through divorce and bankruptcy at the same time. After filing for bankruptcy, an “automatic stay” is placed on a person’s account, which prevents creditor harassment and freezes a person’s assets and property. If the two overlap, an automatic stay will be placed on a person’s assets and will make it impossible for the divorce court to divide assets. While it is often best to not file for both bankruptcy and divorce at the same time, a person should carefully choose which process to navigate first. If a marriage ends and the former spouses are still friendly with one [...]

2019-02-02T17:22:50+00:00Tags: , |

Navigating Chapter 7 Bankruptcy if You do Not Have Any Money

If you have considered filing for bankruptcy, you are likely short on money and tired of being harassed by creditors. Unfortunately, it is not free to file for bankruptcy even though the process is designed for individuals who are facing a large amount of debt. This article will examine how much you can expect the bankruptcy process to cost and list some reasons why this process is still often a wise idea if you are facing financial difficulties. The Assistance of a Bankruptcy Lawyer Some people try to save money during the bankruptcy process by avoiding paying for a bankruptcy lawyer. While it is possible to navigate the bankruptcy process on your own, there is a much lower success rate for individuals who try to file for bankruptcy without the help of a lawyer. While an attorney is not required to navigate the bankruptcy process, it is almost always a good idea to obtain the assistance of one. Other Costs Associated with the Bankruptcy Process Even after hiring an attorney, there are other costs associated with the bankruptcy process. The average filing fee for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy is reported to be $335. There are also additional fees that a [...]

2019-01-24T14:59:34+00:00Tags: , |

Renting an Apartment After Filing for Bankruptcy

Many people are aware that after they file for bankruptcy, details about the event will appear on their credit report for at least the next few years. Some people discover that the bankruptcy process impacts their ability to rent an apartment even after the bankruptcy is complete. Factors Landlords are Likely to Consider There are several factors that a landlord is likely to consider when deciding if a person is a good candidate to rent an apartment. Some of these factors include:   Disposable incomes. Landlords almost always place great emphasis on the amount of disposable income that a person has to pay rent. A landlord who owns a property will often be willing to listen to a person’s story about bankruptcy and consider extenuating factors. Employment history. Many landlords are concerned about a person’s job stability. In addition to a person’s employment history, a landlord will often be interested in the length of time that a person has been at a position, permanent employment, the person’s previous employment history, and the individual’s wage history.   Tips to Renting an Apartment After Bankruptcy There are several pieces of advice that a person can follow to increase his or her chances [...]

2019-01-12T17:26:42+00:00Tags: |

Personal Injury Claims and Bankruptcy

Filing for bankruptcy is a challenging part in many people’s lives because it involves a substantial amount of paperwork and complicated emotions. Because bankruptcy law is particularly challenging, it can be difficult to determine what to do. The bankruptcy process can be made even more complicated if the person who has filed for bankruptcy expects to receive compensation from a personal injury claim. The Role of a Bankruptcy Trustee When a person files for a bankruptcy petition, it creates a bankruptcy estate that is administered by a bankruptcy trustee. After this estate is created, a person has an obligation to disclose all details about assets and properties to the estate. It is critical to disclose information about compensation received in a personal injury lawsuit to a trustee. Discharging Debt in Bankruptcy If you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you will be allowed to clear most types of debt. The role of the bankruptcy trustee is to take your non-exempt assets and pay creditors using these proceeds before your debt can be discharged. In cases in which a person files for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, however, the individual’s debts are reorganized. The bankruptcy trustee mediates negotiations between the debtor and creditor to [...]