"Section 609 Letter" Discussion

Upsolve Community Member
One of the things to consider is whether you could repay your current unsecured debt in 5 years if nothing at all changes about your income, the balances, or the interest rates. Of course, timing plays a role here too. It's not ok to run up more CC debt than one can handle and then turn around to file bankruptcy. But that's not the same thing as dealing with a mistake from your past by seeking protection in bankruptcy court now. 

Upsolve Community Member
https://upsolve.org/learn/pros-cons-filing-chapter-7-bankruptcy/ is a good place to start! 

Upsolve Community Member
Devyn, I commend you for being REAL! The first step is acknowledging that some poor choices were made along the way. Very few would admit that, yet we ALL have made some poor choices during our life journey. I am reading GREAT NEWS in your post because you KNOW who it is up to learn new habits, such as setting up a budget and STICKING TO IT.  Since I filed Chapter 7 in 2020, I have "raised" $30,000 by pivoting and working side gigs. Sure, I was the beneficiary of the Stimulus payments, but that same $25K (the debt you say you have) was "raised" in less than a couple of years' time. We are all different animals in how we live life, but I will give you a personal opinion based on your intelligent post that you can pay that off. That's just my opinion! Good luck in making your decisions ahead. :-).  P.S. There is a https://my.upsolve.org/rooms/19 forum section in this Community that just opened. I look forward to seeing you there!  

Upsolve Community Member
Great question! You'll want to make sure you list this in all of the following spots: (1) as a debt owed to the creditor that sued you, with their attorneys listed as additional notice recipients, (2) as a lawsuit within the last year, and (3) in yet another spot where it asks how much has been garnished from you recently.

Upsolve Community Member
Also check out https://upsolve.org/learn/when-wage-garnishment-stop-after-file/ so you know what to do once your case is filed! 

Upsolve Community Member
For more information on lawsuits, check out this article about https://upsolve.org/learn/what-happens-when-someone-sues-you/. When you go through the questionnaire, there will be a section where you can disclose information about the lawsuit and about the garnishment.

Upsolve Community Member
All 8 tips are included in my top 10 too! Maybe we need an accountability group section! This isn't just for folks living paycheck to paycheck. From Wall Street analysts to big-time corporate CEO's to social good platform founders, we ALL need to be held accountable by others!  For example, a practical budget followed on a daily basis is an incredibly GREAT HABIT to adopt. I'm guilty. I never did this when I was younger and I'm kicking myself somebody didn't take me under their wing and hold me ACCOUNTABLE to where it would become a lifelong habit. This BUILDS WEALTH. Wealth doesn't mean "millions". It means CONTROL of where every dollar is at any given time. For some, it's millions. For others, it's hundreds. It is what you DO with that wealth that builds your nest egg. Hey, I know --- "OK, I'll start tomorrow... and then the next day... and then you wake up and you are 65. You have got to trust me here: Time doesn't walk. It flies.  Please go read Rohan's contribution article above. Thanks! :-). 

Upsolve Community Member
Welcome, Patricia - I'm so glad you found us. To answer your query on whether not having assets or money to pay a lawyer prevents you from filing - **absolutely not**. In fact, most people who file Chapter 7 bankruptcy find themselves in some version of that situation. 

Upsolve Community Member
https://upsolve.org/learn/how-to-file-chapter-7-with-no-money/ might be an interesting read for you. 

Upsolve Community Member
Hi Patricia, thank you for your detailed post! Let's separate your student loan debt issue from your consumer credit challenge. I cannot advise you on this subject but I can point you to a great article in the Learning Center: https://upsolve.org/learn/which-debt-should-you-pay-off-first/  As far as your student loans are concerned, I suggest checking out the new https://my.upsolve.org/rooms/18 section in this Community! :-)

Upsolve Community Member
Michelle, thanks so much for asking! I took a look but it does look like the software asks for the past 8 years. If you need to update your answers, feel free to re-do the "About You" section. 

Upsolve Community Member
If you'd like assistance, I'm also happy to enter the information- just reply here with the names you need added and I can update your account. 

Upsolve Community Member
Thanks so much! Please let us know if you have any other questions! 

Upsolve Community Member
Thank you! I looked back at my tax information and I won't need to include that business (it was in my name and my own social security as TIN anyway). However I'm not sure if what's currently on the draft (A Place for Rover) needs to be there. I did a lot of work as Independent Contractor / Gig and the draft doesn't list any of those even though I listed them in the business section. A Place for Rover is Independent Contractor work (somebody else's business that I am not an employee of, but do work through as a self business). Do you have maybe an idea about that?

Upsolve Community Member
And thanks Claire you are really super helpful, throughout this process

Upsolve Community Member
Yes I think after checking everything over that A Place for Rover should not be listed as a Business Name, as it is a Sole Proprietorship. I would need help taking that off (as I don't know how it got on!)