Understanding Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

by Joseph Then

By the time you finish reading this, you will know more about Chapter 13 bankruptcy. As we all know there are a number of different types of bankruptcy and it is essential to at least know the difference. Chapter 13 is not available for all kinds of situations and it should only be filed by the best qualified candidate.

Basic Outline of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

Chapter 13 can be filed by individuals. It can only be filed by an individual who has a steady and secure source of income.

A Chapter 13 is a repayment plan. Debts are not wiped clean. Instead the individual agrees to a plan in court that established repayment of debts. Creditors also must agree to the plan, which is based on the individual’s income.

The Filing Process

The new bankruptcy laws require you to first eek counseling about your credits. You will then need to file paperwork before the process of Chapter 13 begins.

After that process is done, your income and debts are gone through and a payment plan will be drawn out according to your income. However, both the creditors and you, and most importantly the court have to agree with the plan.

As you can see, this is a lot of work and also time consuming as there are a lot of paperwork to be done and also court hearings to attend. However, the best suggestion I can offer you is that you should have a lawyer who can help you with negotiations with creditors. This may not be easy but trust me, it is worth the trouble. This way, you have nothing to worry about.

It may take up a lot of you time before it gets finalize but you will be on the winning end after all the trouble you went through.

What You Need to Know

After you have read all these, you may be wondering why you should file for Chapter 13 if it is only a repayment plan. Well, my answer to that is so that you can get protected by the court. Going to court and getting the court involved is not always a bad thing.

Why court involvement? By having court involvement, you can have more protection and options. The court will ensure that you can afford the repayment. You are considered a willing party instead of being demanded for unreasonable payment plan you cannot afford.

Other than that, once you are in the process of bankruptcy, creditors are not allowed to pursue collections thus; you will be able to protect your assets.

In conclusion, if you think that you are facing financial problems, you should consider all options. You should also remember that bankruptcy us not always a good thing, as you may lose your assets and have a bad credit. Therefore, you should try to avoid it as much as possible.

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