• "Bankruptcy, we don't want to do that!" greeted me as I stood up in front of the room to give a presentation. If that resonates with you in any way, and it certainly does for most of us, click here to read the rest of this discussion before you move on to other parts of this site and blog.

Fresh Start
A fundamental goal of the bankruptcy laws enacted by Congress, our representatives, is to give debtors a financial "Fresh Start" from burdensome debts. The U.S. Supreme Court made this point about the purpose of the bankruptcy law way back in a 1934 decision: "[I]t gives to the honest but unfortunate debtor…a new opportunity in life and a clear field for future effort, unhampered by the pressure and discouragement of preexisting debt." This is a powerful statement of public policy.

Save your assets!
A Fresh Start works best when you're left with assets the bankruptcy laws allow you to keep. If you've depleted those assets before your discharge in bankruptcy, you've lost one large benefit of bankruptcy that our Congress gave you. Click here for more on this important subject.
To start learning about bankruptcy, view the Bankruptcy Basics videos produced by the U.S. Federal Courts. Click here to view the videos.
• Be careful! Don't have money where you owe money. Click here to find out why.
• Debt settlement companies fleece people out of their last dollars (New York Times). Click here.
• Do I have to tell them everything? Click here for more on this very important "bargain".
• Loan mod process ruined credit. Click here to read this true story.
• Foreclosed? You may still owe your second mortgage. Click here to learn about this.
• Is income from "benefits" included in the Means Test? Click here for the short-course answer.
• Are people who file bankruptcy bad people? If you have a thought like that, click here.
• Thinking of filing bankruptcy? Click here to get a head start.
• Can I "not file" on a credit card? Click here to see what's so about that.
• Debt Cancellation service? Click here to see how you might be fooled into buying expensive insurance that pays out only 5% of its premiums.
• Legal Aid of Marin County presentations. For additional after-event information, click here.
• Are you expecting a tax refund? As in life, timing is everything. Click here to find out why.
• You just negotiated a $10,000 debt down to $2,000. Isn't that great? Click here to find out.
• Bankruptcy due to medical problems? 62% of 2007 bankruptcies, says the American Journal of Medicine! Click here for more.
• Don't wait too long! – Click here to find out why.
• The Case for Bankruptcy (Newsweek). Click here.
• Quality-of-life signs that it may be time to file bankruptcy. Click here to learn what they are.
• Oops! I just filed bankruptcy. Where’s my money??? Click here to avoid that surprise.
• "Will bankruptcy ruin my credit?" is a question I'm often asked. Click here to see my answer.
• "Can't I just transfer the title of my car to my sister?" Click here to see how bad that is.
Under the 2005 Bankruptcy Code, I'm obligated to display the following: We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy under the Bankruptcy Code.