You are protected from harassment by your creditors under federal law. Don’t let your creditors get away with harassment, know your rights.

I talk with a lot of debtors who are considering filing Provo bankruptcy to resolve their debts.  They often have heart-wrenching stories of losing a job or sustaining a costly injury.  However, the stories that upset me the most are the accounts of creditor harassment.

You see, we all fall on hard times sooner or later.  It’s unfortunate, but it happens.  For those who are hit so hard that they can’t get their financial matters balanced again, Provo bankruptcy is there to make a fresh start possible.  But when creditors come after struggling debtors and attempt to bully them into making the payments they can’t afford, that’s just adding insult to injury.

As a debtor, you have rights of protection guaranteed by federal law.  It is illegal for your creditors to harass you.

Many debtors, however, are unaware of their rights and suffer through inexcusable harassment from their creditors.  I want you to understand your rights, and I want your creditors to understand that they can’t get away with harassing you or your household.

It is illegal for your creditors to:

• Harass you, your family or your friends in any way.
• Threaten you either physically or verbally.
• Contact anyone other than you or your attorney concerning your debt.
• Contact you personally when you have known legal representation.
• Fail to follow up a spoken telephone conversation with written  documentation within 5 days.
• Misrepresent the balance of your debt.
• Disregard a your written denial of the debt.
• Suggest or imply that you can be arrested.

Remember that you are protected by the law.  Don’t tolerate illegal harassment from your creditors.  And also remember that as soon as you file Provo bankruptcy, your creditors will not be permitted to contact you in any way.

Hard times hit all of us.  If you’ve been left with more debt than you can manage and you need a fresh start, please complete our Free Provo Bankruptcy Evaluation and find out i Provo bankruptcy is the solution you need.

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Times are still hard for many Provo debtors. Unemployment remains in the double-digits, jobs are scarce and competition is fierce. Many people are finding relief from their debts with Provo bankruptcy. However, unemployed individuals, even if they are out of their old debts, still struggle financially.

In these rough times, many people are learning to get by with less. The adage says, “a penny saved is a penny earned.” My economist friends would disagree with that, but I believe the intent of the message is true: People who learn to be frugal will prosper.

With that in mind, I’ve decided to investigate a few options that struggling individuals have to reduce their expenses. Our daily lives are filled with little ways to save. Find enough of them, and they add up to serious cash that can be used to pay off bills and outstanding debts. Whether you’ve already filed Provo bankruptcy or are just considering it, learning to cut back on unnecessary expenses will pay off.

• Food: Well all know that eating out is more expensive than fixing your own meals at home.  Still, the speed and convenience of restaurants and fast-food is so alluring that we are willing to pay the price.  Try cutting down on your expenses by packing a lunch instead of eating out.  The money you save will add up fast and you’ll probably be eating more healthy anyways!  When you shop at the grocery store, try replacing expensive name brands with generic store brand foods.  As long as the quality is comparable, why spend the extra money?
• Clothing: Current season designer clothing can be monstrously expensive.  So cut down on these purchases if you can.  Isn’t your oldest pair of jeans always your favorite anyways?  Mine are.  Dry cleaning is also surprisingly expensive.  So put your clothing in the normal laundry if you can.
• Entertainment: American spend a lot of money on entertainment.  Think about your television bill, movie tickets, magazine subscriptions, live concerts and other entertainment expenses.  Which of these expenses can you cut out of your budget?  Do you need to see that movie right away, or can you wait till it hits the dollar theater?  Do you really need 900 cable channels?  Just something to think about.
• Communications: Land line and cell phone bills get out of control if you aren’t careful.  Are you paying for services you don’t need or even use?  Try slimming down these plans where possible.  Are you paying a premium price for high-speed internet?  Unless you do a lot of downloads, chances are you would be served just as well with a slower and less expensive connection.

These days, we’re all looking for ways to tighten our belts and get through the rough economy.  By making changes in our lifestyles that minimize our expenses we can pay off our debts more quickly, owe less interest, and build more of our own wealth.  Being frugal really does pay off.

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The simple truth is that most folks rely on a car to get to work and to keep their lives in order.  So how do you do that after Provo bankruptcy?

People who find themselves considering bankruptcy have enough troubles as it is.  Perhaps you’ve lost your job, suffered a costly injury, or even a divorce.  Whatever your story is, times are hard and you need help.  With Provo bankruptcy, you can get relief from the debts that are holding you down.  But financial recovery after bankruptcy is just as important.

I cannot stress this enough.  To get their financial affairs in order after filing Provo bankruptcy, debtors need to hold a steady job and use the income to build checking and savings accounts as well as pay all their bills on time.  For those who are out of a job (alarmingly common these days) finding employment is the biggest and hardest step to accomplish.  And the task only becomes more difficult for those without their own transportation.

Retaining a car after Provo bankruptcy then becomes a big issue.  Happily, many debtors successfully keep their automobiles after filing for bankruptcy and the attorneys at Utah County Fresh Start are eager to help you do the same.

Still, as a debtor filing for bankruptcy, it pays to know what your options are when it comes to dealing with a car in Provo bankruptcy court.  If you owe money on your car and you are filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you have 3 options:

• Redeem: This is a single payment you make to your creditor for the fair market value of your car. This makes life easier down the road because you no longer have any car payments to worry about. However, many debtors do not have enough cash on hand to make this a viable option.
• Reaffirm: This is an agreement between the debtor and the creditor to continue to honor the original contract. You keep your car and continue to make payments on it according to a payment schedule you and your creditor agree on.
• Surrender: Finally, if neither of the options above meet your needs, you can surrender your car to your creditor and have all the debt you own on it discharged. This is an appealing choice for debtors who owe more money on a car than it’s actually worth.

If you are filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the Provo bankruptcy court will handle your car in one of two ways depending on how recently you purchased it:

• For Recent Purchases:  If you bought your car within 910 days (about two and a half years) prior to filing your bankruptcy petition, you are required to pay the full value of your loan at  a reduced interest rate.
• For Old Purchases:  If you purchased your car before the 910-day mark, you are only required to pay the fair market value of your car.  The fair market value is the price you could sell your car for today.

At Utah County Fresh Start, we understand that you need relief from your debt.  We also know you are hoping for a financially secure future after Provo bankruptcy.  Having a car will help that happen. That’s why we fight for our clients to keep their assets after Provo bankruptcy, their cars especially. Fill out our Free Evaluation now to see how we can help you loose your debt and keep your car.

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