Looking for Some Financial Relief?

When someone decides to file for Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Fort Collins, it usually comes with some sould searching.  What factors generally lead someone to have to make this difficult decision?  Is it just people shopping all the time and poorly managing their money, or are there other factors generally at work?

Truth be told, some people have the financial calamities they do because of poor financial judgement, but this is not the vast majority of people.  Did you know that over half the people who file for bankruptcy do so because of medical bills?  Having a health calamity is generally more than most families can endure, especially when they do not have adaquate insurance coverage or the insurance company figures out a way to block them off for the next year.

What are some other bankruptcy causes?  Most of them are MAJOR events, like a divorce, a business completely failing, losing a job and not being able to find employment, having a sick child who requires a parent to be at home all the time…  These are events which generally are hard to plan for.  If you are facing one of these situations and have found you are unable to pay your bills, maybe it is time for you to considering hiring a bankruptcy attorney in Fort Collins.

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy Steps

If you are considering a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy filing in Fort Collins Colorado, there are some steps you need to be aware of in order for this to go smoothly!  Hiring a bankruptcy attorney in Fort Collins is your best bet, but some people want to try everything themselves.  Just to give you an idea of some of the things you’ll need to line up, we have decided to list them out for you.

• Simple evaluation.  Is Chapter 13 bankruptcy or Chapter 7 bankruptcy a better fit or simple debt renegotiation?
• File your petition.  There are many details which must be on your petition if you want an automatic stay to stop garnishments.
• Tax filings from the past year gets sent to the courts for review.
• Court fees get paid
• You attend a meeting of Creditors
• Attend the Confirmation Hearing
• Make payments to the trustee
• Take a debtor education course

Of course there are details in each of these steps.  This is why it makes sense to hire a bankruptcy attorney in Fort Collins to help you through this time.

Bankruptcy and the Need for Honesty

We deal with clients in Fort Collins who are concerned about their financial future.  A common thought process for people who have considered Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy in Fort Collins Colorado is to shelter their assets and try to sneak them through the other side of the Bankruptcy ruling.  We strongly encourage against such actions because of both legal and moral reasons.

Let’s start with the legal reasons, since that is why you are on this site in the first place.  If you make erroneous statements which can be proven were intenionally false, you can be charged with perjury and have a felony on your record.  Is keeping the big screen TV really worth having a felony?  The court will have access to all of your financial records and can research whatever is necessary to ensure you are dealing fairly with your creditors.  The court must satisfy two goals.  The first goal is that of protecting the victims of the bankruptcy, which is the creditors.  Secondly, they are aiming to give the filer of the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy a “fresh start.”

We are not here to preach morals, as you assuredly have friends, family, and a faith community to help with this.  However, we would strongly discourage lying as a means to try and acheive greater financial gains as going to bed with a clear conscience is worth far more than keeping a few bucks or that favorite toy.  Besides, once you are clear in your finances, who’s to say you can’t save up again and get a nicer version of that toy you really want to keep.  With a fresh start and some hard work, a bankruptcy filing in Fort Collins can be the fresh start that helps turn around your financial future.  That is our goal in taking you on as a client, and we hope your goal is to do things intelligently, but legally in your bankruptcy filing in Fort Collins Colorado.