With tips on understanding -- and surviving -- the new bankruptcy laws If you're considering bankruptcy, you need straightforward answers and reliable advice. This handy guide covers it all -- so you can get your finances in line and your life back on track. This updated new edition covers everything you need to know about the new bankruptcy law and includes even better resources. Don't get desperate -- get out of debt instead! Discover how to * Weigh the consequences of bankruptcy * Manage your spending * Find professional help you can trust * Decide on the right type of bankruptcy * Pass the means test * Keep more of your stuff

The most comprehensive and reliable guide for consumers--by the nation's preeminent bankruptcy attorney. This information-packed guide offers consumers all the help they will need to protect themselves through every step in the bankruptcy process.

The authors of this publication have taken a practical approach to teaching the intricacies of bankruptcy. To promote reader comprehension, they employ step-by-step explanations and flow charts of each type of filing, supporting case examples, challenging problems to address, and the definition of new terms as they are introduced. To further enhance learning, the roles of the various parties involved in the process are described in detail, particularly the role of the paralegal. From fact gathering and interfacing with clients, to the preparation of various official forms, paralegals will come to understand their role and those of others in handling bankruptcy cases. The most up-to-date official bankruptcy forms with detailed explanations for completing them are contained within the publication, as are debtor and creditor client questionnaires. Book jacket.

Now, you can finally end the cycle of bad credit and get back on your feet by following the step-by-step advice and tools in Credit Repair Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition. You’ll find out everything you need to know about creating a solid plan to get your credit back on track. You’ll discover how to find your credit report, review all of the information in it, and learn how you can repair and spruce it up. You’ll learn how to communicate with creditors and how to budget so that you can pay your bills in full and on time. You’ll learn how to apply these credit strategies to all life situations, from building credit with your life partner to financially surviving a divorce, unemployment, and student loans. You will find out how to safe-guard your identity so that other people don’t damage your credit. Find out how to: Take charge of your credit Get help from credit counselors Request copies of your credit report Know how to interpret your credit report and credit score Avoid foreclosure Communicate with collectors, lawyers, and the courts Manage medical debt Safe-guard your identity Complete with lists of ten tips to avoid identity theft and reduce damages, ten ways you can prevent foreclosure, ten methods for establishing and improving credit, and ten strategies for handling financial emergencies, Credit Repair Kit For Dummies, 2nd Edition is your one-stop guide to improving and maintaining your credit score and protecting your identity. Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file.

The painless way to manage credit in today's financial landscape People with great credit scores are getting turned down for credit cards and loans for homes and cars. What do they need besides a good score? What are lenders looking for now that they are extremely risk-averse? Repairing broken or damaged credit is one thing, but having to meet today's much stiffer credit standards requiring that consumers consistently manage their credit is another thing all together. Credit Management Kit For Dummies gives you answers to these questions and insight into these concerns, and also walks you down the correct path to credit application approval. You'll discover major changes with the Credit CARD (Credit Accountability, Responsibility, and Disclosure) Act provisions and the new Consumer Financial Protection Legislation Agency; the effect of tightened credit markets on those with good, marginal, or bad credit; new rules and programs including Hope and Government options via the Obama Administration; the best ways to recover from mortgage related credit score hits; tips for minimizing damage after walking away from a home; credit score examples with new ranges; and much more. The pros and cons of credit counselors The quickest and most effective way to undo damage from identity theft Advice and tips about adding information to a credit report, and beefing-up thin credit Guidance for evaluating your Credit Score in today's economy Fannie Mae's revised guidelines for purchasing mortgages Information on significant others (boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse) and credit and debt sharing IRS exceptions to the Mortgage Forgiveness Debt Relief Act in a mortgage meltdown situation Not just for those who have bad credit and need to repair it, Credit Management Kit For Dummies also serves as an invaluable resource for those with average credit who want, or need, to manage it to get a job, reduce insurance costs, qualify for banking products, and more.