BANKRUPTCY

We are bankruptcy attorneys we have offices located in Eastgate, Ohio, Middletown, Ohio and Centerville/Dayton, Ohio.  We specialize in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

THINKING OF BANKRUPTCY?

Are you struggling every month to make the bills and never getting ahead?  Lost your good job and just have not been able to replace the income at new employment?  Medical bills piling up?  Preparing to divorce?  Any of these are good reasons to consider filing for bankruptcy protection.  What is bankruptcy?  Bankruptcy is a federal code that will allow you to file for protection and discharge all of your unsecured debts under the federal bankruptcy code. Once you file for bankruptcy protection the creditors must stop all collection efforts against you.  This means that they cannot contact you by phone or by mail.  This also means that any court cases that are filed against you must be halted and if your paycheck is already being garnished the creditor must release this garnishment upon the filing of your case.

WE CAN HELP YOU

Hiring the right attorney is as important as the decision to file for bankruptcy protection.  You want to make sure you have an attorney who is experienced and knows the laws.  At the Law Office of Keegan & Andrade Co., LLC we specialize in bankruptcy.  For over 20 years with over 40 years of combined experience we have been concentrating on the practice of bankruptcy filings. We will be able to walk you through every step of the process and make it simple for you.

At our law office we offer you a free consultation.  At this free consultation  you will be able to sit down with one of your experienced and knowledgeable attorneys to discuss your individual situation.  They will guide you as to the best road for your to take to secure your financial future.  This road may or may not be bankruptcy.  However, if bankruptcy is the road for you at our office you may put down a small retainer fee to retain our office.  Once you have retained our office you may refer your creditors to us until your case is filed.  We will also accept payments during this time until your pay in full.  Once you pay in full we will file your case.  Once your case is filed the bankruptcy court will notify all of the creditors listed in your case by regular US Mail.  Once your case is filed the creditors must stop all collection efforts against immediately.

You will have a court date approximately four weeks after your filing date.  We will appear with you at this hearing.  After your hearing you will just be waiting for your discharge which will take approximately 120 days.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information check out our website at www.keeganandrade.com, www.middletown-banruptcy.com or www.centervilleohiobankruptcy.com

Contact your Southern Ohio bankruptcy attorney today to see if bankruptcy can give you the fresh financial start that you are looking for.

Chapter 7 Bankruptcy vs. Chapter 13 Bankruptcy

We are bankruptcy attorneys we have offices located in Eastgate, Ohio, Middletown, Ohio and Centerville/Dayton, Ohio.  We specialize in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

BANKRUPTCY CHAPTERS

What are the differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcies?  The main difference is that in a Chapter 7 you do not pay back any of your debts except for things that you would like to keep.

CHAPTER 7

Chapter 7 bankruptcy also referred to as straight bankruptcy will allow you to clear off all of your unsecured debts.  In Chapter 7 you can keep your home and vehicle if you are up to date on your payments and do not have too much equity in your property.  All of your unsecured debt would be discharged through the case and you would no longer be responsible for these debts.  If you had secured debts you would wish to keep, such as your home or vehicle you will be able to do that.  As long as you are current on your payments the creditor will provide a reaffirmation agreement for you to sign.  This reaffirmation agreement will get filed with the bankruptcy court.  Signing this document will exclude this debt from your discharge, therefore, reporting to the credit reporting agencies and starting to re-build your credit.  Chapter 7 is the most sought after type of bankruptcy by consumers, but not all will qualify.

CHAPTER 13

If you cannot qualify for a Chapter 7 then you will have to file for Chapter 13. Chapter 13 is a re-payment plan.   This Chapter is also designed to help you save your home from foreclosure or your vehicle from repossession.  You would pay a percentage of your unsecured debts.  Chapter 13 is a 3 to 5 year process which allows you to pay back a percentage of your debts while most interest and late fees will stop.  This will also stop a foreclosure and allow you to pay the amount you are behind over the 3 to 5 year period.

CONCLUSION

Both chapters can be beneficial under the right circumstances.  Contact our office today for your free consultation and to discuss your individual situation.  At this free consultation the attorney will be able to advise you as to which chapter would be best for you.  At our office we have over 40 years of experience helping people get a fresh financial start.  We know that bankruptcy is not just about the numbers but it is about you and your needs.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information check out our website at www.keeganandrade.com, www.middletown-bankruptcy.com or www.centervilleohiobankruptcy.com.

Contact your Southern Ohio bankruptcy attorney today for your free consultation.

Credit After Bankruptcy

We are bankruptcy attorneys, we have offices located in Eastgate, Ohio, Middletown, Ohio and Centerville/Dayton, Ohio.  We specialize in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

Struggling with debt?  Exhausting your funds trying to get out of debt? Borrowing from Peter to pay Paul every month.  Avoiding the collection calls and the walk to the mailbox feels like a million miles from the dread of knowing what is in there.  Many know that they are struggling and at the end of their rope, but are just scared to file for bankruptcy.  Bankruptcy could solve many of these financial difficulties, but they are afraid that if they file they will ruin their credit for the rest of their lives.  This is simply not true.  Actually just letting things go will ruin their credit more than filing for bankruptcy protection. Just letting the debt go will result in court proceedings and judgments on credit reports. These judgments will stay on the credit report for as long if not longer than a bankruptcy, as a judgment will stay on the credit report until it is satisfied and will also continue to accrue interest.  Even once you do satisfy the judgment it will show on the credit report as satisfied.  This will still let creditors know that you have had financial difficulty and they will judge you on this basis.

BUILDING CREDIT AFTER FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY

It will not be difficult to re-build your credit after a bankruptcy filing.  Any debt that you keep through a bankruptcy (such as a home or vehicle) will automatically report on your credit report and start to re-build your credit score.  The important thing is to pay all debts on time and do not have any debts go to collection after a bankruptcy filing.  You can even qualify to buy a home two years after a bankruptcy filing, with a good clean report.  You will be surprised at the amount of credit card offers you will receive after a bankruptcy filing.  Creditors also know that you cannot file again for quite some time and are therefore willing to offer more credit.

Filing for bankruptcy does not mean that you are a bad person, just a person in a bad financial situation. Filing for bankruptcy protection will help you out of that bad financial situation and hopefully you will not have to experience the situation again.  We are here to walk you through the process and make it as easy as possible for you to go through. Our attorneys have a combined experience of over 40 years and will be able to make filing for bankruptcy protection seem simple and stress free.

HOW TO GET STARTED

At our law office we will offer you a free consultation.  At this free consultation you will be able to sit down with one of our experienced attorneys and discuss your case.  The attorney will then be able to advise you if bankruptcy is the best option for you and quote you a fee for the services.  If you decide to move forward a small retainer will get things started and we will then accept monthly payments until your fees are paid and we would then file your case. Your court date will be approximately 6 weeks out from your filing date.  Once your case is filed all of your creditors will be notified by the court by US mail, they will no longer be allowed to collect on these debts in any manner.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information check out our website at www.keeganandrade.com, www.middletown.bankruptcy.com or www.centervilleohiobankruptcy.com or call today for your free consultation to get a jump on your fresh financial start.  We are your Southern, Ohio bankruptcy attorneys.

BANKRUPTCY IS THE BEST WAY OUT OF DEBT

We are bankruptcy attorneys we have offices located in Eastgate, Ohio, Middletown, Ohio and Centerville/Dayton, Ohio.  We specialize in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 Bankruptcy filings.

Are you struggling with debt?  Many Americans struggle with debt every year. Looking for the best way out of debt can be exhausting and time consuming.  The most common ways out of debt are debt consolidation, debt management, debt settlement, do it yourself and bankruptcy.  It is best to determine the best way out of debt for yourself.  But be careful, believe it or not there are many unreliable and even predatory companies out there that will take advantage of you if you're not careful.

In this blog we will cover these basic ways out of debt and I will show you why bankruptcy is the best way out of debt.

DEBT CONSOLIDATION

Debt consolidation is when you get a new loan to pay off your existing debts. The term "consolidate" means to group several things together into one, which makes sense since debt consolidation groups all of your existing debts into a new loan.  Doing this may lower your monthly payment and possibly your interest rate.

The problem with debt consolidation is you have not reduced your amount of debt, you have simply lumped all of your debt into one loan with one payment.  You are still accruing interest on this high balance and it will take years to pay off this single loan.

Entering into a Chapter 13 bankruptcy will also lump all of your debts into one low monthly payment.  However, in chapter 13 no interest will incur and you will only pay back a percentage of the debt you owe.

DEBT MANAGEMENT

A debt management plan is a program offered by companies or non-profit groups that say they will help you negotiate a new payment plan with your current creditors.  The debt management company will negotiate your debts with your creditors and you will make a monthly payment to the debt management company directly, while they will pay your creditors for you.

There are several problems with the debt management plan.  First and foremost an honest debt management company is hard to find.  Unfortunately not all of these companies are honest in what they are selling you and how they distribute your funds.  We have had more than one client say they paid to one of these companies without ever seeing their balances go down.

Bankruptcy is held in a federal court.  All bankruptcy attorneys are governed by their state bar association, which means we are legit and will not take your money and run per say.

DEBT SETTLEMENT

Debt settlement is when you work directly with your creditors and they will accept a lower amount of money than what you owe them.  You must have the full amount to immediately pay.  This is not too bad of a way out of debt, if you have the funds to do so.

Even if you do have the funds to do debt settlement, not all of your creditors may be willing to work with you and give you a reduction in the amount you owe, so you would not get anywhere in the process with these creditors.  Also, creditors who do settle with you will send you a 1099 at the end of the year and you will need to claim the amount that the creditor wrote off as income on your next tax return.  You will most likely end up owing the IRS and that is just not pretty and there is not quick way out of owing debt to the IRS.

If you file for bankruptcy even in Chapter 7 where you will wipe out all of your debt and not have to pay back a dime, you will not receive any type of tax documentation.  You do not have to list a bankruptcy on your tax return.

DO IT ON YOUR OWN

Aren't you already trying to do this?  Paying each month what you can afford to pay, but not really getting ahead.  It really depends on the amount of debt that you have if you will ever be able to get out of debt on your own.  If you don't have much debt, then this will be a great option for you.  Unfortunately, the average american household has $15,000.00 in credit card debt, not to mention medical debt.  This is really no small amount to pull yourself out of.

BANKRUPTCY REALLY IS THE BEST OPTION

Bankruptcy gets a bad rap in the minds of many.  Many think you have to be a deadbeat or scum of the earth to end up filing for bankruptcy protection.  This is not true, there are thousands of bankruptcies filed in the US each day.  Most are filed by families trying to get by, just like you.  Just because you file for bankruptcy does not mean that you are a bad person, just a regular person in a bad financial situation.

This is the fastest and easiest way to get out debt.  True, the bankruptcy filing will stay on your credit report for up to 10 years, but all of the options above will affect you for about the same amount of time.  The key to bankruptcy is afterwards paying all of your bills on time and not having debts go into collections.  You will be able to get new credit rather quickly if that is what you desire.  Under federal bankruptcy protection you can wipe out all of your debts and get a fresh financial start, without much penalty.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information check out our website at www.keeganandrade.com, www.middletown-bankruptcy.com or www.centervilleohiobankruptcy.com

Call your Southern Ohio Bankruptcy Attorney today today for your free consultation to see if bankruptcy is your best way out of debt.

Should I Hire the Cheapest Bankruptcy Lawyer I Can Find?

We are bankruptcy attorneys we have offices located in Eastgate, Ohio, Middletown, Ohio and Centerville/Dayton, Ohio.  We specialize in Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy filings.

Some people seem fixated on getting the cheapest cost they can for every thing they buy.  That might work when buying an electronic gadget, but it doesn't work very well when hiring a bankruptcy attorney.

BANKRUPTCY IS LIKE MAJOR SURGERY

If you had to have major surgery, say open heart surgery, would you want to find the cheapest open heart surgeon?  Of course not!  You would want to know how may surgeries they had done, how long the surgeon had been doing that kind of surgery, what kind of reputation the surgeon had in the community.  While some might think that your financial future is not as important as open heart surgery, it is still important.  Fee should not be the only part of the consideration when deciding to hire a bankruptcy attorney.

CHECK REFERENCES AND REPUTATION

There are several places to check an attorney's reputation and references, but the best way to find the best attorney for your situation is usually word of mouth.  Ask your friends and co-workers who they used when they were faced with a similar situation.  You will be surprised that most of your friends and co-workers have experienced the same type of situation that you are going through and will most likely be able to guide to a good attorney, or guide you away from a bad one.  Remember, you are not the first person to be faced with financial difficulty.  The attorney you choose is just as important as the decision to file for bankruptcy.

LOW FEES USUALLY MEANS CUTTING CORNERS

Friends of mine needed work done on their home.  They got bids from several contractors.  Some of the bids were really low.  The looked at the low bids and wondered how the contractor could afford to do the work for the low bid.  And you know what?  They were probably right.  There was probably no way the contractor could do the job they were expecting for the amount quoted.  The contractor would have to cut corners.  They are not going to be able to do all of the work need to properly handle the bankruptcy case.

Do you want an attorney who feels like he had to do the minimum he can for your case or someone who will take an active interest in your case and make sure that everything is done properly.  If you want the latter, you want to look beyond the amount of the fee.  Otherwise, you may spend a lot more getting it fixed than just paying a fair amount in the beginning.

OUR OFFICE

At our office we offer your a free consultation.  The attorney will quote you a fee based on your individual case.  Our fee may not be the lowest, but it will not be the highest either.  We offer fair fees for the services we provide.  We will walk you through your case and guide you every step of the way.  We will care about your case and your individual situation.  Bankruptcy may be the cure for your financial difficulties.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information check out our website at www.keeganandrade.com, www.middletown-bankruptcy.com or www.centervilleohiobankruptcy.com

Contact your Southern Ohio bankruptcy attorney today for your fresh financial start!  Free consultation 513-752-3900.