When you file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy with the bankruptcy court, you are invoking the power of the court to put into place an immediate court order restricting your creditors from collecting from you on most pre-petition debts. It is an awesome power debtors have. The focus in a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy is primarily on debtor’s assets. Debtor(s) are required to fully disclose all their assets wherever located in the world. The purpose of this is to show a Chapter 7 trustee, and creditors, what debtor owns for assets and are those assets exempt or non-exempt?

One of the most common questions from our bankruptcy clients that we encounter daily is “Can I stop paying my bills?” The answer is an emphatic “YES!” In fact, not only CAN you stop paying your bills, but you SHOULD stop paying your bills!

I am high anxiety. I totally understand the anxiety of bankruptcy and the thought of filing bankruptcy. And yet, hundreds of thousands of Americans muscle their way through the bankruptcy process each year. In Minnesota, on an average year, over 13,000 Minnesotans file bankruptcy and get on with their lives. Right, now, as you read this blog there are thousands of Minnesotans just like you contemplating the thought of filing bankruptcy or who are actually in the process of filing bankruptcy and getting their lives back.

A lot of people who live in and around Eden Prairie, Minnesota want to know if they qualify to file a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy. To qualify for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy you must not have filed a previous Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (where you received a discharge) in a case filed in the previous 8 years. You also do not qualify for a Chapter 7 Bankruptcy discharge if you filed a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy within the previous 6 years (and where you received a Chapter 13 discharge).

You might ask, why does this matter? Trust me, it matters a lot. People who file bankruptcy don’t tend to broadcast they have filed bankruptcy on social media. Would you? So for anyone who has filed bankruptcy to leave a Google review--- that is a big deal. Most people do not leave Google reviews unless very upset or very happy. You don’t see a lot of people feeling luke warm about a business willing to leave that business a review, right? I mean when is the last time you left a gas station a review, like great gas guys!? You just don’t right? Now, if the clerk at the gas station swore at you and threw a loaf of bread at you, you might write a nasty bad review right?

COVID 19 is the pin prick that will burst the economy and shatter what we consider to be a “normal” economy for a long time to come. The financial devastation can be seen all around you. Vacant store fronts, vacant factories, and millions of people out of work. We still have not fully dealt with the debt problems we were in in the last financial crisis of 2008. The, the Federal Reserve just stoked the fire by pumping trillions of dollars into the economy resulting in an enormous amount of debt lingering from the last financial storm. And now, well now the financial devastation caused by COVID 19 is creating even more debt problems with a Fed that is really out of most of its ammunition to help in any meaningful way.

Several years ago I met with a couple who had previously met with a lawyer about bankruptcy. They told me they had to meet him in a shed like building and it was totally weird. And then things got even weirder. It turns out the lawyer, in the middle of a consultation, actually fell asleep. Not wanting to disturb the sleeping lawyer, the couple quietly got up and walked out. Sometime later, the lawyer actually called this coupled and asked, “well, are you going to hire me to do your bankruptcy?”

First of all, congratulations on having the courage necessary to face debt head on. Each day, thousands of Minnesotans suffer needlessly with debt. Second, once you have decided to solve the debt crisis for good, next you have to pick St. Cloud, Minnesota’s best bankruptcy law firm. How do you make sure you have the best bankruptcy attorney in St. Cloud, Minnesota? You do research!

In a chapter 13 case with priority tax claims, the debtor must pay these claims in full if the chapter 13 plan is to be confirmed. When the priority tax claim arises under § 507(a)(8)(C), such tax claims are an exception to the discharge under the general rule of § 1328.

Preferential transfers to creditors may be avoided under Section 547(b) of the Bankruptcy Code, if the transfer was made on or within 90 days before the date of the filing of the petition. In a Chapter 7 case, the appointed trustee steps into the debtor’s shoes, taking control of the debtor’s assets and seeing that every effort is made to enhance the estate for full distribution to the creditors. The Chapter 7 trustee increases the assets of the estate by avoiding a preferential transfer.

If you live within a 50 miles radius of St. Cloud, Minnesota, do like most people do, and turn to Kain & Scott if you are contemplating bankruptcy. Since 1972, area residents have trusted Kain & Scott to deliver the most kind, helpful, professional, and exceptional customer service to our residents suffering from overwhelming debt. Each year, hundreds of area residents use Kain & Scott to get their lives back---you can too.

I know of a single way to determine if you should file bankruptcy. At Kain & Scott we have been around since 1972. We have seen all the reasons for people to file bankruptcy. Every single one of these people are good Minnesotans who simply fell on hard times. Over and over we see the same themes which propel good people into bankruptcy.

Kain & Scott is Minnesota’s nicest bankruptcy law firm guaranteed or 100% off your fees™*. What does this mean? You can find our complete guarantee on our website at www.kainscott.com. Basically, if you don’t think Kain & Scott is Minnesota’s nicest bankruptcy law firm (most kind and helpful) and you tell us within 30 days of filing the bankruptcy case, and we cannot rectify the problem to your complete satisfaction, we will not only refund 100% of the attorney fees you paid us thus far, but we will also pay for you to have another bankruptcy lawyer complete your bankruptcy for you. Now is that confidence or what? You don’t guarantee your service will be the most kind and helpful unless it really is the most kind and helpful.

There is no question about the financial devastation that is befalling American businesses all across the country due to Covid 19. Oh sure some businesses will actually do well due to Covid 19, but many businesses will stumble and fail from Covid 19. All you have to do is take a look at any businesses that has the public visit it in any way to see the carnage. Movie theatres, restaurants, concert venues, sporting arenas, airlines, and many more are literally sustaining drops in business as high as 80%. Even in the best of times most of these businesses will struggle to produce a profit. Now imagine your business revenue falling 20% in revenue much less 80%?

Don’t listen to the supposed “gurus” who tell you to avoid bankruptcy. Some of these supposed “gurus” filed bankruptcy themselves. And now, they tell you not to file bankruptcy. I sometimes wonder who is paying these people to say this. Is it big corporations or credit card companies? If bankruptcy was good for the guru why is it not good for you too? One even has to be careful with “debt consolidation” companies who are owned in whole or in part by big finance companies.

If I were a Minnesotan looking to file bankruptcy one of the things I would love to know is what do people think, who have already filed bankruptcy in Minnesota, after they filed the bankruptcy? Do these people regret the decision they made to file bankruptcy? Are they thankful they made the difficult decision to file bankruptcy? Would they file bankruptcy again knowing what they know now? These are all wonderful questions I would want to know before I stuck my toes in the bankruptcy waters. Thankfully, there is no need to wonder about these questions. You see, our former guests know exactly how you feel right now. The nerves, the apprehension, and the scared out of your mind feelings you have. Our former guests all felt the same way. But what our guests found is once they filed the bankruptcy and got their lives back, they never regretted the decision to file.