Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Facts You Should Consider When Filing For Bankruptcy In Chicago

By Ruth Schmidt


Bad spending habits, losing your job, or even just not paying attention to your financial situation, can leave you in serious debt. As these debts accumulate, some people will try to get help from friends or get loans, to try and get out of this situation, while others will not be bothered. At some point, running away from creditors may get too tiresome, and you might decide to file for bankruptcy in Chicago. Before taking this step, it is important for you to understand what will happen.

In order to determine which clause you should file under, you will need to do a means test. This will look at your gross monthly income, against the total amount of arrears you owe. Whether your debts are secured or unsecured will also have to be considered. Most people file under chapter thirteen or eleven. However, they are other options like chapter eleven and chapter twelve, but these are limited to specific creditors, and people specific professions.

Another thing you may discover is that this will not be way out for all your money problems. Some debts like child support and even school loans will not be forgiven, and you need to come up with a plan to pay them. Your creditors will also be allowed to contest your case, and if they win, you will have to pay them in full.

Once you go ahead and file this case, the documents will be part of the public record. This might make some people wary of you, and might also cost you a few friends once the word gets out. For individuals who have many non-exempt possessions, this might be reposed by the court, to settle the debts.

Filing this case will affect you credit rating for up to ten years. This might make it difficult to get a loan, or to take a mortgage. However, there are some lenders who specialize in lending money to high-risk individuals at higher rates. You will also find that after clearing your debt, you can start working on rebuilding your credit.

If after reviewing all your options bankruptcy is still the best, then you will have to hire a lawyer. You should invest in getting someone who specializes in handling these cases. This way, you will be able to rest easy, while they handle your situation for you. You should do some research in order to end up with someone who is competent, and has a good reputation.

Even if money might be scarce, you still need to pay your attorney. With this in mind, avoid hiring someone because their rated are very low in a bid to save money. They might end up costing you even more in the long run. Due to your financial situation, you will find that most lawyers will require you to pay a particular sum of money upfront.

Even if your debts get wiped out, you still need to reevaluate your relationship with money to ensure you do not end up in debt again. This can easily be done by scheduling a meeting with a financial counselor, who can quickly detect the problem and give you a tailor made solution.




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