It is tempting to repay friends and family members while before filing a bankruptcy. After all, these are the people that were there for you when you were in a bind. So naturally, when you find yourself in a position to finally repay a friend or family member that is exactly what you are going to do.

Unfortunately, repayments of loans to family members and close friends are considered preferential payments.

When filing a Chapter 13 bankruptcy the number one question by potential clients is: what will be my monthly payment? There are many factors that are considered when determining a chapter 13 payment:

• income,
• necessary expenses,
• non-exempt assets,
• repayments to creditors in the 90 days prior to filing,
• and repayments to friends and family members.

Occasionally clients will tell me that they would only like to file bankruptcy on one or just a few of their creditors. While this is not entirely possible, there are some similar options.

During your bankruptcy you will be asked about the likelihood that you may inherit any property or money. Your attorney will likely ask you this question and the trustee will also let you know if you do inherit any funds during the bankruptcy you need to let the trustee’s office know. Why? Because the bankruptcy estate will have an interest in the inherited property.

Bankruptcy provides an avenue for an individual to address their debt. It can provide a lot of relief. But, not everyone needs to or should file bankruptcy. What happens when only one of the partners in a marriage needs to file bankruptcy? The first question that needs to be addressed is, does the other spouse have any debt where it would make sense for them to file as well.

When you find yourself on the brink of filing bankruptcy, you can do some bankruptcy planning, and you should. When filing a chapter 7 bankruptcy, it is important to remember this is a liquidation bankruptcy, so non-exempt assets and funds will be liquidated to pay your creditors. There are times when bankruptcy filers find themselves with more non-exempt assets than originally expected, and rather than have the assets liquidated in the bankruptcy, they decide to spend, sell or use the asset.

If you file bankruptcy and your spouse does not file with you, your spouse will remain liable on any joint debt. In a chapter 13 bankruptcy filing, priority debts like tax debt must be paid in the plan or through the bankruptcy. This is great news if you want a payment plan for your tax debt. However, the co-debtor on the tax debt is not protected by the automatic stay in a chapter 13 bankruptcy from the taxing authority.

Filing bankruptcy is a court action, so it is public, but most people do not keep tabs on the current bankruptcy filings. However, if you have any shared or joint debt with your ex, the answer is unequivocally yes, they will be notified of the bankruptcy filing because they are a co-debtor.

When you are on the verge of filing bankruptcy it may seem tempting to pay down some secured debts. People fall into the trap of taking exempted funds out of retirement accounts and using those funds to pay down their secured loans. Unfortunately, this type of bankruptcy planning can backfire.

When you file bankruptcy, a chapter 13 or a chapter 7 filing, you will be required to attend a meeting of creditors. The meeting is conducted by the trustee, who is charged with administering the estate. But your creditors can and sometimes do attend this meeting. Very few creditors actually attend the meeting, and most of the time a bankruptcy debtor can expect that no creditors will be present.

Many divorces today are accomplished by a default order and are never litigated. In fact, many individuals draft their own divorce decrees. While this may save you money on a divorce attorney it could end up costing you in your bankruptcy.

When a person neglects or refuses to pay their tax debt, the IRS can obtain a lien on the tax payer’s property. The federal tax lien attaches to every interest in property that the taxpayer has or acquires during the time of the lien in effect. The IRS obtains the perfected security interest in the person’s property by filing a Notice of Federal Tax Lien with the county recorder’s office. The lien remains in effect until it is satisfied or becomes unenforceable by the lapse of time.

When I meet with clients I often hear the phrase, “I am embarrassed I have to file bankruptcy”. The truth of the matter is no one wants to be the position where they are asking for help, but we all find ourselves in that position at some point. We may not all need the same type of help, but at some point everyone has to rely on someone else. There is no shame in needing help. Bankruptcy is a legal way for individuals to get the help they need. There are unforeseen and sometimes foreseen circumstance that individuals can find themselves in that are just insurmountable.