5 Things You Should Know Before Considering Bankruptcy By S. Kate Hobbs At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Before ever considering bankruptcy, there are some things you have to consider. The first thing is that bankruptcy is something that has very dire consequences. The consequences are so dire that you may find it difficult to obtain credit for the next 10 years. If you do obtain credit, then there are certain circumstances that come with it. Bankruptcy is not an easy out. It is impossible for something to be that easy for the fact that the government is basically giving you permission to not pay your debts. And you know that that is something that doesn't make you pay in some way.

So what are some things you should know before considering bankruptcy? Well, here are five of those things that you need to know:

- When you file bankruptcy, you have to go into a credit counseling program. You have to complete that credit counseling program before you ever file bankruptcy. This is because you have to be deemed unable to pay your bills. The credit counselor has to say that there is no hope for you to pay your debt, so bankruptcy is your only option.

- When you file bankruptcy, it will remain on your credit report for 10 years. This means that you may have difficulty obtaining credit. Most individuals who have filed bankruptcy are told that they can't get new credit for two years. Some aren't even that lucky.

- Having a bankruptcy on your credit report could keep you from getting a job. Many employers are now looking at credit reports to see how an individual handles their finances. They like to see this especially if you are going to be handling money.

- If you do obtain credit after filing bankruptcy, you're looking at high fees and high interest rates. This can cost thousands more than if you had good credit. Many individuals try to wait until after their bankruptcy is removed from their credit report.

- After the bankruptcy is removed from the credit report, it may still be quite difficult to establish new credit. This is because your record is wiped clean and you have to start over.

So what is the best thing to do? Try talking to a credit counseling company and see what they can do for you. Credit counseling counselors can usually work out a deal with your creditors that involve reducing your payment and even stopping interest accumulation. This allows you to pay the debt off faster.

If your credit is not bad yet, then you can look into debt consolidation. This allows you to consolidate all of your unsecured debts. If you're not sure what unsecured debts are, they are the debts that are not secured by some sort of collateral. Debt consolidation allows you to combine everything into one debt so that you have one payment that costs less than what the payments did when they were separate.

So think about these things before you file bankruptcy. You want to do everything that you can. Even if you have to go into credit counseling, it will affect your credit for a maximum of three years, whereas bankruptcy will affect it for ten. There is a significant difference here. You can be back on your feet within 5 years when it comes to credit counseling, but it will take you a decade if you file bankruptcy. And in the case of debt consolidation, you will find that you can actually rescue your credit. You don't have to let it get so bad that you can't do anything. Actually, you can make it to where bankruptcy is not an option at all.

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