Many people reach the point where they know that they need to file for bankruptcy but resist doing so because of the many myths and stereotypes surrounding the legal process. Others file but continue to live with guilt over doing so, feeling like they have let down their family or done something bad.

The truth is that it is not your fault! Bankruptcy was established by law to provide debt relief to those who need it, and it is a valuable financial tool. Here are a few things you can do to move past the stigma and get over your guilt surrounding the idea of filing for bankruptcy:

Understand the Truth about Bankruptcy

There are many myths surrounding bankruptcy that can make you think negatively about it, but your bankruptcy lawyer can help you understand the truth about these myths.

Myth #1: Only irresponsible spending leads to bankruptcy. The truth is that there are a great number of situations that can lead to financial problems. You might lose a job unexpectedly and be unable to find employment. You can burn through your savings and max out your credit cards while you are trying to stay afloat. You could become seriously ill or injured and face the same predicament. Or you could divorce and lose a great deal of income. There are many things that can happen that are beyond your control that lead to bankruptcy.

Myth #2: Only the poor or uneducated file for bankruptcy. You can just look at the news to know that this isn’t true. High-profile billionaires like Donald Trump have filed for bankruptcy several times. Bad things can happen to anyone, regardless of education or status. It is not always bad choices that lead to bankruptcy.

Myth #3: Bankruptcy doesn’t affect a lot of people. In Arizona alone, more than 50,000 people file for bankruptcy every year. Many, many more are in situations that bankruptcy could help but are struggling not to file because of the misconceptions they have about the process.

By understanding the truth about bankruptcy, you can maintain the proper perspective about your filing and let go of that guilt.

Be Honest about How Your Finances are Affecting Your Situation

Many people put off filing for bankruptcy because they deceive themselves about their financial predicament. They believe that things aren’t that bad, or they tell themselves that they will have the situation under control “soon” by working harder or getting a loan.

When you are honest about your financial situation and how it is impacting your life, you can be objective about the choice to file bankruptcy and know that it is the best solution. You won’t feel guilty about making that choice because you’ll see that it is the best way to handle your finances and will provide the most benefits. You can liken it to taken medicine that you don’t like so that your body will heal.

Forgive Yourself for the Things You Cannot Control

Bad things happen to even the best people. You can’t control whether a tornado destroys your home and wipes out your savings or whether your spouse gets cancer and medical bills reach into the hundreds of thousands. Even with the best planning and the most fastidious of savings, you won’t be able to come through the other side of some of these situations unscathed.

Forgive yourself for the things that led to your situation that you cannot control, and let go of the guilt you feel. If bad decisions led to your bankruptcy filing, forgive yourself for those, as well. Learn from your mistakes and vow to make better decisions going forward.

Accept that Bankruptcy is a Legal Right

Filing for bankruptcy isn’t a way to game the system or “get one over” on your creditors. In fact, there are provisions built into the bankruptcy law to ensure that no one is able to spend prolifically with the idea of discharging it all in bankruptcy.

Accept bankruptcy for what it is: A legal right. The law was designed to protect people like you who are struggling. It is not social welfare — it is a legal way to get out from under crushing debts when you do not have the means to pay for them. That way, your life is not destroyed and you have the chance to start fresh.

Learn more about bankruptcy and how it might help you by calling My AZ Lawyers. Our experienced Tucson bankruptcy lawyers will help you understand the different types of bankruptcy and how each might help you get the debt relief you need. You may be able to completely discharge your unsecured debts, such as credit card balances, or you may be able to get a structured debt repayment plan with lower interest rates. Contact us today to talk with a bankruptcy lawyer and learn about your options.

Published By:
My AZ Lawyers

Tucson Location:
2 East Congress St., Suite #900-6A
Tucson, AZ 85701
Office: (520) 441-1450

 

The day you’ve dreamed of finally comes: Those winning numbers on the screen match up with the winning numbers in your hand, and you’re now worth millions. If the lottery jackpots keep growing the way they have, you could even end up being worth billions. In that moment, you are set for life.
Or are you?

Many lottery winners thought that they had more money than they would ever need or be able to spend but were surprised to find themselves filing for bankruptcy after a few short years. How can that have happened? How can they have been on top of the world one moment and at the
bottom in such a short time? Here are just a few of the reasons that many lottery winners eventually file for bankruptcy:

Spending Like Crazy

If you suddenly had several hundred million dollars, you’d probably do what a lot of other lottery winners have done: Go out and buy a house (or two or three), a few cars, a whole new wardrobe, some pricey jewelry, and some other treats. The problem is that once you start spending like there’s no
bottom, you tend to keep spending like that until you actually find the bottom.

In order to avoid losing it all, you need to set up a financial plan immediately after you learn about your winnings. In fact, you should see a financial advisor, a tax lawyer, and an estate lawyer before you even collecting your winnings. This team will help you establish a spending and investing plan, including how much you will have to spend each month. You may scoff at the idea of a budget when you have so much money, but it is essential to helping you stay on track. The more money you have, the more you’ll spend, unless you put budgetary measures in place.

Giving Money to Family and Friends

Right after buying their dream home, the next thought most people have after winning the lottery is to help out their family and friends. They want to buy everyone houses and cars, pay off debts, and pay for college tuition.

While these are certainly noble goals, you can easily lose all your winnings by trying to help out family and friends. Even if you have very specific ideas in mind about who you will help and how, you are likely to be inundated with requests from family and friends that you haven’t even talked to in years. You’ll also likely be subject to numerous requests for hand-outs, even from those you have already helped.

When you consider helping family and friends, you have to think about more than just the cost of the request. Depending on what you give and how much you give, you could end up paying some hefty taxes on the amount. For example, you can typically pay for college tuition tax-free, but you can’t just give someone $1 million in cash without paying tax.

The best thing to do is consult with a tax lawyer and an estate lawyer about how you can help family and friends. You may be able to set up trusts for family or put people on your figurative payroll to help them out. An experienced Arizona attorney can help you understand what’s possible.

Making Unwise Business Investments

The state of Arizona does not allow lottery winners to remain anonymous. You can stay undercover for 90 days after you collect your winnings, but after that, your name becomes a matter of public record. After that, you will inevitably get all kinds of offers for investment and business opportunities that are promised to make you even more money.

Unfortunately, as a lottery winner, you are an easy target. It can be very difficult to distinguish the legitimate offers from the scams. The best way to protect yourself is to work with a team of financial advisors who can put together a sound investing strategy based on your individual goals and tolerance for risk.

That doesn’t mean that you can’t invest in business. But just keep in mind that having money doesn’t suddenly make you a business guru. You need to educate yourself before making any kind of investments, and that may mean getting more education in addition to working with professionals.

Not Saving for Retirement

Though you may not be able to imagine ever running out of money after winning the lottery, it is still a possibility. You will still need to save for retirement, just like everybody else. You’ll just have the means to save a lot more than others and to do so a lot more quickly.

Here’s where working with the right financial advisor can help. You can learn about savings opportunities in addition to the standard options such as the Roth IRA. Your financial advisor can also help you put together a plan for your health care, including the potential for serious illness.

When you are thinking about retirement, you should also think about your estate planning. Here’s where working with an estate attorney and possibly a tax attorney can help. You will learn about the right trusts and other measures to put in place to maximize what you leave to your family and minimize what you lose in taxes.

Winning the lottery is a dream come true. Don’t let it become a nightmare by losing everything that you gained and find yourself consulting with an attorney on how to file for bankruptcy.

If you do find yourself in financial trouble — whether you have won the lottery or not — My AZ Lawyers can help you find a Tucson bankruptcy attorney who can help you understand bankruptcy law and how it can help you get the fresh financial start you need. Bankruptcy law was established to give people just like you the chance to free yourself of overwhelming debt and to start over. Work with one of our Tucson bankruptcy lawyers to file for bankruptcy or to learn more about your options.

Published By:
My AZ Lawyers

Tucson Location:
2 East Congress St., Suite #900-6A
Tucson, AZ 85701
Office: (520) 441-1450