When you file bankruptcy, it can be a complex and emotional process, especially when it involves surrendering a car. If you’re struggling with car payments or owe more on your car loan than the vehicle is worth, surrendering it during bankruptcy might be a viable option. This comprehensive guide will help you understand the process, potential benefits, and considerations for surrendering a car in bankruptcy in Minnesota.

     If you are thinking about filing bankruptcy in Minnesota, think LifeBack Law Firm. Why think LifeBack Law Firm? LifeBack Law Firm has Minnesota’s most kind and helpful bankruptcy staff in Minnesota. How do we know this to be true? Just read the Google reviews left by your friends, neighbors, and family who has used LifeBack Law Firm to help them get their lives back. The last thing you want when you file bankruptcy is to be judged by bankruptcy lawyers and staff for filing bankruptcy.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy works as a quick reset button – all of your unsecured debt will be wiped out in approximately 3-4 months, from the date your case is filed. Unsecured debt includes credit card debt, medical bill debt, and personal loans. This sounds exciting, as it certainly provides you with a fresh new start. Instead of paying your credit card bills, you can simply wipe out the remaining debt you have. You can obtain a new credit card after you receive your bankruptcy discharge, and rebuild your credit score by using the credit card and paying it off every month. 

In my last post, we discussed whether paying back debts is a moral issue – now let’s turn that question to the issue of interest. It is believed that interest rates originated as early as 2400 BC and were primarily used to stimulate agricultural and urban development. Aristotle viewed money not as a good in itself, but primarily as a means of exchange, and so viewed “money begetting money” as unnatural. In a similar vein, Plato saw the potential for interest leading to social instability – perhaps like the municipal bankruptcies we discussed in the last post. 

One of the benefits of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the ability to pay mortgage arrears, past due house payments, through a Chapter 13 payment plan. But, can second mortgages be removed in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy? Many people have multiple liens on their house, because they have taken out a second or a third mortgage. Often times, people take out a subsequent loan against a house that is already mortgaged, in order to pay for large expenses, such as buying a second house, or paying for a wedding.

Bankruptcy provides tremendous relief to people who become unable to pay back their debts. After the debtor receives their bankruptcy discharge, their creditors are forever legally prevented from undertaking further debt collection efforts against the debtor, with certain limited exceptions (i.e. generally student loan debt, domestic support obligations, and most income tax debt remain collectable).  

One of the biggest concerns people often have when considering whether to file for bankruptcy, is the effect it will have on their credit score. The main effect bankruptcy initially has on your credit score immediately upon filing for bankruptcy, depends in large part on how high your credit score was prior to filing.

The prospect of filing for bankruptcy can raise numerous questions, especially when it comes to protecting your hard-earned retirement savings.

Fortunately, the law offers significant protections for retirement accounts, including 401(k) accounts and 401(k) loans, during bankruptcy proceedings. This article will delve into how 401k accounts and loans are treated in a bankruptcy case, highlighting the protections afforded to retirement savings.

Medical debt is dischargeable in bankruptcy, both in chapter 7 and chapter 13 cases.

Chapter 13 bankruptcy, often called a "wage earner's plan," offers a structured path to debt relief for individuals with regular income in Minnesota. While it allows you to keep your assets and catch up on missed payments, it's natural to wonder how restrictive this process might be. Let's delve into the financial commitments and lifestyle adjustments involved in a Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

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Here, at LifeBack Law Firm, we make filing bankruptcy as simple as we can. There are not countless worksheets to fill out, we do the drafting for you, and a licensed attorney will be working with you during the bankruptcy process. All the attorneys at LifeBack Law Firm are licensed to practice in Minnesota. Therefore, we can only file bankruptcy cases in Minnesota.

People occasionally tell me they feel bad about not paying their debts when considering bankruptcy. Sometimes, people are even downright distraught and try to apologize for being irresponsible. First things first: you do not have to apologize for taking a problem seriously and considering your options. But it also got me asking myself: is it morally wrong to not pay your debts?

 I was at a hearing just the other day where someone filed their chapter 7 bankruptcy case pro se, meaning they did not have attorney representation. Although, it is perfectly legal to file a case for yourself, typically it is not a good idea to do so. This is because bankruptcy law is vast and nuanced.

   I like to think of LifeBack Law Firm as an oasis away from the cruelty of the world we live in. Too many people use cruelty and insecurity to hurt other people. It is really sad. When you have a debt problem the last thing you want is for law firm staff to be rude, condescending, or just mean. Unfortunately, we hear all the stories along these lines from clients who first went to another law firm to file bankruptcy only to find out, the lawyer and staff are rude.

 We file two different kinds of bankruptcy cases at LifeBack Law, both Chapter 7 and Chapter 13. How long each will take and a timeline of what happens in each differs. Below we will go through both.

Recently, I spoke to a woman who told me she is a client of LifeBack Law Firm. She said she came to us after she spoke to another person and ended up doing some work for the firm herself. She said when she came into one of our office locations she knew she would be ok asking for help with bankruptcy. She knew she was in a safe, non-judgmental place. As a lawyer myself, I find these words from someone like her to be precious. No one feels good about having to file bankruptcy. But what people really don’t want is to work with someone who is unprofessional and judgmental.