What is bankruptcy? Bankruptcy is a tool that can help you deal with debt. Debt won’t go away by ignoring it or wishing it away. In fact, the more that you ignore your debts, the more unmanageable they will become.

Debt is not just an obligation; it is a burden, liability or “ball and chain”. As you move through life, your debt weighs you down and prevents you from getting ahead.

The big question is this: How do you get rid of your debt? You feel weighed down, you can’t sleep at night, and you’re dragging this ball and chain around. You need relief from this burden. It is not always possible to pay back your debts that have spiraled out of control. We can help…

Bankruptcy is a tool, not a dirty word. There is no longer a stigma to bankruptcy. It is a legal tool that is used by millions of people, companies and organizations. Even the United States Supreme Court calls bankruptcy a “fresh start”. Bankruptcy does not cause financial problems, it solves them. By using bankruptcy, you are using a legal and formal tool to officially wipe out and eliminate your debt. Meanwhile, you can finally begin to rebuild your credit.

Avoid bankruptcy at all costs? While no one strives to go bankrupt, unfortunately life sometimes throws us a curve ball. Medical problems, loss of jobs, divorce and downturns in the economy are things you don’t plan. It seems that once your financial situation turns bleak, so do your family relationships, friendships and marriages. Don’t let this happen to you! You can stop it! Is making a credit card payment more important than your relationships with your spouse, your children and your friends?

Other options. We don’t sell bankruptcy to my clients. We regularly advise clients to avoid bankruptcy – when that advice is appropriate. When our clients have other options, like putting together a reasonable repayment plan to get out of debt, I routinely help them find alternatives to bankruptcy. But if the option is making minimum payments over several decades, it makes sense to look at bankruptcy as a reasonable option.

Your main goal. The main goal in your life should be your health, your spouse, your children and your happiness. All those things are far more important than preserving an inflated credit score and trying to make minimum payments on credit cards that you will never pay off. Who is more important – your family or your American Express card?