Bankruptcy Questions - Is There 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.

If you file bankruptcy without going through some type of financial management training, you have a greater chance of repeating the same mistakes. New laws require filers to complete a money management course before their debts are discharged. This is a step in the right direction to help people realize how to use credit as a responsible aspect of their finances rather than abusing it until it is too late to climb out of the debt that they have accumulated.

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.

You can take several steps and measures to lessen the negative effects that your debts have caused after bankruptcy. Contrary to what many people believe, bankruptcy is not the end of your financial world. Of course, the most important thing to do is to change your financial habits if spending was the cause of your bankruptcy. Personal habits are to blame for the majority of bankruptcy filings, but bankruptcies can also erupt from single events that destroy your financial plans. Either way, bankruptcy for people who have learned from their mistakes is not always a bad idea.

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