74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
How to Save Thousands of Dollars and Regain Self-Respect, May 3, 2001
This review is from: Bounce Back From Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet, Third Edition (Paperback)
Anyone who is seeing their debts pile up will benefit from this book.
For those who have been through chapter 7 or chapter 13 bankruptcy proceedings, this book is ESSENTIAL. Scam artists are about to descend on you, and this book will help you avoid them. Also, it will direct you to the actions and the people that will help you run your life successfully from a financial perspective in the future.
What happens to people after they declare bankruptcy is something that few know anything about. Ms. Ryan does a nice job of summarizing the law and the relevant credit practices. Unlike many books about personal financial planning, she shows and tells you just what to do. This book includes form letters, telephone numbers, telephone scripts, and places to get information on-line. In each case, she tells you who will try to rip you off, and who will give you the best deal. She speaks from experience, having both declared bankruptcy once and later found herself falling behind again.
The reality is better than you think. People want to do business with you. They just don't want to take unnecessary risks. You can even get credit cards again (usually secured by a savings account in the beginning). After you show a history of repaying debts and making payments on time for about two years, most doors will be open to you for credit at reasonable rates. But you'll get less credit than before, so that lenders don't get burned by you.
The sections in this book are outstanding on how to fix your credit history (and how to avoid getting scammed by people who will claim to do it for you in ways that are not sustainable), avoid bad credit card deals, get loans for the things you need (cars and homes), and improve your spending habits. They rank with the best personal finance books that I have read. Anyone will benefit from this advice!
The subjects covered include taking the first steps towards reestablishing credit (which will help you rent property and get a new job, even if you don't plan to borrow), eliminating debts not discharged in bankruptcy, breaking the cycle of piling on debt, how to use secured credit cards intelligently (and where to get the best deal), buying a car (with or without credit), job issues, renting a house or apartment issues, traveling without credit cards, buying a house with credit, how to get out from under if you start having debt problems again (both with and without filing for bankruptcy again), and building financial security. On the last subject, you will need more than this book offers. I suggest John Bogle's excellent book, Common Sense on Mutual Funds.
The book does a nice job of easing the pain and embarrassment of bankruptcy for those who are prepared to do what it takes to become more financially successful. The book is very good about letting you avoid harrassment and unpleasant situations while being totally candid and honest about your situation.
The book's detail is very thorough and deals with all aspects of the situations that I could think of other than alimony and child support issues.
My only complaint about the book is that it did not seem to be well proof read. Line breaks and paragraph breaks occur randomly, and there are more typos than you would normally expect. The quality of the content seems fine, though.
If you want to learn a little more about Ms. Ryan, she has been the bankruptcy guru on AOL for a number of years, and you can find her now at theWhiz.
I think this would also be a good book for young people to read before starting out. By understanding how people end up being bankrupt and having to deal with these issues, it may forearm them to not make unnecessary mistakes.
Use the good examples of those who have gone before you to best advantage!
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25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this is the only book u need after bankruptcy, November 26, 2002
By A Customer
This review is from: Bounce Back From Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet, Third Edition (Paperback)
I filed bankruptcy a couple of years ago and by following the steps in this easy to understand, straight forward book, I now have $70,000.00 saved, an unsecured credit card, a fica score in the 700's and last week was aproved for a mortgage at 61/2%!!!
this is all the information you will need for any issue you can think of after a bankruptcy. Not only does it show you how to repair your credit, it shows you how not to get in the same situation again. I also had a question and the author e-mailed me back within a couple of days! Increadibly helpful.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
THE BIBLE ON HOW TO REBUILD YOUR CREDIT AFTER BANKRUPTCY, October 23, 2001
This review is from: Bounce Back From Bankruptcy: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Back on Your Financial Feet, Third Edition (Paperback)
This book is a must have for any person who is trying to rebuild their credit after filing bankruptcy. Reading this book helped be to hold my head up again and move forward to rebuilding my credit. It also helped me to see that I am not alone nor am I a terrible person because of past financial mistakes. It is full of helpful information, sample letters and wording to cut through the red tape of dealing with CRA. You won't regret getting this book.
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