Bankruptcy and Your Emotions

Read this page from top to bottom. (Then read it again…and again…and again.)

In a world where the airline industry requires a $15 billion dollar bailout, in a country where MCI has filed for bankruptcy, where United Airlines has filed for bankruptcy, where the economy has shed 350,000 jobs in the space of two years, you should feel bad about filing bankruptcy? Bankruptcy is the original social security net. It was created by the founding fathers of our country as a way to protect the citizenry from overbearing and unruly creditors. The Bankruptcy Code is the last vestige of consumer law that is truly beneficial to the consumer. Bankruptcy is a financial decision, not an emotional one. No one thinks you are less of a person for declaring bankruptcy. Do you think MCI or United Airlines are lesser companies for declaring bankruptcy? Remember, even Walt Disney filed for bankruptcy at one point.

Do not feel bad about declaring bankruptcy. Every day people sit across from us and say “I was raised to pay my bills.” We agree with you. We were all raised that way. But, your parents did not grow up in the consumer credit driven society of today. Did your parents have a lot of credit cards? Probably not. Credit to them meant having an account down at the local butcher’s shop. Credit today means something entirely different and unfortunately, none of us were ever taught how to handle credit or what the true cost of credit is.

Many people find that life after bankruptcy is much more satisfying, much less stressful. Living without debt is a truly rewarding experience! There is nothing stopping you except yourself and your own perceptions about what bankruptcy means. Do you think Capital One, Providian, American Express, First Bank, MBNA or Fleet Credit Card really care about you as a consumer? They are large companies out to do one thing. . . make money. That is why businesses exist. To make money. It’s a simple truth and there’s nothing wrong with that principle. But please don’t be fooled into thinking that large creditors or the person answering the phone at the call center is on your side. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

Perhaps you thought about consumer credit counseling. But this is not the most viable option either. Most credit counseling agencies are nothing more than scams. Not all creditors will work with counseling agencies. Many credit counseling agencies advertise themselves as ‘non-profit’, but why do you think this means they are free services? Simply because they are non-profit, doesn’t mean they are free. Many of our clients who were former credit counseling clients were appalled when out of their $150.00 per month payment, $50.00 was going to the counseling agency. Does that sound like ‘non-profit’?

Do not be duped into thinking you are doing something wrong and do not be misled by creditors saying you cannot file bankruptcy. Of course you can file bankruptcy. Anyone can, it’s your right as a debtor and a citizen. The bankruptcy law is the original social security net provided by our forefathers. America’s founders wanted to do away with the idea of a debtor’s prison. The truth of the matter is we might have done away with the physical confinement of a cell, but there’s no doubt that today’s society still allows for a debtor’s prison to exist, if only in our minds.

So break out of jail and talk to us. No one can interfere with your right to file bankruptcy. That little clause in your contract with the creditor that says you can’t file bankruptcy is false. Even the IRS cannot stop you from filing bankruptcy.

Stop for a minute and consider the alternative. Take a look into the future and stop thinking about what you had, but instead, what you have now and what you will have tomorrow. Is the situation getting any better? Most of us think that if only we could unwind some key event then we would not be in this situation. But that’s hiding the truth. You have to deal with what is going on now. Creditors are calling, the house is up for foreclosure, the license has been suspended for non-payment of tickets, you are using payday loans. Even if things turned around tomorrow, would it be enough to allow you to pay back your debt?

So you think to yourself, “I don’t want to declare bankruptcy. I was taught not to do that.” It’s time to question your lessons. You are losing sleep, you’re stressed out because you can’t pay the bills, you’re fighting with your spouse or significant other. This is not a way to live. Should you continue to try and slog your way uphill against an ever increasing mountain of bills and past due accounts sacrificing your health and relationships for a creditor? You know the answer to that question.

Call us today and find out how we can make your life easier and better. Let us show you what declaring bankruptcy truly means. You’ll be amazed at what we can do and you will be amazed that bankruptcy is not a furtherance of your debt problems, but a solution. Call us today.