How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy (How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, 9th ed)

Fight back against unscrupulous creditors with America’s most trusted bankruptcy guide, How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your bank balance, Chapter 7 bankruptcy can offer welcome relief. It allows you to get rid of most of your debts, and it forces creditors and collection agencies to stop their collection efforts, including wage garnishments and harassing phone calls, the very day you file.

In print for nearly a decade, this compassionate and comprehensive guide has helped more than 200,000 people cope with their debts. How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy takes you step by step through the filing process, gives you real-world, practical advice and all the official, up-to-date bankruptcy forms you'll need.

Use How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy to:

* decide if bankruptcy is the right step to take * use the Quick Guide section to determine if you qualify for Chapter 7 bankruptcy * fill out and file all forms * cancel the largest amount of debt possible * identify which debts will survive bankruptcy * keep the maximum amount of property * deal with secured debts * represent yourself in routine bankruptcy hearings * dismiss your case if you change your mind about filing * rebuild your credit after bankruptcy

Easy-to-use worksheets and charts help you calculate what you own and how much you'll be able to keep, and figure out if you can keep your home.

Recently, credit card companies have been more aggressive in trying to collect debts owed to them, pushing people into bankruptcy and then fighting their efforts to discharge their debts. This updated new edition helps you fight the creditors step by step.

The book also contains the most recent and up-to-date forms and exemptions for every state to ensure that you keep as much property as is legally valid in your state.

With How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, you can take control of your finances and get back on your feet.

This book does not cover business bankruptcies, farm reorganizations or individual repayment plans (Chapter 13). For Chapter 13 bankruptcy, see Nolo's Chapter 13 Bankruptcy: Repay Your Debts, by Attorney Robin Leonard.

Stephen R. Elias is an attorney, an editor at Nolo.com, and author of many Nolo titles, including: Patent, Copyright and Trademark; How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy, Trademark: Legal Care For Your Business and Product Name, Legal Research: How to Find and Understand the Law, and Nolo's Pocket Guide to Family Law. Steve has been interviewed by most major media including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, The Today Show, Good Morning America, 20/20, Money Magazine and more. He received his law degree from Hastings College of Law and practiced law in California, New York and Vermont before joining Nolo in 1980. In recent years much of Steve's time at Nolo has been devoted to the fields of self-help legal software and online legal information. He is one of the original authors/designers of Nolo's bestselling WillMaker program, as well as the software version of Nolo's Patent It Yourself.

Albin Renauer received his J.D. in 1985 from the University of Michigan Law School and served on the Michigan Law Review. He worked for various public-interest law firms and for the California Supreme Court before coming to Nolo, where he has edited several books and software packages. After being immersed in creating self-help legal software programs to make tedious legal tasks as easy and non-intimidating as possible, Albin became the architect of Nolo's website.

Attorney Robin Leonard has been featured as a money and credit advisor on Good Morning America and CNN, and in publications across the country, including Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, Money, Forbes and the Los Angeles Times. She is the author of many Nolo books including Money Troubles: Legal Strategies to Cope with Your Debts, Credit Repair, Take Control of Your Student Loan Debt, and Bankruptcy: Is It the Right Solution to Your Debt Problems? and co-author of How to File for Chapter 7 Bankruptcy and A Legal Guide for Lesbian and Gay Couples.