Get a New Financial Start with this New Year

Posted by Kevin on January 21, 2018 under Bankruptcy Blog | Comments are off for this article

The beginning of a year is a good time to take stock of yourself.  People routinely make New Year’s resolutions about diet, exercise, going back to school.

Are your debts getting out of control?  Worried about harassing telephone calls from debt collectors?  Getting sued?  Wages being garnished?  Now is the right time to do some financial assessment.  Bankruptcy may be the right tool for you to put your financial problems in the rear view mirror.

A New Start with Chapter 7

With Chapter 7 “straight bankruptcy” you get a new start very fast. As soon as your case is filed most of your creditors can’t collect their debts against you. They can’t go after your money or your property. Then usually about 3-4 months later the bankruptcy court enters an order discharging your debts. As quick as that, you become debt-free. The only exceptions would possibly be debts you want to keep and special debts you can’t discharge under the Bankruptcy Code.. Debts you might want to keep could include a vehicle loan or home mortgage. Debts you can’t discharge include recent income taxes, unpaid child and spousal support, and criminal fines.

A New Start with Chapter 13

With Chapter 13 “adjustment of debts” the new start is more nuanced, but sometimes much better.

Just as with Chapter 7 your creditors can’t take any action to collect their debts as of the moment you file your case. But under Chapter 13 that protection from creditors lasts not just a few months but for years. You finish your Chapter 13 payment plan in  3 to 5 years. Whatever debts you have not paid off get discharged. The final discharge of debts happens much later but in the meantime you can get many benefits unavailable under Chapter 7. You can deal in creative ways with special debts like home mortgages and car loans. Same thing with income taxes and child support arrearages that can’t be discharged. Plus you get protection from collection actions against any co-signers that you don’t get under Chapter 7.

Don’t kick the can down the road.  Take control.  We are available for consultation.

Satisfying the Debtor Education Requirement

Posted by Kevin on November 27, 2017 under Bankruptcy Blog | Comments are off for this article

In a prior blog, we talked about the credit counseling course that a debtor must take before he or she can file under Chapter 7 or 13.  After the petition is filed, the debtor must take the debtor education course.  This is sometimes called the personal financial management course.

The course is given by a non profit budget and credit counseling agency approved by the United States Trustee.  The course is usually taken online but, depending on the provider, can be done over the phone, or even in person.  The  purpose of the course is to provide the debtor with insight into his or her current financial situation which led to the bankruptcy, and how to budget income and expenses to avoid financial problems going forward.

The debtor education course requirement was part of the 2005 amendments to the Bankruptcy Code.  As I stated in the blog dealing with the credit counseling course, in my opinion, one of unspoken policies for the 2005 amendments to the Bankruptcy Code was to discourage bankruptcy filings by making them more time consuming and expensive.   The debtor education course requirement (just as the credit counseling course requirement) is an additional hoop through which a debtor is forced to jump.  Hate to sound cynical, but in the 12 years since the 2005 amendments, I have never had a debtor tell me how valuable either course was.

So, what happens if you decide to save a few bucks by not taking the debtor education course.  The punishment is draconian.  No course taken- no certificate of completion filed with the Clerk of the Bankruptcy Court, no discharge.  That means that your debts are not wiped out.

I remind my clients at the meeting of creditors that if they have not already taken the debtor education course, they should do so immediately.

Let’s say you mess up and don’t take the course.  Any recourse?  You may be able to re-open your case to take the course and file the certificate of completion.  However, you will incur additional legal and filing fees.  In the meanwhile, because your debts are not discharged, your creditors can take action to collect of their debts.  Finally, there is some risk that the judge will not let you reopen the case.  Don’t put yourself in that position.