Stephen H. Swift, Colorado Bankruptcy Attorney Many of you can immediately save yourself the time involved in reading the rest of this post: if you have unmanageable debt, you need a bankruptcy attorney. There is a wide variety of on the market, such as so-called ‘debt resolution’ agencies and ‘petition preparers’. For the most part,...Read More

Many people contemplating filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy worry that they may not be able to save their home. Our Denver bankruptcy attorneys know, however, that the truth of the matter is bankruptcy is often one of your only options for saving your home. While it’s not going to be the solution for everyone,...Read More

As a Colorado bankruptcy attorney, one of the most common questions I’m asked is, “How much control will creditors have over my personal possessions?” It is rarely a surprise when creditors seize automobiles, boats or other expensive luxury items, but do they really want your clothes and furniture too? Good news: unless you happen to...Read More

If you are stuck in a cycle of high-interest debt, it could be time to consider filing for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. Colorado Springs bankruptcy attorneys know that it becomes a vicious cycle: You have poor credit, so they give you a high interest rate, and then you’re stuck barely being able to make the minimum, so...Read More

Portrait Of Smiling Multi-Generation Family Standing Outside Home Together Misconceptions about bankruptcy abound in America, which is a great shame because it prevents many people from getting the debt-relief help that they so desperately need.One of the many misconceptions about bankruptcy is that your property will be seized to help pay off your debts, and...Read More

Having lenders forgive debt can be a godsend for those who are unable to pay their bills; however, depending on when this debt forgiveness occurs, borrowers may find themselves having to deal with some negative consequences when it comes to paying taxes. Also referred to as “cancellation of debt” (COD), debt forgiveness can translate into...Read More

A lot has been written about restoring one’s financial fitness after bankruptcy, but bankruptcy does just as much damage to a person’s psyche. After bankruptcy, anger and shame are natural emotions, but they don’t need to last forever.  Many people find that a financial catastrophe like this it is just what they needed to get...Read More

That’s it, you’ve had it! After struggling for months, or even years, to pay your debts, you are ready to consider filing for bankruptcy. The time has come to find a bankruptcy lawyer but you have no idea what to look for, or which questions to ask. It’s not uncommon to see a bankruptcy attorney...Read More

This may be one of the most common questions I hear as a Colorado bankruptcy attorney, “Can I keep my house if I file Chapter 7?” But the answer isn’t always so simple. In Colorado, keeping your home after Chapter 7 bankruptcy will depend on your answers to three questions. Do you really want to...Read More

Bereaved family members have enough to contend with when someone passes away without having to shoulder the burden of left-over debts. You should know that you aren’t responsible for debts that weren’t in your name or that you did not co-sign for. That doesn’t mean widows and widowers especially won’t suffer a financial blow. Here...Read More

There are a large number of so-called debt settlement agencies advertising services that boast that they can help you avoid a Chapter 13 bankruptcy in Colorado Springs. If you have overdue medical bills, late car payments and credit cards with sky-high interest, you know you have to take some form of action. And it can be...Read More

Now that the holidays are mostly over, it’s time for many to consider where they stand, financially. The holidays have historically been a time when many people buy gifts for friends, loved ones, or co-workers not just because they’re caught up in the spirit of giving, but also because they feel pressured to buy gifts...Read More

n this second-half of a two-part series on dealing with personal debt, Colorado Springs debt-relief lawyers examine the federal guidelines for what constitutes debt collection “harassment” and offer tips for Colorado consumers dealing with seemingly unrelenting creditor calls. According to the, a debt collector may not “harass, oppress, or abuse any person in connection with...Read More

Chapter 13 bankruptcy attorneys in Colorado Springs know that when you’re trying to keep your head above water, your credit score can get put on the back burner. A late bill here, an unexpected expense there – it all begins to snowball. Some of things may be beyond your control. However, there are likely other actions...Read More

In this financially turbulent time, many Americans have found themselves facing foreclosure. It’s not an altogether strange story… Being able to make a mortgage payment is getting harder and harder as more people lose their jobs. It only takes getting behind on one payment, and then before you know it, you can be paying huge...Read More

broken Piggy bank smashed into pieces with hammer and small or loose change euro coins Nearly half of all Americans aren’t able to save up as much money as they should, often necessitating debt relief in Southern Colorado and elsewhere in the country. This is according to a recent poll which found about 45 percent...Read More

If you owe money, and most Americans do, you’re probably being harassed by calls from creditors. They call at odd hours of the day, hoping to trick you into answering the phone, and make it so that whenever your phone rings, you have a moment of dread when you see a number you don’t recognize....Read More

There’s no doubt you’ve heard the phrase, “Bankruptcy should be a last resort.” For people who are in relatively good financial shape, that’s probably a good mantra to keep. The whole idea of bankruptcy is not to make it easy for people to avoid debts they can easily pay off. However, Colorado Springs Chapter 7...Read More

Let’s face it; no one envisions a future that includes a bankruptcy filing.  But that shouldn’t dissuade you from considering it when it is necessary.  As a Colorado bankruptcy lawyer, there is one question I hear almost every day, “Is there any way I can avoid filing for bankruptcy?”  And while this question is answered...Read More

College students, especially those at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, have it difficult these days because they are thrust into debt with job prospects looking bleak. The cost of higher education in this country has continued to rise, even as more and more students are seeking education after high school than decades earlier....Read More

Worried old senior couple checking bank documents at home. Serious mature retired family reading paper bills, calculating taxes, planning retirement finances, household expenses, having money problems Our Colorado Springs Chapter 7 bankruptcy attorneys have talked a great deal about the student loan debt trap that many young people have found themselves in over the last...Read More

One of the most disturbing trends in money management is overuse of debt consolidation loans. Sure, they may be the perfect solution for people who have gotten into unforeseen financial trouble, but debt consolidation loans are too often used to treat symptoms instead of addressing an underlying problem. One of the greatest myths about these...Read More

It may come as a surprise to some people to hear that a Colorado Springs bankruptcy can actually be looked back upon as being a positive thing. As “Real Housewife” Teresa Giudice explained recently on the show, the bankruptcy “made us stronger.” Our Colorado Springs bankruptcy lawyers know that many of our clients express that the whole process is...Read More

No one can see the future, and although no one deliberately makes decisions that lead to needing a Southern Colorado bankruptcy lawyer, it happens more frequently than you might think.  Debt accrues interest, fees, and grows beyond what many would ever imagine, and it becomes simply unmanageable. Excessive spending or the use of credit cards...Read More

Closeup of credit cards One of the top reasons people avoid bankruptcy like the plague is that they fear the impact on their credit score. Colorado Springs Chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyers won’t sugarcoat it and say there will be no affect whatsoever. However it’s worth noting that when you file for bankruptcy, the scoring algorithms...Read More

If you’re like many other Americans, you may think that bankruptcy is just another word for being broke, or not having any money, but in this age of extended credit, how do you define ‘broke’? When do you know when you don’t have any money?This can be a complicated problem, because many people may think...Read More

We’ve all heard the statistics about job loss and credit card spending, and many believe these are the main roads to bankruptcy. During the recession, many families faced extended unemployment, which led to foreclosure and enormous debt loads. Perhaps this explains why unemployment is often touted as an obvious bankruptcy culprit. Many people are surprised...Read More

Because reports of skyrocketing medical costs span both statewide and national news, Denver debt-relief attorneys were not surprised when a recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention national health survey revealed that one-in-three American families are feeling the financial pinch of outstanding medical bills. Of that same group, the CDC reports that one-in-five families are struggling to pay down their...Read More

Approximately 1 in every 5 Americans older than 65 years old have been victimized by some sort of financial fraud, according to a 2010 report issued by the non-profit Investor Protection Trust (IPT). This translated to about $2.9 billion lost by the elderly in 2010, which had increased from the previous year by about 7...Read More

Close-up of female protester holding a placard with need work inscription after losing her job due to coronavirus pandemic. Colorado has been sitting around 8 or 9 percent unemployment for most of the last few years, a far cry from the 3.5 percent unemployment our citizens experienced in spring 2007, according to the U.S. Bureau...Read More

handsome young man alone on a terrace downtown for coffee We’ve heard a lot in the course of our country’s economic recession about how families have been affected: lost homes, lowered wages, unemployment, etc.  Colorado Springs Chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyers understand that any one of these things can cause a great deal of financial strain,...Read More

If you’ve watched any late night television lately, chances are you’ve seen former U.S. Presidential candidate Fred Thompson out there pitching reverse mortgages. Many seniors are enticed by these very noteworthy spokespeople as they explain the process of cashing out their home equity. While it’s not necessarily a bad decision to do this, it is...Read More

Denver bankruptcy attorneys were not surprised to read that a 2011 national consumer complaint survey found that out of 1.8 million consumer complaints, debt collection trailed only identity theft for lead complaint category. In this two-part series on dealing with personal debt, Colorado debt-relief attorneys break down the numbers for common consumer complaints and offer tips...Read More

partial view of couple at table with divorce documents What may come to mind for many people considering divorce in Colorado is what will happen with the kids, who will get the home and how will I make ends meet after the divorce? But what they should also consider is whether a Colorado Springs bankruptcy...Read More

Toni Braxton has won six Grammy Awards – and filed for two bankruptcies. Our Colorado Springs Chapter 7 Bankruptcy attorneys understand that she intends to talk about her financial journey in an upcoming music television show. While some may view multiple filings as a sign of irresponsibility, the fact is that there are some situations in which...Read More

Stethoscope and calculator placed on health insurance documents, Individual medical health insurance. Concept life planning Increasingly, cash-strapped companies are passing that pain onto their employees – with the end result being reduced or frozen wages and waning benefits. Colorado Springs bankruptcy lawyers know that in this market, those are often things so many of us can’t...Read More

Rear View Of Loving Couple Looking At House Foreclosure numbers in Colorado fell in 2011. But most experts believe this has less to do with the real estate market recovering and more to do with a delay in filings by the country’s biggest banks. Some people believe they can fight back against banks by attempting...Read More

A bag with the word Bankruptcy and an up arrow in the hands of a businessman. The high level of bankruptcy in the country. The inability of the debtor to make payments on its debt obligations. As our nation’s economy continues to struggle to recover, it’s obvious that bankruptcy in Colorado is helping people with...Read More

There is an old saying that it’s hard to see the forest through the trees. Colorado Springs Chapter 7 bankruptcy lawyers know this is one way of saying it’s difficult to gauge the entirety of the situation when you’re in the middle of it. This is exactly the case with debt. It starts with a...Read More