What is Bankruptcy for You?

Bankruptcy is a process of the federal court that is aimed at helping both businesses and individuals in clearing up their debts and repaying under the protection given by the bankruptcy court. There are basically two types: liquidation and reorganization. Liquidation bankruptcy, under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code, occurs when you plead the court to have your debts discharged. Some of your properties will then be liquidated or sold by the bankruptcy court, returns of which shall be divided among your creditors. This type of bankruptcy proceeding lasts for four to six months which is quite fast and only one appearance at the courthouse...

Saturday, March 31, 2012

Lets Talk about Loan Modification and Bankruptcy



A lot more people are getting into debt with the kind of violent marketing credit card issuers do. Before 2008, banking institutions loosened many of the credit score principles when getting housing and car loans so people could order more residences and automobiles even if they couldn't afford it. This was a recipe for disaster, as virtually any bankruptcy lawyer in Las Vegas is all too concerned, and getting out of debt can be an extremely tricky process.

Loan modification

One method to get rid of debt is through loan modification. Both you and your lender will go over on a lowered settlement for your debts that will be regarded as your entire settlement. Many who are experiencing problems repaying the money they owe are investing in loan modification to manage their rising pile of credit card debt, specially with credit cards.

The problem with loan modification, as any debt settlement attorney will explain, is that there won't be any laws that necessitate your creditors to agree to a modification. You could be paying a great deal of cash to a debt modification agency and your creditors can still decline to the loan modification.


This will leave you with more issues. A debt consolidation agency will tell you to stop shelling out your creditors and pay them back instead, expecting your payments to reach a high enough level so that they can come up with a proposal to your creditors on debt consolidation. Much of your settlement goes to the agency's costs, and no repayments are made to your creditors. What makes this not a great option for coping with your financial troubles is the fact that creditors can still decline to the offer. 

Filing for bankruptcy

What a bankruptcy lawyer in Las Vegas will advise you is that saying that you'll be bankrupt can be a better move. If you apply for Chapter 13 or Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you are invoking legal guidelines that not only offer you protection from creditors but might also provide you with the right opportunity to clear out your debt and regain your financial footing.

People are possibly fearful or unsure about submitting bankruptcy as a result of countless beliefs behind it. They think it will attach to them a stigma that will endlessly tarnish their name. Many think that bankruptcy will not only stick them with a poor credit rating but also take their qualities away.

It's correct that claiming bankruptcy will hit you with a poor credit rating. This, though, only stays with you for around seven to ten years, and there are still ways to get credit and loans during that period. Chapter 7 and 13, surprisingly to most, can actually save your house and/or car.

Although your filing is a matter of public record, bankruptcy court does not go about telling everyone in your circle that you filed for Chapter 7 or 13. Your employer will not be informed, if you are afraid it can affect your work.

Finally, any bankruptcy lawyer in Las Vegas will advise you that bankruptcy clears your financial slate. Filing bankruptcy allows you to not only leave that deep hole of debt but also make a fresh start. It could get rough at first, but at least you can come out of it with a clean record.


Source:  http://www.articlesbase.com/banking-articles/debt-settlement-attorney-talks-about-loan-modification-and-bankruptcy-5779409.html

Now You Will Know How to Collect Debt



There are a lot of debtors who would inquire to lend money to use it as credit card help, this is when you'll need tips on how to collect debt. You should be smart enough to make the right actions to be taken in order to make the right credit card help actions. Here is a way on how to collect debt. 

1. When you are about to make a step on how to collect debt. Be ready, read all the information about the debtor, especially the history of the any help for dept settlements made, such as credit card help on the settlement made, knowing tools on how to collect debt, the account, credit card help that they have used record and the proposed date and to be paid, but left undone, check if there are any reason of not committing to the proposal and your strategy on how to collect debt failed. Have all the information when you are calling the debtor, for you to use in asking for the money, so that you can respond properly to the debtor with guide on how to collect debt properly. This for you to know if the debtor is giving you the same payment proposal or the same reason for the payment delay with a strategy on how to collect debt successfully. 


2. Be calm and be professional with guide on help for dept collection, perfectly in mind while talking to the debtor, this will prevent tension between you and the debtor. Consider that the debtor is not happy or uncomfortable with being asked to pay debts, this will make them irritable. Use the right and proper words from the help for dept collection guide while having conversation with the debtor.
3. Be ready to offer your own payment proposal, to give your debtor choices on how to pay their debt, through this, you are more secure that the proposed payment proposal is feasible, use your tools on help for dept collection guide. It would be good too if you listen and accept payment proposal coming from the debtor, but you will not be assured, even if you know how to collect debt. If you do accept the payment proposal made by the debtor, try to check on the methods of payment that the debtor intends to use and check it with your how to collect debt guide. Take notes on the important details on the payment proposal, for reference and future use, to improve how to collect debt strategy.
4. When you know how to collect debt, be efficient in doing this task, as to save your time and effort as well as the debtor's time and effort. But be direct with your point and ask for direct answers too, if possible, but do it in the right manner, to avoid tension, it's part of how to collect debt properly. Tension will make it harder for you to contact the debtor, since this time, they will ignore you even more. Before you make a step on how to collect debt properly, be sure to have exact information, such as the exact date and amount will the debtor pay, with this, you will have exact dates to follow up the exact payments. This means you know how to collect debt.
5. You could also avail of collector's agency they know many ways on how to collect dept either with the credit card help actions.

This is just a way on how to collect debt, and it is up to you to execute correctly each step or action provided to get a good help for dept collection. 
Source:http://www.financebusinessarticles.com 

Simple Management of your Debt Plan Payments can Helps you to Avoid Common Problems



The whole focus of debt solutions is to address a problem rather than simply to create a different one. Again and again on our debt management plan forum we communicate with debtors that are finding it hard to maintain their debt management plan payments. Here we will explore some frequent problems and commonsense solutions to them that are relevant to payments during a debt management plan.

Commonly people feel under pressure to start a debt management plan they cannot afford because they really want to put a debt solution in place. Debtors should not feel pressurised to accept an unaffordable DMP. Why could this occur? Whether your debt management planprovider is charging you, or you are joining a free to client debt management plan practitioner, the reality is they stand to gain financially if you pay more. Reliable DMP providers won't exploit this position, but there are others who will.



The second consideration is to make sure your requirements truly are met by the expenditure budgets that are set. Understandable outgoings include payments like your mortgage,accommodation costs, council tax, utility bills, groceries, and so on. The majority of us have a reasonable awareness of what we spend on these things. Seldom expenses like school excursions, attire, home and car maintenance, haircuts and car tax are still fundamental but could be more difficult to calculate. Has your DMP provider encouraged or allowed you to save money for these expenses?

Even if you can get further credit to cover for these infrequent expenses it might not be wise. Instead it is be smarter to account for these costs in advance. Open up a 2nd bank account and every month place cash into it. You can then use this amount to spend on unexpected necessary purchases. If you are strict about doing this there will be funds available when a pipe leaks or your children need new school uniforms.

What if the unexpected happens and you are subject to reduced income shock whilst in yourdebt management plan? If you are made unemployed temporarily we'd advise that you shouldn't continue paying your debt management plan unless you have a solid financial buffer from which to honour it. A debt management plan focuses on non-priority debts, this means that when income is tough different priorities like your mortgage, letting fees, council tax, gas and electricity must be placed first. Your debt management plan company, if they're any good, will be able to communicate with your creditors to secure you a bit longer to get a renewed source of funds.

What if your expenditure rise within your debt management plan because you accept out additional finance? We do not suggest you secure more loans once you commit to a debt management plan. However, if it does happen, contact your debt management plan advisor and seek their suggestions on how to progress. It may be the case that the debt can be merged into the debt management plan yet for obvious reasons this is nest avoided if at all feasible.

If you want your DMP to proceed smoothly you should be careful with your cash flow and speak to your DMP operator immediately if your circumstances change.
Source: http://www.financebusinessarticles.com 

Strategies Helps to Relieve Debt Crisis



Surveys and research studies in several developed and developing countries have revealed that there is a small yet significant percentage of population that suffers from the stress of debt loans. The surveys show that the families take a loan for personal purposes and then fail to pay back the premiums and loan amounts every month. Today's era is highlighted by high inflationary conditions and successive recessions. Companies are often confronted with the idea of how to downsize its employee list and how to do it in a subtle manner. As soon as the job goes out of hand, the means to pay back the debt reduce further pushing the person into remote levels of depression and stress. This is where debt reduction companies anddebt reduction programs conducted by several companies come into the picture. Here are some useful tips that you could use to fight your debts and handle your credit card settlements effectively.
Engage in a debt reduction program
These programs are usually organized by debt settlement companies to attract those who are stuck with a high debt loan to pay back. This is basically a negotiation session where the credit along with the collector will be present to discuss ideas on how the debt can be reduced for you to pay back. A counseling session will help you in understand what kind of a debt relief option you would want to go for. Here, the settlement company will first analyze your returns and financial figures to assess the situation. The second step is when you stop making payments to the creditor but instead open a trust fund account where you will be depositing monthly savings. When the savings reach the loan amount, they are transferred to the creditor's account. The debt reduction program can give you a huge relief from stress and tension.
Do not panic The thing that you should never do during a debt ridden stage in life is panic. When you panic, you lose the state of your mind and you end up making a lot of wrong decisions, resulting in anything but more debt. When you realize that you have a huge debt to pay back or a credit card settlement pending for years, you need to sit down and think wisely. Panicking can only make things worse. Take the help of debt experts.
Snowball method of debt reduction
This is a method that can often be employed to clear debt loans. In this method, you are first advised to arrange your debts from those with lowest balance to the one with the highest balance. After paying the minimum premium on all your debts, start by making an extra payment on the one with minimum balance. As soon as the debt is cleared on the first one, go to the other. This is a method that works with credit card settlements as well. These are three user friendly tips that can restrict debts to a significant level where it would not trouble you anymore. Having an organized list of the debt payments and premium will help in balancing accounts and eliminating treachery.

Friday, March 30, 2012

You will Know How to take Charge Of Your Debts



The rising cost of living and dying has made people more reliant on loans and credit that most people have been indebted to someone at some point in their lives. A debt is an obligation that should be paid and accounted for no matter how meager the amount.

Being in debt is normal considering that no one has a monopoly of all the money in the world. People will always have the tendency to accumulate debts no matter how rich. In fact, rich people have more debts than poor people because they have more needs and they have more collateral or security.

Being indebted isn't something that you should be ashamed of provided you are a responsible debtor. This means the money was used for a very good cause or purpose and the debtor is religious in looking after his responsibility to pay his debts.

Even a person who is savvy is financial management can get into debt for one reason or another. However, a person who is good in managing his finances should also be good in managing his debts. Managing debts would include the ability to know how much a person owes and from where he would get the money to pay such debts.

The ability to know the total indebtedness is a must in debt management because the person who is in debt is aware of the total amount he has to produce to pay off his debts. There are people who don't practice good debt management and they keep borrowing money without being able to monitor how much they already owe people or the financial institutions.

Debt management means that at the time the loan was made, the borrower knows where he would source the payment for such debt. This makes the debt manageable because it would appear that the person has some source of income and he is just not liquid at the time he borrowed the money.

People who don't have a steady source of income should be discouraged from borrowing because there is a tendency for their debts to pile up without being paid at all. Unemployed people who resort to borrowing for their essential expenses like food and daily subsistence would borrow from another creditor to pay off a debt that is already due and demandable. The same thing happens to the second and the next loans after which it becomes a cycle.

A person who is indebted to someone should take an inventory of his assets that can be used to pay off his debts. There is no problem if the debtor is looking at a possible income that hasn't yet been encashed or paid. Such unpaid income can be considered an asset which can be used to pay his debts.

Debts are easily made but they are difficult to pay. Thus, every person should be careful when borrowing money form others. Make sure that you have something to pay for the debt like an incoming income or check, or assets that can be sold to pay off the debt.

Some people get indebted by virtue of loans which have varying interest rates. This means that aside from the principal amount borrowed, the debtors still have to pay for the interest rate. A person who borrowed $100 at ten percent interest rate per month will have to pay the principal plus the interest rate of $10 per month. Some interest rates are based on the actual balance like if the debtor has already paid $20 then the interest rates would only be pegged on the balance of $80. However, there are some interest rates pegged at the original amount borrowed.

While being in debt is a natural thing, every person should learn how to manage his debt and how to stay out of debt if possible. One of the major factors why most Americans are indebted today is the misuse of credit cards.

Credit cards are those plastic cards that can be used to pay for almost any purchase even if you don't have cash. People find it easier to spend when using their cards because they just swipe it and voila----it works like a genie granting their every wish!

However, most people who fail to use their credit cards wisely become indebted and are faced with legal actions for failing to pay their cards when they become due and demandable.

Go ahead, borrow if you must but always take charge of your debts to make sure they don't lead you to declaring insolvency or bankruptcy.
Source http://www.freearticles.com/article/How-To-Take-Charge-Of-Your-Debts/1695

Always Try to Control High Interest Debt



Your net worth is your assets minus your liabilities. Liabilities are debts. The more debts you owe, the lower your net worth will be. Plus whenever you have debts, you also pay for the interest, that’s why you lose more. 

For practical reasons, it’s understandable why people sign up for loans. Take for example, buying a car or a home, it’s hard to shell out cash here and there. That’s why debt is a tool that when used wisely can benefit the borrower. However, the borrower must comprehend that a debt is still a debt and must be paid in due time – with interest. 

When people don’t manage their money well, they get in financial trouble. It’s a cycle. They run short of cash, that’s why they borrow. Then they’re not able to stick to a budget so they can’t pay the debt. 

Reasons why people get into serious debt are:
- Unemployment
- High cause of medical bills
- Settling divorce finances
- Spend-aholic or could not control spending
- Wasn’t able to save
- Not in the know on financial and credit matters

When talking about health, prevention is always better than cure. That’s the same with your money, better to save for a rainy day. Here are some tips:

- Make a budget and do your best to stick to it. When it’s payday, have an amount allotted for the bills that have to be paid as soon as possible. This includes setting aside some for credit card debts. 
- Save 10% of your salary for emergency. You don’t know what could happen the next day, next week or next month. 
- When you have a choice of buying a purchase for a lower and practical price, then go for that one. Think, think, think before investing on something. 
- If you have to borrow, research on the loan. Study the interest rate and the penalty fees. Then after borrowing, make a budget of how much you can save so that you can pay when called for. 

It is common understanding that when you take out a loan, you repay the principal. The principal is the amount that you borrowed plus the interest. 

You can control your credit card debt by looking at the interest rates of any loan you’re considering to sign up for before doing so. Interest rates vary and it is practical that you get one where you wouldn’t lose as much. 

As much as possible, have at least one or two credit cards. Too much credit cards in your wallet can indulge you in buying something you don’t really need. You just buy it because you know you can. However, you’re not sure if you can pay off your debt when the occasion arises. 

If you want to cut down on high credit card bills, you can:

- Pay cash instead

- Limit yourself on charging. Record it and do your best to not exceed that amount. You must always, always keep track. 

- Choose the credit card which offers the lowest interest rate and has no annual fee. 

- Just because you’re getting a free gift or a discount on a purchase, you’ll sign up for that credit card. This is their marketing strategy for possible customers.

- Most importantly, pay bills on time. This is for you to avoid late charges, plus additional interests.


Just bear this in mind: if you don’t pay on time then it would be reflected on your credit history. This could result to you having a hard time borrowing the next time. Banks and other credit lenders check your credit history before they grant your loan. Creditors look at the recent two-year history and those who have credit record that contains a lot of late payments, delinquencies or defaults may not be able to get the loan. 

To put it simply, in order for you to invest, the best advice we could give is to choose the right loan. 

Look for the lowest interest rate. The interest that you save can be spent on other investments. 

Studies show that by increasing your monthly payments, it can shorten the payment term on your loan. The longer you wait, the higher the interest you’re paying. Besides, signing up for a shorter payment term equals less agony when it comes to coming up with the money to pay the debt. 

The key is maximizing your net worth by minimizing your liabilities and maximizing your assets. Know how much you have and strategize on how you can increase it without losing much of it just to pay for debts.
Sorce http://www.freearticles.com/article/Control-High-Interest-Debt/1697

Be carful there can be a Debt Consolidators



Debt consolidators usually attract positive attention at the start because they give the impression that they will neatly arrange all your debts into an organized and even lighter one. Their campaigns make debt relief seem to be so straightforward. They will just consolidate all your bills and convert the interest rates to as low as 0%. Unfortunately, people who have fallen prey to them have experiences worse than the opposite of these empty promises. 


Normal tendency when experiencing financial crisis is to get loans to cover up for previous credits. This being a well-known phenomenon, debt consolidators do their best to entice people into these types of situations with debt consolidation loans which promise easy and immediate processing and approval as well as lower monthly payments and interest rates. Being close to desperation, people tend to become easily lured by such and grab them without a second thought. 


If these people only compute how much they actually pay in totality, they will surely be surprised that it is a lot higher. Sure, the monthly payments are lower but this is mainly because they are spread over a longer period of time. What are usually unnoticed are the interest rates which are, in fact, higher. In most instances, rates go as high as 21% or 22% and these subtly and discreetly wring people in their necks while burying them deeper into a financial rut. 


Debt consolidators also assure customers that they will be in charge of everything. They will apparently coordinate with your creditors. All that is left to do is make one easy payment every month. However, what happens in reality is that they actually charge for such service by taking hold of about 10% of payment given monthly. This is about $50 for every $500 monthly payment. Instead of such amount being used to significantly reduce debt, it automatically goes to the deceiving hands of debt consolidators. 


Most of their services are obviously those which you can do on your own given the right information. You yourself can negotiate with your creditors to make payments more manageable in the light of a current financial difficulty. You need not shell out such a big amount for that. Most creditors are willing to bend a little if only they will be aware of the circumstances. 


What makes doing the negotiations and payments on your own a lot better is that certain cases have already been reported where the debt consolidators themselves are making late payments. They regularly ask the payment from their customers but they remit them late thus causing the customers more charges which they are not made aware of. Such will only be added up to the monthly payments unnoticed. 


Balance transfer cards are also prevalent nowadays which are usual debt consolidation tools. Just the same, they promise lower interest rates. However, you have to take note that such low rates aren't going to be the case forever. After a few months, they will increase. Of course, when that happens, you will look for another provider. The network of credit companies sees this kind of activity and considers you as a risk thinking that something else is behind your switching. Thus, your switching may not be approved and you are left without a choice but hold on to the card and suffer with its high rates. 


It is obviously wiser to think of other options instead of resorting to the services of debt consolidators. Home equity loans, for example, are better options because of their single-digit interest rates which are even tax-deductible. In such cases also, since you do have a home equity, your property may be up for a higher amount refinancing. In turn, you can use the excess money to settle your debts. You may also try personal loans especially if you used to have a good credit history. The interest rate may still be high, around 11%, but this remains to be a better alternative as compared to the 20%++ rate of debt consolidators.


There are several other options that you can try out. If you want to know more about them, you can seek advice and gather information from certain organizations providing credit counselling. Once you have the information that you need, you deal with the situation yourself. Most debt consolidators have already been proven to be unhelpful thus should not take part in your alternatives anymore. You need not worry about being exposed to harassment as there are laws such as the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act to protect you.


Source http://www.freearticles.com/article/Beware-Of-Catchy-Debt-Consolidators/1693

More Closer Look At Bankruptcy



Bankruptcy is a process of the federal court that is aimed at helping both businesses and individuals in clearing up their debts and repaying under the protection given by the bankruptcy court. There are basically two types: liquidation and reorganization. 

Liquidation bankruptcy, under Chapter 7 of the bankruptcy code, occurs when you plead the court to have your debts discharged. Some of your properties will then be liquidated or sold by the bankruptcy court, returns of which shall be divided among your creditors. This type of bankruptcy proceeding lasts for four to six months which is quite fast and only one appearance at the courthouse is necessary. It is very convenient and doesn't require payments stretched over time. 

Chapter 7 bankruptcy isn't available to everyone, though. You may won't benefit from it if in the past six to eight years, you have benefited from a bankruptcy discharge. Likewise, if after examination of your income, expenses, and overall debt, it was found out that the other type of bankruptcy proceeding is more appropriate, then you can't insist on pursuing this kind. Veterans who are now disabled and who incurred their debt at the time of their active duty are almost automatically allowed to file. In addition, those people whose debts are caused by running a business are qualified as well. For those people not belonging to any of these categories, certain criteria must be met. 

The criteria has been affected by the new rules imposed on bankruptcy. One of the considerations is your current monthly income which in turn will be compared against the median income for a family of similar size in your state. This isn't your income at the time of your filing. Instead, it is your average income for the past six months before filing. Social Security benefits like retirement and disability benefits aren't included in the computation. If your income appears to be enough to support the other type of bankruptcy proceeding in spite of permitted expenses and payments for child support, tax debts, and others, liquidation bankruptcy is unfortunately not allowed.

Many people, if given a choice, would prefer this type since repayment of a portion of the debt is unnecessary. You may lose some of your properties but some courts permit some sort of a leeway that doesn't take all to give you something to start with afterwards. 

On the other hand, reorganization bankruptcy, usually under Chapter 13, happens when you file to a bankruptcy court a plan on how you intend to settle your debts. You indicate how much each of your creditors will get, depending on your finances. There will be a three- or five-year repayment plan, only after which can you be discharged of your debts, if any still remains. At times, however, due to obvious financial difficulties, the court itself decides to give a discharge earlier than planned and this is what usually happens. 

An additional requirement for both types of bankruptcy is completion of credit counselling conducted by an agency recognized and approved by the United States Trustee’s office. This helps you look closely at the situation at hand and identify if bankruptcy is really essential. This allows you to see several possibilities of informal repayment which you may have overlooked in the past. Even if such is obviously impossible, counselling remains a major requirement. 

Furthermore, completion of post-counselling is required after the proceedings. This aims to teach you financial management to avoid encountering the same situation in the future. The bankruptcy discharge will not be released unless this is fulfilled. 
Bankruptcy may be beneficial for both the debtor and creditor. This is a way of recognizing one’s responsibilities and mistakes that led to the financial difficulty. The entire process takes into consideration both parties’ interests and leads to the development of an action plan that fulfils them. As such, this law shouldn't be abused by any debtor thinking that a court is there to intervene.

Bankruptcy, although generally advantageous, must be considered as a last resort. You should, in all circumstances, work hard to be in full control of your finances to avoid being estranged in difficulties. Discipline is indeed a very crucial trait that must be maintained at all times.
Sorce http://www.freearticles.com/article/A-Closer-Look-At-Bankruptcy/1691