I'm not sure where to post this information, but I filed BK in 2002. I started trying to repair my credit. Got a letter in the mail for a seminar in Bham, went to the seminar and bought the book, think it was about $30 for the book, seminar was free. The seminar is hosted by a guy named Stephen Snyder and it literally changed my life. I am going to sound like an ad for the guy but I swear, I was already kicking myself when I started reading the book.
I filed because I had gotten hit with a judgement for my ex-spouse's car/ nasty divorce and and I found out the HARD WAY that you can't divorce and joint obligations and he left town with the car...I got the collection calls & bills.
I tried for a couple of years to salvage my credit during the divorce, was in an accident & coudn't work for several months. What I found out from reading the book is that I should NOT have waited, I should have filed immediately before my scores went way down & I had collections.
If you are considering bankruptcy, get any books you can find by the guy, they have them on ebay now. He has one book titled Life After Bankruptcy and a new one I haven't gotten yet called Improve Your Credit Scores, Improve your life" or something like that.
and the information there is invaluable for people who are considering or who have filed bk and also for anyone who wants to improve their score. My scores are in the 685 range, trying to break the 700 mark. . My husband who had no credit history when we met (bad divorce and hadn't used credit in like 8 years) has GREAT credit and scores in the 720-730's or more.
Thanks to Stephen we've got each got a mortgage in our name, both with low rates, credit cards & our credit union financed our cars at a low rate. We each get cc offers, loan offers, etc galore and our scores just keep edging up. Read anything you can get your hands on by this guy, get his emails and go through his archived emails, it is the real deal. If I had gone to the seminar immediately after filing I'm sure my scores would be close to 750 by now. If he has a seminar in your area, GO.
Yes, he obviously makes money on his knowledge, but without the knowledge I rec'd from him, my life would be a lot harder!