Bankruptcy Case- Chapter 7 Or Chapter 13?

The main purpose of bankruptcy laws is to give people overburdened with debt a fresh financial start. Bankruptcy filings are public records. However, under normal circumstances, no one will know about the bankruptcy. Credit Bureaus will maintain a record of the bankruptcy and it will remain on the credit record for 10 years. The most common reasons for bankruptcy filings are unemployment, large medical expenses; seriously overextended credit; marital problems, and other large unexpected expenses.
There are two ways a debtor can go bankrupt. The first and most common way is for an individual to file a voluntary petition asking the Court to allow bankruptcy. The second, and rarely used way, is for creditors to ask the Court to make an Order that a person is bankrupt. In this way, a creditor can gain payment, at least in part, for debts a debtor is refusing to pay. In both these cases a Bankruptcy Trustee is required to administer the bankruptcy.
There are two different types of legal bankruptcy proceedings.
Chapter 7, also called a straight bankruptcy, is a liquidation proceeding. The debtor gives all non-exempt property to a bankruptcy trustee who then converts it to cash for distribution to creditors. The debtor is freed from all dischargeable debts, usually within 4 months. Chapter 7 is filed in cases where the debtor has few assets to lose, so this option gives a relatively quick release from debts. A debtor can file Chapter 7 again if more than 8 years have passed since discharge of a previous Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Continue reading

Bankruptcy Alternatives Explained

There are many steps you can take in efforts to improve your credit, eliminate your debt, and avoid bankruptcy. Which should be the ultimate goal of all people, while bankruptcy is an excellent method of helping you clear up your debt, it should only be used as a last resort. Bankruptcy remains on your credit for up to ten years and it could result in the inability to retain any other type of credit until it has been removed or several years has passed.
On thing that a debtor can do, this is especially true if they have no income or assets, is to do nothing. Yes that is right nothing, if you have no assets or income that can be garnished bankruptcy would not benefit you in any way, your financial situation would not change as a result. It is likely that without anything of high value, credits would not attempt to take any court action against you because there would be nothing they could collect.
Another step you could take is to undergo credit counseling, you would learn how to manage your money to reduce the debt. You could create a budget that contains your monthly income and expenses, thus reducing expenses. By doing this, any extra money you have could go towards reducing the debt you owe to creditors. Continue reading

Bankruptcy Basics

Bankruptcy is a dreaded word, which can give goose bumps of almost every individual who hears it and even a nervous breakdown to those who confront it. Bankruptcy stands for the situation when a person runs into huge debts and there is hardly any money left with him to repay those debts. The clouds of bankrupt situation can hover over anybody’s life be it a successful business man who has never ever fathomed it, or any greenhorn entrepreneur who had thought of going a long way ahead.
There are several reasons behind this insolvency.
Indebtedness-people usually take big loans from the banks and private companies in order to run successfully their business or company. However, since the economy is constantly fluctuating, one might not be able to incur expected results or profits. So, the loan debt with interest rates gets piling on. The loan can also be taken to pay off a bill that you missed paying. The loan is taken instantly in this case without an assessment of the interest rates. This can be cause snags later.
The credit card bills are also a source of trouble. They are charged with good interest and at the end of the month when the expenditure has chewed your month’s income; the credit card bill can make you bite the dust.
In the world today where fraud and betrayals are considered to be the bets virtues, any partner or shareholder or director might connive to pitch the company or business to bankruptcy. Here the reasons can be mutual squabbles and vengeance.
Gradual denouncement from the market- the commodity you sell today at price X, may be sold tomorrow by some other company at a much cheaper price Y. This can oust or eject your product from the market replacing it with a relatively cheaper one. Continue reading