What Do I Bring To My Appointment?

DEBT LIST: Do not leave anyone off! Put a star next to those you want to keep! (If you have credit cards you wish to keep, we can advise you on whether the creditor is likely to agree or not.) Use our Debt List Form for easier preparation, or you may copy the format & type your own list in a word processing program.

(FAILING TO LIST A DEBT MEANS IT MAY NOT BE DISCHARGED, and the creditor is STILL LIKELY to learn of your bankruptcy & cancel your card or line of credit regardless!)

EXAMPLE of your Debt List

Creditor name & address

Account #

Date Issued/Last Used

What For

Amount Owed

Citibank
Box 1234
Sioux Falls, SD 12345

12345678

1990-1996

Credit Card

$5,472

Sears
Box 1234
Louisville, KY 12345

584687

1993-1995

TV, VCR,
Computer

$3,156

GMAC
Box 555
Cleveland, OH 44444

7752789

1995

Car Loan
1993 Ford Escort

$10,123

Countrywide
Box 55555
Atlanta, GA 12345

12785419 1985

1993

First Mortgage
289 S. Main
Anywhere, OH 44444

$81,272

(You can also supplement your debts with a Consolidated Credit Report from ALL THREE agencies (the best bet if you've lost track of debts over time): www.annualcreditreport.com, www.creditreport.com, www.creditreporting.com, www.reliacredit.com, just to name a few. Search the internet for the best prices.)

PAYMENT BOOKS on house and car loans and any other fixed monthly bills.

LIST OF ASSETS like house, car, money in bank, possible lawsuits, pensions, stocks, etc. We MUST have this information to enable us to properly advise you of your bankruptcy options. Bring documentation on pension plans, annuities, 401ks, etc., including SUMMARY PLANS and STATEMENTS. ALSO, bring statements on Life Insurance policies with cash value.

HOUSES: What do you need to know about my house?

a. Mortgage balances $____________________
b. Purchase price $____________________
c. Fair Market Value $___________________
d. Copy of DEED showing owners.

How to value your house?

You can talk to a realtor and ask for the COMPARABLES. Tell them you are NOT selling, but need to know the FAIR MARKET VALUE of your house so you can do a bankruptcy and keep it. They will often give you a printout and letter of valuation for free or a minimal charge. Ask before engaging their services!

A number of Web sites offer home valuation information. A few sites are www.dataquick.com (charges $30-at last check-for a full home valuation estimate) and www.appraisal-net.com (offers a comparable sales report for $9.95-last time we checked). www.VirtualRealEstateStore.com will send a free home price analysis to your e-mail address within 72 hours or you can pay for an immediate reply. Also, www.domania.com provides comparables.

You can also check the internet for other websites that will pull up comparables in your area.

CARS: You can check www.kbb.com or www.nadaguides.com for the
TRADE and PRIVATE PARTY values of your car.

RECENT PAYSTUBS AND LAST 2 YEARS TAX RETURNS/W-2s. We need to determine your average income so bring a few stubs if pay fluctuates.

MONTHLY BUDGET (list of household expenses - use our Budget for better preparation.)

LAWSUITS (copies of any lawsuits, judgments, garnishments, etc.)

CASH OR CHECK to retain our services. You only need $200 to hire us.

Learn More about Bankruptcy