Can There Be Life After Bankruptcy?

Life after bankruptcy can have a great impact on your financial life. For some, bankruptcy provides a fresh start and debtors receive numerous loan and credit offers before their debts are even fully discharged. For others, bankruptcy prevents them from getting a decent interest rate on a house or other major purchase. It is always important to consider all of the ramifications and other options before making the final decision to file bankruptcy.

One of the biggest complaints that people have about bankruptcy for the sake of a new start is that it does not change a person's habits. Oftentimes, people get deep in debt because of bad spending habits or because of letting their credit cards and consumer debts get out of control. The actions you take after bankruptcy are vital to keeping the management of your finances under control. This is one reason that bankruptcy does not actually help people. Without behavior change, the majority of filers fall back into the same destructive spending habits that they had before their debts were discharged. Therefore, recognizing that you have a spending problem is vital before considering bankruptcy.

More important than receiving a fresh start through bankruptcy is the need to change your spending habits. This is often the leading cause for people getting deep into debt and filing bankruptcy only reinforces these bad habits. Credit cards can be advantageous if you know how to use them responsibly. Unfortunately, all too often they get out of control until it is too late to fix the problem. Without proper counseling and education, bankruptcy is just a temporary fix that many people use to get them out of financial trouble.

The final step following a bankruptcy is to deal with the negative ramifications it has on your credit. For purposes of getting a home mortgage, bankruptcy will stay on your credit record for the rest of your life. This could be bad news for the interest rate or the repayment terms of your mortgage even several years after bankruptcy. If you file bankruptcy due to one single major setback in your life, such as an illness that resulted in huge medical bills or a job loss, some mortgage companies will work with you. While it still shows up on your credit, mortgage companies that do manual underwriting can customize your home loan and they will consider your specific situation. Be sure to save any papers related to the event so you can present them to the mortgage company when it is time to buy a home.

The choices you make after bankruptcy can affect your financial future. Realizing what put you into debt in the first place is your first step to moving on from the bankruptcy and making sure it does not happen again. Although it can have a negative impact on your pride or self-image, dwelling on the bankruptcy is neither helpful nor productive, so moving on with your life is the best thing to do. This is especially true if your financial troubles were a result a single life event. Recognize the mistakes you made and take measures to ensure that it does not happen again.