Sometimes situations arise when you can no longer pay your bills. Although you may have the best intentions of paying off your debt, you simply may not have the means to make this happen. When you can no longer pay your bills, you may need to consider filing bankruptcy. Hopefully you will have considered your alternatives but sometimes bankruptcy is the most viable option. The question then becomes which type of bankruptcy will best suite your financial needs, Chapter 7 Bankruptcy or Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. Your current situation will help you to decide which bankruptcy route is best for you.

A majority of consumers choose to go with Chapter 7 bankruptcy. There are a variety of differences between Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Chapter 7 bankruptcy does not require you to make a plan of repayment. When you file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, your debt is not immediately wiped out. Instead, a bankruptcy trustee will sell off your non-exempt assets in order to pay off your debts. It is important that you understand with Chapter 7 bankruptcy, you could potentially lose any property that you currently own.

However, with Chapter 13, you are not required to liquidate your assets in order to repay your creditors. Instead, you make a repayment plan to pay a portion or all of your unsecured debt back. This is done through the court system and payments can be made over a 36 to 60 month period. The amount you repay your creditors must be equal to or greater than what they would receive should you have liquidated your assets, as with Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you follow through with your repayment plan, then your remaining unsecured debt will then be discharged.

If you have lost your job or have no means of repaying your debt, then you should probably consider filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. However, if you are still able to meet some of your monthly obligations, but cannot pay off your entire debt, then you may want to consider filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy.

It is important that you have a full understanding of the lasting impact of filing for bankruptcy. Whether you are filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy, there are financial consequences. Chapter 7 bankruptcy will have a steeper impact on your financial situation. By filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy you are telling creditors that you cannot be trusted to pay off your debts. Therefore, you will have a hard time finding creditors to lend you money in the future. This will be extremely important if you are ever in the need for a new car, mortgage or even a simple credit card.

Chapter 13 has less of an impact on your overall credit rating. Since you are still paying off your debt, just in a restructured form or at a lower interest rate, creditors see you as less of a financial risk, than someone who has wiped out there entire debt through Chapter 7.

Be aware that there are certain types of debt that cannot be discharged with either chapter of bankruptcy, so make sure you have a thorough understanding of bankruptcy law, especially with the major recent changes to the laws.

There are both pros and cons to filing either Chapter 7 bankruptcy or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Before committing to either one, you should sit down with a financial adviser and go over your obligations and options completely. Weighing out the pros and cons of both types of bankruptcy and basing your decision on your current situation, you will be able to easily decide which bankruptcy route you should go with.

It is not uncommon to go through the agony of facing a bankruptcy and spending many a sleepless night worrying about whether you have any chances of getting credit cards after bankruptcy. This might have been impossible earlier, but not now. Increasing market competition has ensured that there are now credit card providers who specialize in providing credit cards after bankruptcy.

It is not too difficult to get a credit card after bankruptcy from these kinds of credit card providers. The only hitch is that they take a higher interest rate and a lower credit limit. This is because of the risk that they are taking for offering a credit card after bankruptcy to a person.

It is not difficult to rebuild good credit after bankruptcy. In fact filing for bankruptcy in the court is a good move in itself. It might be a huge blow to your credit report but eventually it will prove to be a sensible move. Once you have eliminated debt by filing for bankruptcy you can make a new start by applying for bankruptcy credit card application. You should take care that you fill you bankruptcy credit card application properly. While filling up your bankruptcy credit card application make sure that all your paid expenses are shown as paid or else they would tag along and spoil your new credit report.

You can either opt for secured credit cards after bankruptcy or unsecured credit cards after bankruptcy. A secured credit card after bankruptcy is a wiser decision than an unsecured credit card. These are secured by special savings account one establishes with a credit card issuer which acts as a security for his credit limit. A unsecured credit card is exactly its opposite. Once you have opted for a secured or unsecured credit card after bankruptcy make sure that you build up a good credit report. Building up a good credit report is absolutely essential if you want to come to a good standing back again. For this, always pay your bills on time and also cut down your expenses to bare essentials. Another way to rebuild your credit after bankruptcy is to add years of positive credit history to your account. It is a slow and could be an agonizing process but once you build a good credit record, you will be in a different league altogether.

Credit cards after bankruptcy while on one hand may prove to be expensive, but then, they can help you secure a stronger footing in future with regards to your credit rating.

Many bankruptcy filers are wondering whether they are entitled to keep one or several credit cards for emergencies backup. In general, you may not because your credit cards will be cancelled regardless, since you file the bankruptcy. The credit card issuers tend to punish their card holders for filling any kind of bankruptcy; in most cases, the credit cards of bankruptcy filers will be terminated once they file for a bankruptcy. But there are some exemptions where terms and conditions will be applied to enable the bankruptcy filers to continue holding their credit cards.

There are some exceptions applicable only to chapter 7 bankruptcy filers. Some credit card’s issuers will allow you to keep your credit card but with a sized down credit limit, and in return you need to repay them for some of your debts. In fact, some companies will automatically send you or your attorney a proposed reaffirmation agreement, a contract between you and your creditor that you will pay all or a portion of the money owed, despite the bankruptcy filing, in exchange for a minimal amount of new credit.

Beside the sized down credit limit, a chapter 7 bankruptcy filers may allow to keep their credit cards by some of their card issuers but the interest rate will be revised to a higher than the normal interest rate. But, if you can always pay your credit balance in full each month, you will never incur a finance charge, and the high interest rate won’t hurt you.

Other than chapter 7 bankruptcy filers, all credit cards must be given up at the filling of bankruptcy. However, there are credit card holders who have maintained their credit cards at zero balance for a long period of time do not report their credit cards during the filing. This action can be considered illegal since in effect your preference on one creditor (your credit card issuer) over other creditors, because repayment ordination is a trustee job.

If you are not eligible to file under chapter 7 or even you are filling under chapter 7 but you didn’t manage to get approval from your credit card issuers to keep your credit cards, the best thing is report all your credit cards and give them up. In most cases, your need to wait until the bankruptcy filing has cleared and then work with a debt management consultant to rebuilt your credit step by step. Of course, in the months and years after the bankruptcy filling, you may not be eligible for top-tier or even middle-tier credit cards.

But with some efforts and fiscal strategy such pay your monthly credit balance in full and on schedule will help you to rebuilt your good credit record and you can begin to erase the stigma of the bankruptcy; and eventually put you back in the realm of good to high credit score.

In Summary

In most cases, bankruptcy filers need to give up their credit cards. But, there are exceptions for bankruptcy filers in chapter 7, the debtors who file their bankruptcy under chapter 7 may allow to keep their credit cards with some terms and conditions.

Cornie Herring is the Author from http://www.studykiosk.com/CreditBasics. “StudyKiosk-Credit Basics” is an informational website on credit basics, debt consolidation and bankruptcy. To see recommended bankruptcy attorneys, visit: Recommended Bankruptcy Attorneys

OK as has been said before, the Festive Season approaches, the time of year when we all end up being slightly silly at the Office Xmas Party and then wake up the following morning wishing the night before had never happened.

It is also the time of year when the majority of the Open Wallet Surgery in our lives takes place and we end up funding next years Skiing trip for the majority of Credit Card Company executives the world over.

So the question still remains, how do you get the best out of your little pieces of plastic without resorting to cutting them in two?

Friend of Foe? We are not too sure about Credit Cards and their exact benefit / damage to our Society. Sure we all like the convenience of not having to haul large bundles of cash around the place and yes it does make buying that last little special item at Christmas a damn site easier. However, unless you want to try and hide your head totally in the sand and pretend that everything is rosy it would be slightly naive not to try and think that the rising levels of bankruptcies and out of control credit / debt management situation around nowadays would also have something to do with the abundance of these little pieces of plastic and the ease of getting credit nowadays.

There is a story doing the rounds that is widely credited to Dr Gregg Dimkoff of the Seldman Scholl of Business Studies at Grand Valley University and it is about a TV Interview held by the TV Host Larry King where he allegedly interviews Satan on his TV/Radio Show. I stress the point here that this is a joke and that no one should be under any illusions of the great Beelzebub himself ever making a live appearance of prime time TV or Radio!

Anyway, King asks Satan to describe the foulest deed that he had either ever committed himself or had arranged to have carried out by one of his minions? Satan thinks about this and then points out that with so much chaos, death and destruction carried out in his name over the eons, it would be hard to try and single out one single item since there had been so much. King is however persistent stating that yes with so much evil around it must be hard but there must be one dastardly thing that he was proud of. Satan thinks for a moment and then said well if you must push me there is one evil thing I am proud of; the day I invented Credit Cards!

You can’t stop noticing the number of advertisements for credit card offers these days. It can be enticing to sign up as they offer attractive rates and appealing incentives. So, why should you bother with a secured credit card deal?

In some cases, secured credit card may be useful. If the finance companies often reject your application, then you lose the prospect of getting one. Without credit report, you obviously find it almost impossible to secure a card. If the court declares you as an insolvent, what are your chances of getting one? As you can see, it boils down to your personal financial situation. Nevertheless, don’t let it refrain from obtaining a credit card. You can opt for secured credit cards in such circumstances.

So, how does it work? The financial providers will require you to pledge your saving account with at least 500 dollars as collateral. Some of them may require higher deposits. Your credit limit depends on the sum of saving you have. This means that the card issuers will give a full credit line according to your account balance. Should you default your payment, you will lose your saving. Therefore, to obtain a credit card, you must have a saving account or a certificate of deposit with a minimum of 500 dollars. You will feel more comfortable having a credit card this way without worrying about over spending.

Usually the finance companies don’t accept standard card application if you have bad credit. So the other option is to apply for secured credit cards. They assess your application only based on your savings and not your credit history.

Being a college student, you know that obtaining a credit card is challenging because you need to establish your credit. You can’t get a regular one if you cannot present your credit history report. Therefore, most college students normally choose secured credit cards that demand no credit report.

Bankruptcy can prevent you from getting a normal card. The ideal way is to apply for a secured credit card. It is easier to obtain approval compared to other kinds of cards.

To determine the best deals, you check the offers from Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover on the Internet. Doing online research can give you with valuable information about their offers. However, not all the offers are the same. So, you need to evaluate their offers first before you submit your application. Here is a potential list of items you should consider.

1. What are their interest rates?

2. Do they charge any extra fees such as an application fee?

3. Do they report to the three credit reporting bureaus about your application?

The best secured credit card should meet all your needs. Ideally, choose those that come with low interest rates and without application fees. Make sure that the card issuers report to the credit reporting bureaus. This will upgrade your credit score in the future provided you pay on time. This will further help you with your application for regular cards.

You need time and effort in diligently investigating and comparing different types of secured credit card deals. Whether you are a bankrupt, a student or a poor credit paymaster, secured credit cards are better choices even though you have a limit on how you spend your money. Best of all, you have a better money management because of the restriction.