Get a New Financial Start with this New Year

 Posted on January 01, 2018 in Bankruptcy

Get a new financial start for 2018. Stop creditor pressures immediately, write off all or most debts, and responsibly deal with the rest.

An Overall New Financial Start

Get a new start by discharging (permanently, legally writing off) all or most of your debts. If you have mostly consumer or small business debts you have two main choices about how to make this happen.

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. 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.

Imagine if you filed a Chapter 7 case this month. Immediately your creditors could no longer chase you or anything of yours. All or most of your debts would forever be gone by April or May. The remaining critical debt or two you’d be able to handle sensibly. That quickly you’d have a new financial start.

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. 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. You often have much more flexibility with secured debts like home mortgages and car loans. Same thing with income taxes and child support arrearages, among others, that can’t be discharged. Plus you get protection from collection actions against any co-signers that you don’t get under Chapter 7.

You finish your Chapter 13 payment plan in usually 3 to 5 years. Whatever debts you have not paid off get discharged. You are debt-free with limited exceptions like a home mortgage you want to still pay.

Under Chapter 13 you get immediate relief and a new start through a reasonable payment plan based on your budget. Then when that plan is done it’s followed by a full new start with (virtually) no remaining debts.

So, if you filed a Chapter 13 case this month, immediately your creditors could not chase you or any co-signers. You’d enter into a doable payment plan to handle your special debts in ways much better than Chapter 7. And when that plan is paid off you’ll have a full new financial start.