Customer Reviews

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Repay Your Debts, Fifth Edition

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Keep Your Property & Repay Debts Over Time

I needed to file Chapter 13 to pay off approximately $7000 in delinquent taxes that could not be discharged in a Chapter 7. I contacted several local Chapter 13 attorneys in the San Diego area for free consultations. Each one wanted to charge at least $3500.00 to represent me and wanted between $1000.00 to $1500.00 to be paid prior to them filing the bankruptcy paperwork with the court. If I had that kind of money, I would have been trying to work out something with the IRS.

I bought this book and read it cover to cover several times. When I knew I was ready, I completed the forms required to file in my district, California Southern District. My expense was $274.00 in cash for the filing fees. I filed on 4/17/09 and had my 341(a) hearing on 5/22/09. The court schedules a hearing at the same time for many people.

During the hearing, I was getting nervous as several people that were represented by attorneys were called in front of the Chapter 13 Trustee ahead of me and were either having their hearings continued to a new date or having a Confirmation hearing scheduled due to discrepancies in their filed paperwork (this was paperwork prepared and filed by their attorneys!!!). In the California Southern District, a 341(a)hearing is rescheduled or a Confirmation hearing is scheduled if the Chapter 13 Trustee thinks there is a presumption of abuse of the bankruptcy laws, objects to the plan or a creditor has an objection to the plan.

When I was called up, I only had to answer a few basic questions (name, address, what do you do you do for a living, how much are you paid, is that hourly, weekly, monthly and how many hours per day, week or month do you work) and provide copies of my IRS tax returns for 4 years (2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008)to verify that I have had stable income. The Chapter 13 Trustee stated he did not find a presumption of abuse, recommended that my plan be confirmed and is submitting the Request for Plan Confirmation to the Chapter 13 bankruptcy judge for sign-off. It took less than 10 minutes.

I could not have done it without the invaluable assistance of this book.

If you're behind on your bills and creditors are threatening, you can consider filing for Chapter 13 bankruptcy protection - and the 8th updated edition of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy will save you a fortune in attorney fees and confusion. Learn how to determine qualifications, understanding the law's protections, fill out and file forms, pay off debts and represent yourself in court: it's been completely rewritten to reflect the latest changes to federal bankruptcy law and includes all the latest facts, making this a top reference both for filers and for public library reference sections.

The author did a good job organizing the information in this book.

I would also recommend Surviving Financial Disasters by Tiffany R. Love which comes with a CD ROM and actual sample court documents from someone who has been there and done that. Also tells what to expect after you filed your papers.

This book was very informative, I own a Bankruptcy Petition Preparer Service. To broaden my expertise in Chapter 13, I purchased this book. With the information in this book alone, I am now able to expand my business by offering Chapter 13 service to Attorneys. Five Stars for this book.

Although my business and teaching background is not related to personal finance and single family real estate, I have had a number for friends and friends of friends ask for help in dealing with the challenges of today's economic world. It's a very unfriendly world, especially for single, professional mothers. One of the areas where I was woefully lacking in background was bankruptcy and the two NOLO guides were purchased to assist me in understand the options and then given to friends. Although sold as do it yourself guides, I believe anybody contemplating bankruptcy should talk with an attorney along the way. Reading the book first will make the conversations more productive and help in both the decision and execution processes. There are many examples of people doing their own bankruptcies using these guides.


For those not familiar with NOLO they have an exceptionally well written series of books written to guide ordinary consumers through the legal process from conceptual issues to the actual forms to be filed.

Their Chapter 13 Bankruptcy guide follows this tradition. I have recommended it to several acquaintances who have gone from upper middle class to terrorized by creditors over the past few years. This book is like having a friend and skilled attorney in your corner. The advice is honest, direct and encouraging.

Since many of today's financial problems are real estate related you may want to also look at their book on foreclosure.

There's a lot of bad advice out there on blogs, TV and other sources.

If you are using an attorney to guide you through the process of deciding if you should file bankruptcy, if so what section or for the actual processing this book has the potential to save you thousands of dollars in fees. If you happen to be getting help from a competent friend the book will help you ask better questions.

Highly recommended. I have purchased several copies for friends.

As always, the Nolo bankruptcy books are the only way to go when it comes to self-help books for the non-lawyer. Plus, the latest edition appears to have updated the summary of the 50 states various exemptions, an improvement from before.

Interestingly, the latest edition appears to be biased in favor of creditors' interests a little more than it was in the previous editions.

When I was offered an opportunity to review the new addition of this book, I requested a copy even though we are not facing bankruptcy ourselves. However, a close friend may be, and is emotionally distressed. I thought it would be helpful for us to read it together. We are also reading related books by Nolo.

This book helps answer the question: "What is the worst that can happen financially?". When one is freaked out with worry, it is calming to get concrete answers rather than one's imaginings. The writing style is straight-forward, easy to understand.

This book would also be helpful for those who are not necessarily facing bankruptcy, but facing a cash flow problem, and who need cash and are faced with these unpleasant choices as temporary fixes: withdraw or "borrow" funds from a retirement plan, versus get a second mortgage on your home (in addition to an existing mortgage), vs. borrow money against a car or other asset as collateral, vs. more credit card debt, etc. The choices can have very different impacts during a bankruptcy.

I enjoy getting the latest titles from nolo.

As someone who has never filed Bankruptcy, nor have any intentions to, I got this book more as a preventative measure, to see what it was about, and to find ways to avoid having to file for bankruptcy (in case it ever happened).

The benefit of this book is it empowers you with the knowledge to know what to do and make informed decisions.

Throughout the book they discuss various ways you can protect your assets when filing for bankruptcy.

From talking to people who have filed bankruptcy it seems the roughest part is paying for the lawyer, who's fee's can be quite high (not to mention the aggravation from not really knowing what's going on).

By checking out this book you'll have an idea of what's going on, what will happen, and the best way to make it happen. All without having to spend a dime on a lawyer.

As with all Nolo books, I highly recommend this book. If you're considering bankruptcy pick it up. If you just want to learn more about what happens during the process, and things to look out for, definitely check this one out.

This book is great. It is inexpensive and gives a lot of good information for me, a legal assistant just beginning to work on Chapter 13 bankruptcies. I like the examples of filled-out forms provided in the book and the up-to-date exemption lists. The book is easy to understand and I think it contains a very good overview of the Chapter 13 Bankruptcy.

The first thing most people feel about a Chapter 13 Bankruptcy is: "how much debt can I get rid of". The next thing is "how do I do it without a lawyer?"

The NOLO Series layman's lawbooks have an 11th edition of Chapter 13 Bankruptcy. This is a clear and understandable wealth of information on filing for Chapter 13 Bankruptcy, whether you need help to do it yourself, or getting to know facts before you speak to a lawyer.

Best thing about the NOLO Series books is that they are written by attorneys, and written in plain easily understood language; there is no mumbo jumbo talk here. Secondly, the paperback is large-size, with readable font-size also.

The layout design is excellent. There are shaded boxed tips and info that stands out; graphics stand out for easy locating signify tips and cautionary info. Chapters are clearly marked for specific categories. And most important, there are FORMS here to better help one know what is needed. All the court processes are here, steps clearly identified to help. And every question you may have thought of is here, if you just stick with it and take the time to search.

Along with the forms, each state has its own chart on State and Federal Exemption. And if you do not understand a legal word, phrase, a thorough glossary is available, complete with an extensive table of contents and index.

This book will guide you through the plan, preparing for bankruptcy, your eligibility, the court process, and the aftermath. You can't go wrong. This book is a massive amount of information, whether you are planning a bankruptcy or caring to give help to someone who is. I cannot stress how wonderful and comprehensive this book is!......Rizzo