Are you facing the foreclosure of your home?  Has your mortgage company stopped working with you or accepting your payments? A Chapter 13 bankruptcy can be the solution.  If you can afford your monthly mortgage payments, but simply cannot catch up on arrears, a three-year to a five-year Chapter 13 plan could be the solution to helping you catch up, giving you time to become current, and delaying the sheriff sale for the time it takes you to become current.  If you successfully complete the Chapter 13 plan, you will come out on the other side completely caught up on your mortgage, with the foreclosure action dismissed, and you may have discharged or eliminated some of your other unsecured debt (such as credit card debt or medical bills) in the process.  Call Iowa bankruptcy attorney Kevin Ahrenholz today to see if Chapter 13 bankruptcy is the best solution for your situation. He is a bankruptcy lawyer serving all of Iowa, including Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Waterloo, Mason City, Davenport, Dubuque, Marshalltown, Ames and Ft. Dodge.  Call today at 1-877-888-1766.

People often call me and ask whether there is something called a “medical bankruptcy.” Although that term does not exist in the bankruptcy code, there is something that helps people eliminate and manage their medical debt. It is called a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Medical debt can be discharged, or eliminated, through a Chapter 7 bankruptcy proceeding, which typically takes about four months to complete through the bankruptcy court. A Chapter 13 bankruptcy can also help manage medical debt, although it generally takes three to five years to successfully complete a Chapter 13 bankruptcy plan. It is much like a court-ordered debt management plan, and is quite different than a Chapter 7. For more information about filing a Chapter 7 bankruptcy, or a Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Iowa for the purpose of dealing with your medical debt, or any debt for that matter, be sure to contact Attorney Kevin Ahrenholz.

By far the best return on your investment is to file bankruptcy. It is far cheaper to file a bankruptcy than it is to repay interest on debt year after year, without making any gains. Bankruptcy can offer you a fresh start if you find yourself overwhelmed by debt.

If you are considering filing for bankruptcy, one advantage is that bankruptcy offers the best return on investment anywhere, on any investment. The average cost of a bankruptcy in Iowa is anywhere from $1,400 (attorney fees and court costs) to $3,000. Assuming a person invests $1,500 into their bankruptcy, and eliminates only $15,000 in debt (a very low discharge amount for most cases), that person will achieve a 1000% return on investment in just four months. A good mutual fund or blue chip stock might give you a 7 – 10% return annually. It would take 40 – 50 years for your $1,500 investment to match what we can accomplish in just four months.

Considering most people eliminate $30,000 – $60,000 or more in debt with their bankruptcies, the rate of return is usually closer to 2000% to 4000%. Is there any investment, anywhere, that could turn $1,500 into $60,000 (or more) in just four months? Nothing is more powerful than investing in your future, and the future of your family, by securing a clean slate, and making a fresh start.

Chapter 13 is a debt management plan that the debtor participates in for a period of 3 to 5 years. When filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy, the debtor and his attorneys will prepare a payment plan, which a court will review. The payment plan proposes an amount that will be paid to every creditor each month, based on the debtors financial situation and ability to pay. At the end of the 3 to 5 year payment term, most remaining debt will be discharged.

A Chapter 13 bankruptcy is also known as a wage earners or repayment bankruptcy.

Chapter 7 allows debtors to discharge most unsecured debt without a repayment plan. Chapter 7 bankruptcy shields an individual from creditors as soon as the bankruptcy petition is filed. The process usually lasts around 4 months, at the end of which the debtor will receive a discharge and clean slate.

A Chapter 7 bankruptcy is commonly known as a straight or liquidation bankruptcy. Its goal is to relieve you of indebtedness.

Both Chapters 13 and 7 allow the debtor to keep some secured assets. Neither type of bankruptcy allows a debtor to discharge tax debt, student loans, fines, alimony or child support. There are certain debts that are dischargeable in Chapter 13 but not in Chapter 7. A qualified bankruptcy attorney can advise you of your options in this regard.

Chapter 13 offers certain advantages with regard to secured assets such as mortgages and car payments. Chapter 13 bankruptcy has the ability to stop foreclosures, cram down car loans and strip liens. Co-debtors are also protected under Chapter 13 bankruptcy but not Chapter 7.

Regardless of these advantages, Chapter 7 bankruptcy may still be a debtor’s most powerful tool. Most debts are discharged, the process takes only a few months, the debtor does not have to pay on debts through a payment plan and the process is less expensive. In most cases, you’ll lose little, if any, of your property or assets. Most of your property is secured or exempt, so little, or sometimes nothing, may be left to pay your creditors.

A chapter 13 bankruptcy can be filed more frequently than once every 8 years, and it can be filed at anytime to manage your debt load even if you are not eligible for a discharge due to a prior filing.