I just got my discharge notice from the courts. I’m kind of happy about, mostly not if you know what I mean. Problem is that I don’t know where to go from here. I’m in a bind and need some really good advice. Bit of a long story but please read.

I’m 33 years old, living with mom and dad since sept 2007 and have been working at a part-time minimum wage job since nov 2007. I filed chapter 7 in july 08 and just got my discharge notice saying I’m cleared. My truck was repo’d in august 08 and now I drive a 49cc scooter. I closed my checking and savings accounts in oct 07 and recently opened up new ones.

Obviously, not my finest hour here. I’m lost and depressed and pissed off in general, and don’t know what to do or where to go from here. My only real skills and experience job-wise are customer service and supervising, and I hate supervising. My one supervising job lasted 3-1/2 years and I quit because I hated it and management. First job that I’ve ever left on really bad terms.

Quiting is how I got into this mess unfortunately, I had a new vehicle that cost a lot but was affordable with the job. I moved in with my brother (a financial risk in itself) when he came back to town to help him. The next job in sales (third big mistake), didn’t cover me financially. I got a second job, but that still didn’t make ends meet. Finally I gave up at everyone’s insistence and quit both jobs, moved home to mom and dad, then searched for a new job (4th mistake, quitting before finding new job). After that, it was all downhill, the folks pushed me to file bankruptcy and even made the appointment for me, which I went to and then filed for (mistake? I’m not sure YET).

Here’s the toppings, I have mild spastic cerebral palsy which is screwing me up physically and the part-time job is pushing that along. I need a sit-down job like with the supervising job but without the supervising part of it. The economy is crap to boot and I’ve never been good at getting jobs to begin with before this economy mess (12% unemployment rate right now in my town). To say the least I feel like I’m in hell right now. I’m not seeing any real options to get my life back.

I thought about college but now my folks are definitely moving in 2 years (but no destination yet) and I’m stuck putting college on hold until we do move or at least know where we’re moving too so that I can contact a nearby college for potential credit transfers.
Anyhow, I just don’t know where to go from here. I seem to be questioning every choice I want to make to the point that I can’t make any decisions any more. I just cannot seem to get my head back on right after this major mess I got myself into.

So here’s the multimillion dollar question: What do I do now to get my life back on track financially?

Technorati Tags: 33 years, 49cc scooter, big mistake, bind, cerebral palsy, chapter 7, crap, financial risk, finest hour, first job, good advice, insistence, minimum wage job, mom and dad, new job, part time job, repo, savings accounts, second job, spastic cerebral palsy

I am in the process of filing Chapter 7. Our Meeting of Creditors is next week. I have a job offer on the table that will provide me increased income. Can I take a new job before our bankruptcy is discharged?

Technorati Tags: bankruptcy, filing chapter 7, job offer, meeting of creditors, new job

Here’s my situation. I was on the top of the world before I even turned 21. I worked so hard to accomplish my financial goals of basically owning my own house and own vehicle before my 21st birthday. Some where down the road I got lost… The great job I had to get the house, I had to eventually step back from to take a slightly lower paying job that offered insurance. To make a very long, struggle-filled story short. I lost everything. And when I say everything, I mean everything. My then fiance` and I split, needing to find our selves again. My new job wasn’t what I thought it was going to be. I inevitabley lost my house, my car, and had to stop making payments on all my credits cards because I quit my job to move across country (with my now husband) who is an Active Duty Marine (now deployed ). I know this is all over the charts, but since my husband is now gone, this is giving me a lot of time to fix/figure out our financial situation. Since my credit score is basically at the lowest point possible now, which bankruptcy should I file for? How does Chapter 7, 11, 13 etc work? My husband does make a decent amount of money, specially being deployed now. But really only enough to pay the bills and pay down his credit. Any and all information on this would be great.
Thank you so much!

God Bless our troops! God Speed be with you. Hurry home!!
Thanks KMcG. Yes – I am aware of th 7-10 year rule with bankruptcy. We’re even considering staying in the military (boo) to bandage all our debt.

Technorati Tags: 21st birthday, active duty, amount of money, bandage, bankruptcy, chapter 7, credit score, credits cards, duty marine, fiance, financial goals, financial situation, god bless our troops, god speed, insurance, new job, struggle, top of the world

I have a Citi card with 3K debt. 2 years. For 1 year, payments were on time and above minimum. The account is now closed.
I have a Key card with 5K debt. 6 years. For 5 years, payments were on time and far above minimum. The account is open and on a payment plan.

I was out of work for over a year which is when almost all of this debt was accumulated. I eventually had to move across the country to move back with my parents. I now have a new job in a with an expensive (0/week) and long (4 hours/day) commute plus low pay. The job is in NYC and I can’t find a decent place. I’d like to settle with Citi.

Nothing is in collections though the Citi could be soon. I’m now looking for jobs abroad and want to sort out everything before leaving. If they were to attempt to garnish my wages, they would get a lower amount than I am willing to pay. 50% of my income (2K/month net) is going towards paying my debts (I have student loans as well). 30% of it is going towards getting to work. I hope it never comes to this.

I want to settle this by the end of April 09. How do I go about this and what impact will it have on my credit (I will probably return to the US at some point) and what else does it entail?

Technorati Tags: 6 years, citi card, collections, debts, decent place, jobs, key card, new job, parents, student loans, wages

I am ,000 in debt from credit cards , charge accounts , and a few bad checking accounts . They are all in collections with an outside agency . I’ve been applying for credit cards and I keep getting denied . I currently have a new job and I don’t know if I should file bankruptcy or just pay these collections and STILL LET THEM SIT ON MY REPORT AND NOT BE APPROVED FOR NO CREDIT . I really am starting to think BK for a fresh start . And I’m not even 20 yet . HELP !
I already had a full secured credit card from a local credit union and thats closed with a high balance and i already had a partial secured credit card from bofa . Should I get like a capital one secured card or Citi secured credit meanwhile while im paying off these collections ? I would like to finance a car soon !

Technorati Tags: applying for credit cards, bankruptcy, bk, bofa, capital one, capital one secured card, charge accounts, checking accounts, collections, fresh start, new job, secured credit card

have been laid off for a while. I have a personal loan, phone bills and about four credit cards. All my credit adds up to about 20k. I just got a new job and I am making about 2400 a month. My rent is 600 a month and I have about 200 monthly bills. All my credit went into collection agencies. Does anyone have any advice…Its not so easy just to pay it off because of my other expenses and settlements usually require 2 or 3 payments to pay off the whole debt. My loan alone was 8 thousand dollars. I want to pay all this off. Can you please give me advice how to pay it all off and than gradualy how can i rebuild my credit. Another option is bankruptcy…I live in New York. If I do bankruptcy, how bad would that affect my future. Also, would it affect me inheriting a house? Would it be a good option? I know it stays on my credit report for 10 years but can i still build credit after filing bankruptcy and how soon? thanks.

Technorati Tags: 10 years, collection agencies, credit cards, credit report, filing bankruptcy, new job, personal loan, phone bills, thousand dollars

Here is the situation, my wife and I are married and she is petitioning me to be a US citizen. We filed I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status. USCIS send me a letter that requesting us to submit I-864 Affidavit of Support. I used my wife and one of my close friend to be my sponsor but their income does not meet 125% of poverty line (which is about K) since they are both students and do not make that much. We are really stressed out because it seems no one could help us. Is there any alternative way to find an sponsor? If I can provide a statement from my employer that showing that my estimate annual income is above the 125% of poverty line, will that help?

Also,my wife’s parents agreed to help us but they are also in the process of filing bankruptcy. Will that affect their process? From what I know, the I-864 is an agreement between the sponsor and the US government saying that if the immigrant (Me) can’t not support himself and need to take social welfare. The government may ask the sponsor to pay for it. So in theory, as long as I have a job that can support myself. it should not affect their bankruptcy process right?

Please help. Thanks
Thanks for the quick response. What if my 2010 adjust gross income doesn’t meet K. I’m getting a new job that pays much better (around K). Will a company statement from my employer shows that my estimate annual income help???

Technorati Tags: affidavit of support, bankruptcy process, citizen, filing bankruptcy, gross income, immigrant, new job, parents, permanent residence, poverty line, quick response, social welfare, us government

I have about ,000 in credit card debt. I have tried to pay them but I can’t because I lost my job and have been falling behind, in fact some of my credit cards have been charged off.

Just recently I started a new job and it doesn’t pay well because it’s a retail store and it just pays enough for gas and a little bit of food. What I want to know is should I settle my debt and just pay the difference to ease the burden on me?
The other question I have is that I heard that if I settle my credit card accounts, the agencies and/or creditors can ask for their money again and will come after you? Is this correct? And will they screw up my credit again after I agreed with a settlement?

I heard that if you settle they will come after you about three or four years again asking for their money and will screw up the credit for another seven years on top of the previous seven years. I just need clairification as to what to do at this point. Thanks for answering my question BEST ANSWERERS

Technorati Tags: answerers, credit card debt, credit cards, creditors, little bit, money, new job, point thanks, retail store, seven years

I was laid off in February of 2009 and have not been able to find a good job since. I have been without medical insurance for almost 3 years and have to pay out of pocket for a required medication costing roughly 0 per month. I have moved back into my mother’s house (I’m 26) and I am overdrawn on my bank accounts every week just from paying off my car, my storage (I moved home from another state since I could no longer afford rent,) my medicine, groceries, and then attempting to make payments on my debt. I have spoken with a credit counseling organization (MMI) and they have offered me a plan by which I would pay them about 0 per month. This plan would entail 0 per month for debt payment, 5 for car payment, 5 for my student loan, 0 for medicine and 5 for storage of all of my possessions. This is 95 per month. It does not include food. It does not include emergency preparation. And it is also 0 over my monthly income.

Issue #1: I need a new job. On average, I apply for 20-30 jobs PER DAY. I have been told that, since the economy went bust, EVERYONE checks the credit of a potential employee. Obviously my current poor credit is enough to render me unhireable. If I declare bankruptcy, how much worse can (will?) my job hunting situation be? I currently temp at a front desk for just 30 hrs a week, no benefits.

Issue #2: I need to be able to move out of my mother’s house. She is very kind to have opened her home to me when I am in such need, and I try very hard to stay out of her way, but she makes it very clear that it’s a huge burden on her to have me around (I know she is right, but it makes it no easier). She is also 100% against me declaring bankruptcy, not only for the impact it will have on my life but for the stigma it will bear on hers. I need to be able to have my own place again. But, my current credit is so poor AND declaring bankruptcy would remain for 10 years on my credit report, that no one would possibly rent to me. Which is less devastating to a potential landlord? Terrible credit and a ridiculous debt-to-income ratio, or a recent bankruptcy claim?

Issue #3: My car is currently worth about k less than what I still owe. I have tried to sell it back to the dealership, they charged me k and even when I left the car with them, they immediately called me back to pick it up because apparently something in the undercarriage was repaired wrong (oh and getting my k back was a real hoot, let me tell you.) It has already been repo-ed once and I had to pay money I didn’t have to get it back. I have tried selling in private forums, I have tried refinancing, I don’t know what else I can do. No one will buy a car worth almost ten grand less than they’re paying. I want very much to keep it, but I can’t afford it. And yes, simply letting it go would COST ME MONEY. Dave Ramsay says, "sell the car." What would Dave Ramsay suggest in this situation?

Issue #4: I have no savings. If I declare bankruptcy, I will be living off of my income alone (my savings deteriorated during my time when I was unemployed, after which my debt increased exponentially. HOWEVER. If I declare bankruptcy and can divide my piffle paycheck so that at least SOME of it can go towards savings, then at the end of ten years when the bankruptcy falls off my credit report I will have something, instead of nothing. Or just…more of the nothing I have right now.

Issue #5: I can’t pay these bills. (see the price outline in the first paragraph.) Won’t these companies just sue me anyway, if I don’t declare?

Look. I love and respect my mother (who is not a financier.) I do not want to make her sad because her daughter went bankrupt before the age of 30. But let’s be realistic here. How much worse could my situation POSSIBLY GET if I declare, file for Chapter 7 and get my debts forgiven so that I may begin to rebuild.

I would very much appreciate ANY input, on a REALISTIC, REASONABLE alternative to me filing for bankruptcy. I have listened to "Financial University" by Dave Ramsey about 1000x and I’ve read Suze Orman’s books and seen her show.

It would bring me so much comfort, and I would so appreciate it, if my peers on yahoo who have experience or knowledge with this kind of thing could reach out and give me their honest, informed opinions.

Technorati Tags: 3 years, bust, car payment, credit counseling, debt payment, declaring bankruptcy, emergency preparation, front desk, good job, groceries, issue 1, job hunting, landlord, medical insurance, mmi, new job, poor credit, possessions, stigma, student loan

to drive to Manchester every weekend to work voluntary in a school on Mondays. I will also need my car when I get a new job. It would be worth about £1000 but it has 2 small dents, a few scratches, the washer fluid bottle is broken, the windscreen wipers need replacing, the passenger door was replaced after an accident and sometimes won’t open and the electric windows on this side don’t work anymore. Secondly, how can I avoid my parents house (which I still live at) being blacklisted? I don’t want them to be affected. I know the house won’t be taken cus it’s not mine but I want to make sure they can obtain credit in the future if they ever wanted it. Thanks. Please don’t reply if you are simply guessing. I need fact. Thanks

Technorati Tags: electric windows, new job, parents, reply, scratches, small dents, washer fluid, windscreen wipers

I was laid off in February of 2009 and have not been able to find a good job since. I have been without medical insurance for almost 3 years and have to pay out of pocket for a required medication costing roughly 0 per month. I have moved back into my mother’s house (I’m 26) and I am overdrawn on my bank accounts every week just from paying off my car, my storage (I moved home from another state since I could no longer afford rent,) my medicine, groceries, and then attempting to make payments on my debt. I have spoken with a credit counseling organization (MMI) and they have offered me a plan by which I would pay them about 0 per month. This plan would entail 0 per month for debt payment, 5 for car payment, 5 for my student loan, 0 for medicine and 5 for storage of all of my possessions. This is 95 per month. It does not include food. It does not include emergency preparation. And it is also 0 over my monthly income.

Issue #1: I need a new job. On average, I apply for 20-30 jobs PER DAY. I have been told that, since the economy went bust, EVERYONE checks the credit of a potential employee. Obviously my current poor credit is enough to render me unhireable. If I declare bankruptcy, how much worse can (will?) my job hunting situation be? I currently temp at a front desk for just 30 hrs a week, no benefits.

Issue #2: I need to be able to move out of my mother’s house. She is very kind to have opened her home to me when I am in such need, and I try very hard to stay out of her way, but she makes it very clear that it’s a huge burden on her to have me around (I know she is right, but it makes it no easier). She is also 100% against me declaring bankruptcy, not only for the impact it will have on my life but for the stigma it will bear on hers. I need to be able to have my own place again. But, my current credit is so poor AND declaring bankruptcy would remain for 10 years on my credit report, that no one would possibly rent to me. Which is less devastating to a potential landlord? Terrible credit and a ridiculous debt-to-income ratio, or a recent bankruptcy claim?

Issue #3: My car is currently worth about k less on what I still owe. I have tried to sell it back to the dealership, they charged me k and even when I left the car with them, they immediately called me back to pick it up because apparently something in the undercarriage was repaired wrong (oh and getting my k back was a real hoot, let me tell you.) It has already been repo-ed once and I had to pay money I didn’t have to get it back. I have tried selling in private forums, I have tried refinancing, I don’t know what else I can do. No one will buy a car worth almost ten grand less than they’re paying. I want very much to keep it, but I can’t afford it. And yes, simply letting it go would COST ME MONEY. Dave Ramsay says, "sell the car." What would Dave Ramsay suggest in this situation?

Issue #4: I have no savings. If I declare bankruptcy, I will be living off of my income alone (my savings deteriorated during my time when I was unemployed, after which my debt increased exponentially. HOWEVER. If I declare bankruptcy and can divide my piffle paycheck so that at least SOME of it can go towards savings, then at the end of ten years when the bankruptcy falls off my credit report I will have something, instead of nothing. Or just…more of the nothing I have right now.

Issue #5: I can’t pay these bills. (see the price outline in the first paragraph.) Won’t these companies just sue me anyway, if I don’t declare?

Look. I love and respect my mother (who is not a financier.) I do not want to make her sad because her daughter went bankrupt before the age of 30. But let’s be realistic here. How much worse could my situation POSSIBLY GET if I declare, file for Chapter 7 and get my debts forgiven so that I may begin to rebuild.

I would very much appreciate ANY input, on a REALISTIC, REASONABLE alternative to me filing for bankruptcy. I have listened to "Financial University" by Dave Ramsey about 1000x and I’ve read Suze Orman’s books and seen her show.

It would bring me so much comfort, and I would so appreciate it, if my peers on yahoo who have experience or knowledge with this kind of thing could reach out and give me their honest, informed opinions.

Technorati Tags: 3 years, bust, car payment, credit counseling, debt payment, declaring bankruptcy, emergency preparation, front desk, good job, groceries, issue 1, job hunting, landlord, medical insurance, mmi, new job, poor credit, possessions, stigma, student loan

Help! I was laid off but need a car to look for a new job. If I convert to chapter 7 can I reaffirm my car at the same payments the trustee is making under chapter 13?

Technorati Tags: chapter 13, chapter 7, new job, trustee

I recently accepted a new job but had to take a huge pay cut. I can no longer afford to pay my credit cards and need to know how long I can postpone filing bankruptcy. Thank you

Technorati Tags: credit cards, filing bankruptcy, new job

I just turned in my paperwork this week. They told me up to two weeks to verify my information and my lawyer will file. My question pertains to the fact that I was advised to resign at my part time job prior to filing, which reduced my income to a normal 9-5 income…..

Do I have to wait for my BK to be discharged before I can get my part time job back? What if I took a new job which actually pays less but more hours? My income would stay the same really, but I would put myself in a better situation.

Thanks…

Technorati Tags: bk, lawyer, new job, paperwork, part time job

I lost my job and had to basically survive off of credit cards until I found a new one. My new job pays considerably less and I gradually have buried myself in debt. I’m behind a month on everything and my only option is bankruptcy. I don’t splurge or buy luxury items. Most of my debt is from cash advances to stay afloat. My lawyer needs 00 to file for protection but I don’t even have 0. I can’t get a loan, sell anything, borrow from friends or family and have already drained my 401k. Any suggestions

Technorati Tags: 401k, bankruptcy, cash advances, credit cards, lawyer, luxury items, new job, splurge

I am an ‘Alien’ currently employed in the US on an O-1B (Extraordinary Artist) visa at Company 1. Sadly, this company went bankrupt last week. I am still working there to help them out as they are nice people, but they can no longer afford to pay me.

I found a new job a day after the bankruptcy was announced at Company 2, and have prepared a new application for a new O-1B visa, using form I-129, Petition for a Non-Immigrant Worker.

This is my question. Company 2 wants me to start working for them immediately. However, visa requirements (as far as I’m aware) state that an O-1B visa must be APPROVED by USCIS and employer must be sent form i-1797A, Notice of Action (Approval) before a Worker can begin work. I checked on the USCIS site and processing time is currently set at 45 days!

What are the legal implications if I start work for company B while my visa approval is pending? Could I (for instance) work my first 1-2 months unpaid, or have my pay put on hold till my visa is approved? Could this be considered training? I need to know fast as I will lose the job if I do not start work on Monday.

I know that the H-1B has a new ‘Portability’ rule as of Oct 2000, which states that a Worker may start work for a Sponsoring Company immediately upon FILING the visa application. Does anyone know if this new ‘portability’ rule also applies to the O-1B?

Many thanks for your help!

Technorati Tags: 1b visa, bankruptcy, company b, form i 129, immigrant worker, legal implications, many thanks, new application, new job, nice people, petition, processing time, question company, sponsoring company, thanks for your help, uscis, visa application, visa approval, visa requirements

I am beginning to regret going to college, it seems the only thing I have attained from it, is debt. When I went to school I was allured to the dream of being an airline pilot. I finally got my pilot’s license, but it got to expensive, so I switched to Aviation Management. I am so depressed and mad at myself for letting this happen, and it seems like there is no way out. A few times I forgot to fill out the FAFSA so I had to take out loans to cover the expenses, or I was late getting it in and got no money.

Here’s where I am at:
1 Loan for ,000 (Monthly Payments of 476/mo); 1 Loan for 620 (Monthly Payments of 128); 1 Loan for 00 (Monthly Payments of 50), and Credit Card Debt of about 00. So I have loans totaling 420.

I also have a car payment, cell phone, however I pay no rent, but my grandparents will soon be asking for that.

I just got a new job that pays me 000 per year. So if I don’t put anything into savings I can pay off my loans in about 4 years, however when you begin to figure in my other expenses it’s more like 7 years.

Consolidation is not really an option, because the 000 is an “Education Alternative Loan”, it’s not a federal loan. The 00 loan is a no interest loan. And the 620 is a direct federal loan.

-My dilemma is that, I have a girlfriend that I want to begin a life with. I wish to get an apartment with her maybe in the next year or so. And I want to marry her.

Situation 1- Do I put no money into savings and just tackle the loans head on? I will have no money for retirement or a down payment on a house.

Situation 2- I put some money aside into savings, and it will take longer to pay off?

Situation 3- Declare bankruptcy if I can?

I apologize for this taking so long, but I don’t know what to do. Thank you for your help.

Technorati Tags: airline pilot, apartment, aviation management, bankruptcy, car payment, cell phone, consolidation, credit card debt, dilemma, education, fafsa, federal loan, girlfriend, going to college, grandparents, interest loan, loans, money, new job, retirement

I have around k in debt. The debt is all personal debt and there are no co-signers nor assets in question. As for my personal assets, I don’t believe I really have any. My car is eight years old and I live in an apartment. I was considering filing bankruptcy before I begin a new job and get better pay (therefore, they do not see a bigger paycheck and feel I can pay back my loans).

So, the question is, what bankruptcy should I do if there are no assets which can be liquidated to pay back my debtors?
Funny how many people jump down someone’s neck when they talk about bankruptcy. I guess Enron, K-Mart and others are fine, but regular humans are not? Get a life, people…

Technorati Tags: apartment, debtors, enron, filing bankruptcy, jump down, k mart, loans, new job, paycheck, personal assets, personal debt

Here it i i use to pay on time all the time but i started school and only work part time my lease for my apartment is up soon and i plan to move in july into a house due to rent being so expensive my credit card is getting higher and higher i have no money to send them i just graduated so i will be a while before i get a new job what should i do its only 1 card the debt is like 1300, most of it is late fees and interest because my card limit was 700

Technorati Tags: apartment, credit card, late fees, money, new job, work part time

Filing chapter 7 – going to need a car for a new job. Anyone have any experience? I’ve heard that some lenders see you as a good risk since:
1) You don’t have any other debts to pay
2) You can’t discharge your debt to them for 10 years by which time they would milk it out of you…

Anyone know?
Thanks!

Technorati Tags: 10 years, debts, filing chapter 7, lenders, new job, risk