Surviving Personal Bankruptcy: Your Guide to the Personal, Legal, and Financial Issues

Personal bankruptcy filings continue at record levels, due in large part to soaring medical costs, increasing numbers of uninsured Americans, an unstable job market, and unprecedented credit-card marketing. Drawing on eighteen years of experience as a bankruptcy attorney, Nora Raum has created a unique lifeline for those facing the challenge of insurmountable debt. Counseling readers on the emotional as well as the practical aspects of regaining their financial footing, Surviving Personal Bankruptcy provides:

o Up-to-date, jargon-free information about the new bankruptcy laws passed in 2005
o An eye-opening process for weighing all the options, including alternatives to bankruptcy and descriptions of Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 bankruptcy
o Easy-to-use worksheets to help readers analyze their finances rationally
o Worksheets for tabulating debt and preparing to file
o Advice for hiring a great lawyer and preparing for the hearing
o Sample letters to credit-reporting agencies and creditors
o A plan for life after bankruptcy, including how to avoid scammers who prey on those who have declared bankruptcy
o A question-and-answer chapter, with candid advice for real-life situations
o True stories of well-known people who’ve filed for bankruptcy—heartening proof that it can happen to anyone

Filing for personal bankruptcy is not a dead end; it’s merely a turning point in the road to financial recovery. By removing the stigma and confusion, Nora Raum will make that road much smoother.