Are you struggling with insurmountable debt and desperately seeking a solution? Look no further. For nearly three decades, Richard Weaver has worked with homeowners, families, and consumers struggling with debt in McKinney and throughout the state of Texas. Whether you are facing a vehicle repossession, a home foreclosure, a wage garnishment, or a creditor lawsuit – or all of the above – we can help.
WHAT WE CAN DO
We sometimes negotiate directly with creditors to settle debts on behalf of our clients, and we provide full bankruptcy advice and services when filing for bankruptcy is a client’s best option for resolving debt. If you have payments that are past due and piling up faster than you can pay them, consult at once with experienced McKinney bankruptcy attorney Richard Weaver.
Chapter 7 bankruptcy is mainly for those individuals who do not have a regular monthly income or whose income is inadequate to pay their debts. Chapter 7 bankruptcy discharges unsecured debt – mortgage and car payments, medical debt and credit card debt. Chapter 7 bankruptcy is designed for people without a regular income or with an income that’s inadequate for addressing their debts. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy reorganizes your debt so that it can be paid in a way and on a schedule that you can afford. An experienced McKinney debt lawyer can explain the bankruptcy laws, provide the bankruptcy advice you need, review and help you file a bankruptcy petition, and advise you regarding the steps you must take after bankruptcy.
THERE’S LIFE AFTER BANKRUPTCY
Solutions to debt problems are nothing to fear. Your credit score will plummet when you file for bankruptcy, but bankruptcy isn’t for life. You’ll have the chance to reestablish your credit and to move ahead positively and constructively. If you need effective debt resolution answers, call (469) 215-2300 as quickly as possible to set up an appointment with experienced McKinney bankruptcy attorney Richard Weaver.
So You’re Wondering Whether Bankruptcy Is Right For You?
Here are a number of questions that can ask yourself and your attorney in order to determine whether bankruptcy is the right choice for you.
- Do you feel like you have more debt than you can handle?
- Do you have a mortgage on a home that is late and you are trying to save your home?
- Have you been facing repossession on a vehicle?
- Have you been sued in a lawsuit?
- Do you feel like your credit is never going to really recover?
- Have you tried without success to use credit repair companies?
- Are you interested in getting a fresh start on your credit?
- Are you monthly payments on debts and other expenses higher than your monthly income?
- Are you getting married and want to get a fresh start to enter your marriage on the right foot?
- Are you caught in the payday loan trap?
- Do you face constant collection harassment with constant phone calls?
- Are you nervous that you are going to be served with a lawsuit for an old credit card?
- Do you need to lower your payment on your vehicle?
- Would it feel good to eliminated the interest on your credit card balances?
Now, for some thoughts on each of these questions that could help you look inward and give you an idea of the kind of things you could discuss with your attorney when you decide you’d like to come into our office for a free consultation.
Do you feel like you have more debt than you can handle?
For many consumers, debt is something that becomes an everyday part of their lives. When there is too much debt, the overwhelming effects can be exhausting. You can constantly be wondering about whether you’re going to be able to make payments on important and necessary debts. You may wonder how you’re going to be able to pay your rent, your car payment, or your credit card payments. If these debts start to feel like they are ruling your life, then you may want to review your options in bankruptcy or look at some drastic measures to get out of debt. You could consider eliminated expenses that are unnecessary like the premium package on the monthly cable bill.
In other situations, you may want to carefully consider how bankruptcy could help you eliminate much or even all of your unsecured debt. You could also use bankruptcy to get out of an oppressive car payment. If you feel like you could get by with a less expensive cash car, such as an old Lexus that you buy for $3,000-$6,000 instead of a $600/month car payment on a newer car, then this is an example of something you could do to save money and become more able to handle monthly expenses.
Do you have a mortgage on a home that is late and you are trying to save your home?
If you have had a drop in your income but are back on the horse and able to resume making your monthly mortgage payments which had become late, then a chapter 13 bankruptcy could be the ticket to helping you catch this mortgage up. The natural choice is always to double up on payments as best as possible if you have the ability to get additional income on a monthly basis. Some people who have lost income are able to get back to work and get overtime or take a second job in order to get the mortgage arrears caught up. On the other hand, if the amount that is needed to catch up the mortgage has become too large to catch up on your own, then a chapter 13 bankruptcy in McKinney could help you to catch it up over a period of 36-60 months.
Have you been facing repossession on a vehicle?
Repossession is a very scary thing for a person who needs their car to drive their family around to important appointments and possibly just as important is the ability to make the trip back and forth to work. In the DFW metroplex, the public transportation system is hardly an option for most people. So the car is important for you to be able to make an income. If you are facing repossession on your vehicle, then bankruptcy through Ch. 13 could help you catch up the vehicle or even lower your monthly payment over the duration of the bankruptcy.
Have you been sued in a lawsuit?
Lawsuits for old repossessions, old broken leases, or old credit cards are common for people who have had a bad string of luck. If you have been considering bankruptcy and other solutions for getting a fresh start, and then were served with a lawsuit, this could come as the wake up call that you were looking for to spur you into action to get this stuff behind you once and for all. That is a common reason for folks to come into our office and use this as a chance to just get everything done and over with. Consider a bankruptcy to stop a lawsuit or eliminate a judgement which has already come out of a credit card lawsuit.
Do you feel like your credit is never going to really recover?
Some people have given up trying to have good credit. It seems that all you can do is just move to a cash based budget because no one will ever extend credit to you. But this does not have to be the case. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to really be able to rebuild credit. And in order to rebuild, you have to shed the past debt as best as possible. If you have debts like old charged off credit card, broken leases, evictions, repossessions, and more, then a bankruptcy could help you to wipe it out and start new.\
Have you tried without success to use credit repair companies?
Or maybe you have gotten to the point where you think to yourself that you can use a credit repair company to get your credit back on track. They promise you that they can dispute the items on your credit report with a vengeance. They promise good credit scores guaranteed. But then you find that their promises of good credit come with more pain than results. Maybe all the disputing on your credit alerts some of the debt buyers who have purchased old accounts from credit card companies. When they see you trying to repair your credit they assume that you have some money and use this as an opportunity to move in with a lawsuit. Or maybe they have already sued and obtained a judgment and they use this as an opportunity to levy your bank account, wiping out your savings in the process.
For cases like this, bankruptcy could be the answer that would allow you to put these problems of failed credit repair to bed. There are really only a few options for true “credit repair,” and while bankruptcy itself should not really be thought of as credit repair, it can be thought of as taking a samurai sword to your credit and slicing it down to nearly nothing. Then, because the bankruptcy is often able to eliminate much or all of the past debts, you are able to actually begin the process of rebuilding instead of constantly having to play whack-a-mole on your credit when you dispute one item and it goes away for a monthly or two and then returns under a different name. The other option aside from bankruptcy involves settling up on a large portion of the most pernicious of debts on your credit report.
Are you interested in getting a fresh start on your credit?
Bankruptcy is often considered a means to getting a fresh start. Chapter 13 bankruptcy is not really a fresh start because it involves a repayment of debts in some fashion for a period of 3-5 years. But Ch. 7 bankruptcy does allow a fresh financial start in many regards. It means that you can start new, it means that you can be done with your past debts, and focus on moving forward. In the absence of your old debts, your credit can actually start to go up without the old, bad debt weighing it down.
Are you monthly payments on debts and other expenses higher than your monthly income?
If you are facing the prospect of having to rob Peter to pay Paul each month, then you may have a bankruptcy problem. You may also simply have an income problem that doesn’t mean that bankruptcy will help. Take the example of the family who has two car payments of $500/month each, for a told of $1,000/month in car payments. Then they throw in rent at $1,100/month and compare that against their $2,500/month income and you can quickly see that something has to give. They need to ditch one or both car payments or get a significant jump in their income if they want to be able to balance their budget each month. That is an example of an income problem that may not be something bankruptcy would solve for them. On the other hand, if the same family was making $3,900/month, and had the same car payments and also $500/month in credit card debts, then they could consider bankruptcy to eliminate the credit card payments and make room for other important ongoing monthly expenses. They could also consider a chapter 13 bankruptcy to lower their car payments.
Are you getting married and want to get a fresh start to enter your marriage on the right foot?
Sometimes we get a call from a prospective client considering a bankruptcy to wipe the slate clean before going into a new marriage. Maybe they have been divorced and still have some old joint debts with an ex spouse. The bankruptcy is often a natural goal to get rid of the old debt before going into a new relationship. The goal is to start on a good note and not bring old, past debts into the marriage. Sometimes these calls come from the concerned fiance who has excellent credit and who is worried about the old debts that their soon-to-be spouse will be bringing into the relationship. They often speak of a well-meaning fiance who has not been the best at managing money or who was dragged down by an ex-spouse. The thought is that if they can get rid of their old debt, the new spouse can help to keep them on track, but if the are starting behind the eight-ball then they would not be so prepared to take the world by storm in their new marriage.
Are you caught in the payday loan trap?
Payday loans are sought in dire circumstances. Many people do not have any other options and so they turn to these loans in moments of weakness or desperation or both. The people who offer these loans are providing a service but the way that they administer their services can be quite loathsome. They will carefully help the borrower get the loan, but once they have the borrower in the trap, they will do very little to help them get off the payday loan treadmill. They will threaten them if they are late with jail time and other nonsense. And then when the borrower is about to pay off the loan, they could suddenly become the presumed best friend again with offers of refinancing or another, larger payday loan for this borrower. But these are all designed to keep the borrower trapped inside the clutches of the payday loan companies.
Sometimes the problems are a result of the fact that the borrower thinks they can afford to pay off the entire payday loan when it comes due. They optimistically or foolishly think that they will be able to get the money together before the loan comes due in full. Hence, the loan comes due in full and when the entire amount is not available to pay off the loan, the borrower is forced to refinance the loan and any payments made go just toward penalties and interest instead of chipping away in any large way at the principle on the loan. These loans can end up dragging on for months or years on small original loan amounts.
