Topics with no videos – Rebuilding Your Credit After Bankruptcy
*Rebuilding After Bankruptcy
Title: Introduction + My 12 Month Goal for You!
WELCOME!
There’s a video here
Please Note:
Although my goal for you is to reach 680-720 within 12 months, my ultimate goal is for you to no longer be in a financial position to have to file for bankruptcy ever again!
So, if you need to slow down any portion of the course in order to solidify a stronger financial standing, please do so, I did!
It took me 18 months because I had to work on creating better financial habits and to learn how to create, maintain and stick to a budget before adding on any forms of credit, which would have only resulted in me creating the past.
Ready to get started? Let’s Go!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: What is A Bankruptcy Discharge
Your bankruptcy discharge order is POWERFUL! Here you’ll learn what the bankruptcy discharge is and the federal protections you have under it:
There’s a video here
Summary:
Your discharge order creates an automatic ‘warning’ to your creditors to stop all collection activities. They cannot call you, mail you, update your credit reports on a monthly basis and more.
If they do, take action immediately! You have a right to sue them and seek punitive and monetary damages.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Reaffirmed Debts
Some of you may have reaffirmed your debts in order to keep your home, vehicle, etc. Let’s discuss what that means and that impacts your responsibility towards the debt:
There’s a video here
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Title: My 12 Rules for Rebuilding After Bankruptcy
There’s a video here
Downloadable: The Frugal CrediTnista’s 12 Rules for Rebuilding After Bankruptcy.pdf
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Make Sure You…
In the next module, we’ll go over what to look for on your credit reports to pinpoint factual errors to dispute. In order to do this efficiently, please make sure you do the following:
There’s a video here
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
*Budgeting After Bankruptcy
Title: My Personal 12 Steps to Budgeting After Bankruptcy
When I began budgeting after I was discharged from bankruptcy, I was 200% serious about never being broke again. I hope you are too. Here’s what I did:
- I became clear on how much I really made.
- After getting paid, I deducted the gas it took to get to work, the miles and wear and tear on my car (oil changes, tune-ups, etc – you can find this out by reviewing your bank statements. Look for how often you went and how much you paid for each visit and the overall yearly maintenance on your vehicle).
- After getting paid, I deducted the gas it took to get to work, the miles and wear and tear on my car (oil changes, tune-ups, etc – you can find this out by reviewing your bank statements. Look for how often you went and how much you paid for each visit and the overall yearly maintenance on your vehicle).
- I decided how much I could realistically save per pay period and subtracted that as well (I think it was about $25-$35/per paycheck).
- I created a separate savings account in a completely different bank.
- I set up deposits with my payroll department to automate the deposits each pay period, knowing that if it hit my bank account it would be apart of my spending money or bill paying money.
- On my budgeting spreadsheet, I used my income AFTER I deducted my savings to budget from.
- If you tithe, you’d deduct your savings + tithes and use the difference as your income on your budgeting spreadsheet.
- If you tithe, you’d deduct your savings + tithes and use the difference as your income on your budgeting spreadsheet.
- I gathered 3 months worth of bank statements and wrote a list of my expenses.
- I spent a month TRACKING my DAILY SPENDING to ensure nothing had been left out. This allowed me to see how much I was spending on vending machine purchases, at the gas station when I was pumping gas, and on my daily McDonald’s trip and lunch every 3 days or so. Again, I did this for an entire month.
- I prioritized all of my expenses to determine which ones were ‘Keep’, which ones were ‘Cut’, and which ones were ‘Reduce’.
- I added car maintenance (tune-ups, oil changes etc) into my monthly budget and opened up a Capital One 360 bank account to put that amount up when those expenses came up.
- I started canceling ALL spending that I didn’t need, leaving only the essentials. I figured I would cut all extras, and if I really really missed something after 3 months I would add it back on BUT at a lower price point, if possible.
- We did Paycheck Budgeting. My husband and I got paid every two weeks on the same day, so before our paychecks hit our account, we would review our budget, see what worked, what didn’t, what needed to be tweaked, added, etc.
- For us, Paycheck Budgeting worked better than monthly budgeting. We were used to living paycheck to paycheck, so we had to learn how to plan and budget each paycheck first.
- For us, Paycheck Budgeting worked better than monthly budgeting. We were used to living paycheck to paycheck, so we had to learn how to plan and budget each paycheck first.
- Eventually, I increased my savings and started investing as my debts became paid off. We started off with our employer’s 401k plan. They matched at 5% but only one of us could afford that. I did 3% initially and YES, I noticed the difference initially. By the 3rd paycheck though, I was used to it.
- I did side hustles to save faster and to pay off my IRS and student loan debt – Broker Priced Opinions, Comparative Market Analysis for attorneys and title companies, as well as surveys, demonstrations, you name it!
- I learned how to automate my finances so I didn’t have to think about them as much.
Some or all of this will work for you :). This is YOUR plan, tweak it to make it work for you!
Downloadable: Budgeting After Being Discharged from Bankruptcy.pdf
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Assignment: Budgeting After Bankruptcy Spreadsheet
Now it’s your turn to start tracking and mapping our your Personal Budgeting After Bankruptcy Plan.
Feel Free (I actually encourage you) to change the name at the top of the spreadsheet to “[Your Name’s] Wealth Creation Plan” “My Prosperity Plan” or whatever gets you mentally activated to begin creating and crushing your financial goals!
I left a full yearly calendar, do you know why? Because budgeting is for life. Everyone who has achieved any level of wealth keeps a tight grip on their money. Even Oprah says she still signs every check, trust she’s not signing one check {or issuing any payments) worried about if the funds are in there for it to clear! That’s the ultimate form of Money Control!
You may say “Y eah, but she’s Oprah!” To that I say… How many folks win the lottery each year and end up broke in 5 years or less? #Facts
So, Start off with January and remain dedicated to:
- Budgeting EVERY Month/Pay Period
- Going a back to review last month’s budget in order to create a more realistic and fine-tuned budget for next month.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Emergency Savings
Establishing an emergency fund is the foundation for your bankruptcy rebuild. Here, you’ll learn why an Emergency Fund, even a small one, can make the difference between taking 12 months to get to our goal of 680-720 or 24+ months!
There’s a video here
REMEMBER, you may move on to the Disputing Errors Module, but not the Credit Rebuild section until you have your emergency fund in place.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
*Disputing Errors on Accounts Discharged in Bankruptcy
Title: Pull Your Credit Reports
There’s a video here
Summary:
Where to Pull Reports:
Mandatory – Annual Credit Report
and
ONE of the Following:
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Title: Analyze Your Credit Reports
There’s a video here
Tools Mentioned –
5-Day Credit Challenge:
Personal Data – Day 1 ,
Account Summary – Day 2 ,
Account History – Day 3 ,
Inquiries – Day 4 ,
Consumer Statements, Creditor Information, Dispute Instructions – Day 5
Downloadable: Common Errors found on Reports after being Discharged from Bankruptcy Summary: Reviewing Your Credit Reports After being Discharged from Bankruptcy.pdf
All debts that were DISCHARGED, no matter the type of BK, should report a $0 balance, a $0 amount due, $0 amount past due after the date of your bankruptcy discharge.
The notation “Included in Bankruptcy” or similar should be on the account. If it is not on there – DISPUTE.
Accounts that had lates or a charge-off status BEFORE you filed for bankruptcy will keep its history BEFORE. It cannot report that way AFTERWARDS. Check dates though, I usually find inaccuracies there.
A debt that has been discharged cannot EVER be late. If you see this, dispute it!
Charged-off accounts, if it was not charged off BEFORE you were discharged in bankruptcy, it cannot be reported as a charge off AFTER your bankruptcy.
Any debt discharged in bankruptcy that is not reporting per the instructions above and in my handout, you should dispute with the bureaus first. If it comes back as verified, then you will dispute with the CREDITOR/COMPANY reporting the information (called the data furnisher). If it is still reporting inaccurately and it remains on your report, then follow the instructions in the handout, I’d personally go right to my bankruptcy attorney!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Get Your Dispute On!
NOTE: We are not disputing the bankruptcy itself here, only the accounts included in bankruptcy.
Accounts included in bankruptcy weigh just as heavily as the bankruptcy itself. Bankruptcies are VERY difficult to get removed but to increase your chances, remove as many accounts as possible that were included in the bankruptcy.
There’s a video here
Many wait about 45-60 days after being discharged to begin disputing items on their credit report that were discharged in their bankruptcy. I didn’t. I actually disputed EVERYTHING that was included in my Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you are in Chapter 13, I would advise against this. If you are in Chapter 7, FIRST look at the history on the account, 2nd look at if it has more negative than positive payment history. If it’s a younger account (3yrs or less), has negative history throughout, it’s fair game.
Using your dispute log, begin disputing the inaccurate items you found when analyzing your credit reports.
Disputes need to be done with ALL 3 Credit Reporting Agencies at the same time!
YES, you can include multiple inaccuracies in the same letter. If you do this, ATTACH A SEPARATE LIST OR SPREADSHEET, DO NOT include it in the letter in paragraph format.
I like to send these letters Certified Mail, Return Receipt via email (a bit cheaper).
Wait about 37-45 days for results to come back.
Accounts will either be UPDATED or DELETED (most will delete in Chapter 7, Chapter 13, you want to ensure it’s correct if so, leave it be, if not THEN you want to dispute again).
Anything that was not updated or removed, send a letter to the Creditor to fix/delete their individual account (they should not see any information from any other creditor/account that you do not have with them).
THEN, send a Method of Verification Letter to the Credit Bureaus to see what their problem is :).
Both letters should be mailed about 3 days apart. 1st to Creditors, 2nd to Bureaus.
Wait about 37-45 days for results to come back. I like to send these letters Certified Mail, Return Receipt via email as well.
Usually by this time the errors have been removed or updated. If not, it’s time to file a complaint with the CFPB and your state’s Attorney General’s Office. If it gets this far, you want a deletion.
Some have contacted their bankruptcy attorney again, or an FCRA attorney to begin a lawsuit against them for credit reporting violations. You may be able to get $1000 per report, per violation $$$.
*NOTE: Attorney’s fees are paid by the credit bureaus/creditor. An FCRA should be free to you if you have a legit case. Be ready to have all of the disputes you have sent as well as a copy of your bankruptcy documents.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Rebuilding After Bankruptcy Dispute Letter Templates
NOTE: The attached dispute letters will need to be customized. I used to attach a copy of the discharge papers that list the creditors included in the bankruptcy. You can do this if you want an update. If you want to increase the likelihood of your accounts being deleted, STATE THAT YOU WANT A DELETION IN THE LETTER vs wanting an ‘update’ or an ‘investigation’ and do not initially include your bankruptcy papers.
Bureau Addresses:
Equifax: P.O. Box 7404256; Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Experian: P.O. Box 4500; Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion Consumer Solutions, P.O. Box 2000; Chester, PA 19022-2000
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*Let the Credit Rebuild Begin!
Title: Step One: Get A Credit Card
There’s a video here
You should only begin this module if you have:
- Completed your budget and feel moderately on point with it
- Saved up $1000 in your Emergency Savings
- Have let 15 days pass AFTER you have received your Certified Mail Return Receipt back from your 1st dispute to the credit bureaus for errors listed on your credit reports.
I would LOVE for your first card to be an unsecured one (does not require a deposit, may require a fee/annual fee upfront), from Credit One. I’ve noticed that those who start off with an unsecured card reach 680-720 in 12mths with no problem. Those who start off with a secured card, reach that same FICO score range in about 15mths.
- The links above are prequalification links. If you are not matched to a card, do not proceed with an application, BUT you may call them to see why you were denied/explain your situation to them. You may be able to talk them into getting a card. You’ll simply ask why you were denied and if a reconsideration would make a difference. If so, they’ll manually process your application and let you know if you’re approved.
- If you have discharged either one of them in your bankruptcy, forget it. You’ll have to wait a year to apply with either one of them.
- Last resort, First Premier. Their rates are ridiculous, so please read over the terms to see if it’s feasible for you.
DO NOT APPLY FOR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CARD, very few are able to obtain an unsecured credit card outside of the companies listed, Simply follow the advice below for a secured card.
Secured Credit Cards: A secured credit card is a type of credit card that you have to put a security deposit down for. The security deposit is placed in a bank account where it is held as collateral in the event you default due to nonpayment. The credit limit you’re approved for by the credit card issuer is often the same amount as your security deposit. You can use $200 of your Emergency Savings leaving you with $800, only because you will get the security deposit back in about 11 months when you close the card.
- Open Sky – Client Fav! Will not check your credit.
- First Progress, Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 – Will not check your credit
- Capital One Secured Credit Card – Prequalification link, will check your credit, and you will get a hard inquiry.
- Your Local Credit union – Call and check guidelines first. Let them know you’re fresh out of bankruptcy (if applicable) and let them tell you what their approval underwriting entails. They will check your credit and you will get a hard inquiry.
*** Most major banks will not extend credit to you if you are fresh out of bankruptcy. remember, inquiries are not your friend on a bankruptcy scorecard. Keep them at a minimum, research carefully. ***
VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT ACTIVATE THE CARD UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED STEP TWO, WHICH SHOULD HAPPEN AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE YOUR CARD.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Two: Obtain a Credit Builder Installment Loan (if applicable)
If you already have an installment loan reporting on your credit reports, you can skip this step and activate your credit card from step #1.
Examples of installment accounts are: student loans, car, mortgage, etc. These may stem from accounts that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy or that you have elected to reaffirm.
The suggestions listed in the lesson are:
- A local credit union
- Alliance Credit Union
- Self Lender
There’s a video here
Summary:
Your Credit Builder Loan will be between $500-$1000+. I determine this by my client’s budget, so I suggest you do the same. The monthly payment amount must fit within your budget and CANNOT come from your Emergency Savings each month.
Make each and every loan payment when you get the statement to 2 weeks ahead of its due date!. This is VERY important!
If you can pay 20% more than the fixed monthly payment that would be great! So, if the monthly payment amount is $65, then make payments of $78. This will reduce the amount of interest paid and allow you to pay off the principal amount of the loan more quickly. I would make this a habit for any installment loan you incur, including your mortgage.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: BONUS: Installment Loan Hack
I first found out about this hack at a Credit Repair Conference. it is designed to give you extra points on the FICO 08 Scoring Model (used for vehicles and credit cards).
This is a guide on how to take advantage and it’s ONLY for those with the financial means to do so without touching their Emergency Savings AND if you DO NOT have other installment loans on your credit report. This has work best for my clients with Credit Unions, I’ve listed some below.
You will open your Credit Builder Loan and immediately pay it off to less than 30% (less than 10% is even better!). For example, if you are approved for $1000, you will pay your balance down to $273 with your first payment.
This causes a boost in scores (varies, I’ve seen as low as 7 pts and as high as 43 pts) Installment Loans begin factoring into the FICO Scoring Amount Owed Category more once it has been paid off by 30-35% (so essentially, paying $300-$350 for your first payment will increase your scores too, but not nearly as much.
Some credit unions will not let you do this, those that do are:
- Alliant
- Navy Federal Credit Union
- PenFed Credit Union
- Feel free to ask your credit union if this is allowed BEFORE you obtain a credit builder loan with them
Once you pay down your loan to below 30%, your due date will be pushed back for several months because you have essentially pre-paid.
I’ve had more clients have success doing this with the first 6-12 credit builder loan than the 2nd time, so I wouldn’t bother doing it again once you’ve paid the first one off. AGAIN, this will not work if you already have installment accounts reporting!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: HOW TO USE YOUR CREDIT CARD
Review your budget and select one of your fixed monthly expenses to charge to your new credit card. The Credit on Fire Academy or your Credit Monitoring fee are great options for this.
Make sure whatever balance you choose, the charge per month is less than 10% of your approved credit limit (so if the credit limit is $300, you will charge no more than $27/mth).
As soon as you get your bill you will pay it in full (the BILL not by the due date).
If there is an activation or processing fee, then that is your first month’s purchase.
Creditors usually try to keep the initial fee just under 30% of the approved credit limit; that’s too high! So if you are approved for First Premier and the fees equal $85 and your credit limit is $300, the processing fee is 28% of your credit limit. We want it below 10%, so you will charge NOTHING, but instead make an immediate payment of $58 to get it below 10%.
You will not apply for another credit card for at least 4-6 months. You want 3 full months of credit reporting for this card showing timely payments and super low balances.
You want 3 full months showing for your Credit Builder Loan with timely payments, with that 20% overpayment.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Three: Check Credit Reports & Get Another Credit Card
Four to Six Months Have Passed & It’s Time for You to Go Back to the Disputing Section and Re-Review Your Credit Reports to Check for Errors AND to Get Another Card!
There’s a video here
Summary:
Four to Six months may have passed and it’s time to get your next card!
Here are some things to note:
- Do not get another secured card, your goal is to get an unsecured card only. My preference is a Capital One Card.
- If you are not matched to a card and you got a secured card initially, then Credit One is okay, again use the prequalification tool to avoid an unnecessary hard inquiry.
- If you got a Credit One card initially, then you will chill and let your current card and installment loan report for a total of 5-6 months before applying for Capital One again.
- Complete this step BEFORE your Credit Builder Loan Expires, if applicable.
- Use the prequalification link for Capital One, found here: Capital One
- If your current FICO 8 Credit Scores are under 600, you will try to get matched to a Platinum Capital One Card. (You can see one of your FICO 8 Scores for free here ).
- If your FICO 8 Credit Scores are over 600, you will try to get matched to a QuicksilverOne Rewards card for Average Credit.
- Capital One will automatically enroll you in the Credit Steps program on this card, it’s an automatic credit line increase within 5-6mths.
How to Use Your Two Credit Cards
You will keep your secured card at $0 and charge on it every 1-3 months no more than 1% of your approved credit limit. YES, you read that right. So, if your credit limit is $200, you will charge $2 every 2-3 months to allow FICO to keep scoring it positively. When a card is left dormant – aka no charges being made on it – FICO will begin scoring it less and less. We do not want that. Some of my students/clients have had success charging $1 a month, if that works for you, great! The point is to not let 3 months go by and you haven’t charged on the card. It is imperative to pay your first card off IN FULL!
Switch your credit monitoring or Credit on Fire subscription to your new Capital One Credit Card.
Charge up to 10% of your Credit Limit on Capital One Card and pay in full every month when the statement comes.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Four: Get Another Credit Builder Loan – Increase the Amount
Again, if you already have installment accounts reporting, please skip this step!
This step should happen two months after you have secured your 2nd Credit Card.
There’s a video here
Summary:
After your Credit Builder Loan term has ended, some of you will receive a check (as with Self Lender, you pay first, then get your loan). Put the cash in your savings and go back to your credit union/Self Lender to see if you can get an Unsecured Credit Line for 2yrs of $2000+. If not, get another secured loan.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Ongoing Action Steps
Three-five months after you have gotten your new Credit Builder Loan, it’s time to get another credit card. You are preparing to cancel your Credit One and replace it with a better quality card.
I personally like Barclay Apple Rewards Card, however, this is a perfect time to have another conversation with your credit union. If you have the Capital One Platinum card, you can apply for Capital One QuickSilver at this point if Barclay is not a good option for you.
Remember to pull your AnnualCreditReport.com credit bureau reports for the year (at least one of them, and then continue to pull one every 4 months) to review it again for items to dispute.
I cannot stress enough to use your credit cards as directed. Once you have more than one card, you do not need to use each and every one of them every single month. You can have one card that you use often, and another card that you will use sparingly, roughly every 4 months to keep it active with the credit card company.
NEVER exceed 10% of your total available credit limit.
FICO scores your utilization on each individual card and the total debt to credit ratio on all cards combined.
***To increase scores more, FICO has stated that utilization being as close to 1% as possible without being $0 is ideal. So, if you want to maximize your scores, pay 2 off BEFORE the billing cycle ends (will have to call your credit card company to find out that date if you cannot locate it on your billing statement) and adjust your budget accordingly. Thie means 2 cards will report at $0 and the 3rd will report a small balance, which will have your utilization looking ah-mazing!***
Once your Credit One card reaches 15-23 months, CANCEL IT.
Depending on what cards you end up with after you have had your Barclay card for a minimum of 6 months (you MUST wait 6mths) you can apply for another credit card if you desire. Chase, Citi, and American Express are NOT options, don’t even waste your inquiry on them. This is an option, I didn’t get another card, I was cool with my Cap One, Barclay, Walmart and Discover. I call in every 6 months to ask for credit limit increases instead of applying for new credit.
Notice I did not mention a store credit card or a merchant account or any other type of card. This is unnecessary. If you have someone that can add you on to an older credit card account with great payment history and low balances as an authorized user, that would be great! Your credit scores will benefit from the age being added on to your account and your scores will thank you!
Do not apply for anything else unnecessarily – ever! Your credit should be protected like your social security number. This means not co-signing for anyone either. If you won’t let someone use your social security number to obtain government funding or anything else, don’t let them use your credit!
MONEY SAVING TIPS:
Now that your scores have improved, call your insurance company (or begin shopping around) to get better rates. Check with your credit union to see if they can refinance any high-interest rate cars you may have (mortgages have to wait for about 2yrs or so).
Hope this helps!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Next Steps…
I know this is a lot, and I have broken it down into smaller pieces than what was given to me.
If you need help, my Prosperity Team and I are here for you!
We have 2 services geared specifically for those seeking to jumpstart their Rebuild After Bankruptcy:
- “Fresh Start” Rebuilding After Bankruptcy Program – Includes a Budgeting Consultation to assistance with establishing a budget to ensure you’re on the right track to a fully funded Emergency Fund; Audit of your Credit Reports to ensure all items are reporting accurately, completely, consistently, and timely; personalized After-Bankruptcy Dispute Letters that you can mail off right away, a full Credit Rebuilding Action Plan so that you know specifically what credit items to add to your credit reports, A Follow Up Credit Consultation, and access to our Free FCRA Attorney who will work with you (if your own attorney refuses) to pursue your rights using the courts if violations occur.
- 3-Report Counseling Session – We’ll spend up to 2 hours performing a complete audit of your Credit Reports to ensure all items are reporting accurately, completely, consistently, and timely, dispute letter templates to address these concerns that you can customize and mail out on your own. We’ll go over our findings during your 30-Minute Credit Counseling Session, as well as personalized instructions on how to begin rebuilding. A Written Summary is included.
As always, tap into our community to answer any questions you may have!
*Disputing Your Bankruptcy
Title: My Steps for Disputing Your Bankruptcy
Title: Introduction + My 12 Month Goal for You!
WELCOME!
There’s a video here
Please Note:
Although my goal for you is to reach 680-720 within 12 months, my ultimate goal is for you to no longer be in a financial position to have to file for bankruptcy ever again!
So, if you need to slow down any portion of the course in order to solidify a stronger financial standing, please do so, I did!
It took me 18 months because I had to work on creating better financial habits and to learn how to create, maintain and stick to a budget before adding on any forms of credit, which would have only resulted in me creating the past.
Ready to get started? Let’s Go!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: What is A Bankruptcy Discharge
Your bankruptcy discharge order is POWERFUL! Here you’ll learn what the bankruptcy discharge is and the federal protections you have under it:
There’s a video here
Summary:
Your discharge order creates an automatic ‘warning’ to your creditors to stop all collection activities. They cannot call you, mail you, update your credit reports on a monthly basis and more.
If they do, take action immediately! You have a right to sue them and seek punitive and monetary damages.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Reaffirmed Debts
Some of you may have reaffirmed your debts in order to keep your home, vehicle, etc. Let’s discuss what that means and that impacts your responsibility towards the debt:
There’s a video here
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: My 12 Rules for Rebuilding After Bankruptcy
There’s a video here
Downloadable: The Frugal CrediTnista’s 12 Rules for Rebuilding After Bankruptcy.pdf
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Make Sure You…
In the next module, we’ll go over what to look for on your credit reports to pinpoint factual errors to dispute. In order to do this efficiently, please make sure you do the following:
There’s a video here
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
*Budgeting After Bankruptcy
Title: My Personal 12 Steps to Budgeting After Bankruptcy
When I began budgeting after I was discharged from bankruptcy, I was 200% serious about never being broke again. I hope you are too. Here’s what I did:
I became clear on how much I really made.
After getting paid, I deducted the gas it took to get to work, the miles and wear and tear on my car (oil changes, tune-ups, etc – you can find this out by reviewing your bank statements. Look for how often you went and how much you paid for each visit and the overall yearly maintenance on your vehicle).
I decided how much I could realistically save per pay period and subtracted that as well (I think it was about $25-$35/per paycheck).
I created a separate savings account in a completely different bank.
I set up deposits with my payroll department to automate the deposits each pay period, knowing that if it hit my bank account it would be apart of my spending money or bill paying money.
On my budgeting spreadsheet, I used my income AFTER I deducted my savings to budget from.
If you tithe, you’d deduct your savings + tithes and use the difference as your income on your budgeting spreadsheet.
I gathered 3 months worth of bank statements and wrote a list of my expenses.
I spent a month TRACKING my DAILY SPENDING to ensure nothing had been left out. This allowed me to see how much I was spending on vending machine purchases, at the gas station when I was pumping gas, and on my daily McDonald’s trip and lunch every 3 days or so. Again, I did this for an entire month.
I prioritized all of my expenses to determine which ones were ‘Keep’, which ones were ‘Cut’, and which ones were ‘Reduce’.
I added car maintenance (tune-ups, oil changes etc) into my monthly budget and opened up a Capital One 360 bank account to put that amount up when those expenses came up.
I started canceling ALL spending that I didn’t need, leaving only the essentials. I figured I would cut all extras, and if I really really missed something after 3 months I would add it back on BUT at a lower price point, if possible.
We did Paycheck Budgeting. My husband and I got paid every two weeks on the same day, so before our paychecks hit our account, we would review our budget, see what worked, what didn’t, what needed to be tweaked, added, etc.
For us, Paycheck Budgeting worked better than monthly budgeting. We were used to living paycheck to paycheck, so we had to learn how to plan and budget each paycheck first.
Eventually, I increased my savings and started investing as my debts became paid off. We started off with our employer’s 401k plan. They matched at 5% but only one of us could afford that. I did 3% initially and YES, I noticed the difference initially. By the 3rd paycheck though, I was used to it.
I did side hustles to save faster and to pay off my IRS and student loan debt – Broker Priced Opinions, Comparative Market Analysis for attorneys and title companies, as well as surveys, demonstrations, you name it!
I learned how to automate my finances so I didn’t have to think about them as much.
Some or all of this will work for you :). This is YOUR plan, tweak it to make it work for you!
Downloadable: Budgeting After Being Discharged from Bankruptcy.pdf
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Assignment: Budgeting After Bankruptcy Spreadsheet
Now it’s your turn to start tracking and mapping our your Personal Budgeting After Bankruptcy Plan.
Feel Free (I actually encourage you) to change the name at the top of the spreadsheet to “[Your Name’s] Wealth Creation Plan” “My Prosperity Plan” or whatever gets you mentally activated to begin creating and crushing your financial goals!
I left a full yearly calendar, do you know why? Because budgeting is for life. Everyone who has achieved any level of wealth keeps a tight grip on their money. Even Oprah says she still signs every check, trust she’s not signing one check {or issuing any payments) worried about if the funds are in there for it to clear! That’s the ultimate form of Money Control!
You may say “Y eah, but she’s Oprah!” To that I say… How many folks win the lottery each year and end up broke in 5 years or less? #Facts
So, Start off with January and remain dedicated to:
Budgeting EVERY Month/Pay Period
Going a back to review last month’s budget in order to create a more realistic and fine-tuned budget for next month.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Emergency Savings
Establishing an emergency fund is the foundation for your bankruptcy rebuild. Here, you’ll learn why an Emergency Fund, even a small one, can make the difference between taking 12 months to get to our goal of 680-720 or 24+ months!
There’s a video here
REMEMBER, you may move on to the Disputing Errors Module, but not the Credit Rebuild section until you have your emergency fund in place.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
*Disputing Errors on Accounts Discharged in Bankruptcy
Title: Pull Your Credit Reports
There’s a video here
Summary:
Where to Pull Reports:
Mandatory – Annual Credit Report
and
ONE of the Following:
Identity IQ
Pro Credit
My FICO
Credit Check Total
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Analyze Your Credit Reports
There’s a video here
Tools Mentioned –
5-Day Credit Challenge:
Personal Data – Day 1 ,
Account Summary – Day 2 ,
Account History – Day 3 ,
Inquiries – Day 4 ,
Consumer Statements, Creditor Information, Dispute Instructions – Day 5
Downloadable: Common Errors found on Reports after being Discharged from Bankruptcy Summary: Reviewing Your Credit Reports After being Discharged from Bankruptcy.pdf
All debts that were DISCHARGED, no matter the type of BK, should report a $0 balance, a $0 amount due, $0 amount past due after the date of your bankruptcy discharge.
The notation “Included in Bankruptcy” or similar should be on the account. If it is not on there – DISPUTE.
Accounts that had lates or a charge-off status BEFORE you filed for bankruptcy will keep its history BEFORE. It cannot report that way AFTERWARDS. Check dates though, I usually find inaccuracies there.
A debt that has been discharged cannot EVER be late. If you see this, dispute it!
Charged-off accounts, if it was not charged off BEFORE you were discharged in bankruptcy, it cannot be reported as a charge off AFTER your bankruptcy.
Any debt discharged in bankruptcy that is not reporting per the instructions above and in my handout, you should dispute with the bureaus first. If it comes back as verified, then you will dispute with the CREDITOR/COMPANY reporting the information (called the data furnisher). If it is still reporting inaccurately and it remains on your report, then follow the instructions in the handout, I’d personally go right to my bankruptcy attorney!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Get Your Dispute On!
NOTE: We are not disputing the bankruptcy itself here, only the accounts included in bankruptcy.
Accounts included in bankruptcy weigh just as heavily as the bankruptcy itself. Bankruptcies are VERY difficult to get removed but to increase your chances, remove as many accounts as possible that were included in the bankruptcy.
There’s a video here
Many wait about 45-60 days after being discharged to begin disputing items on their credit report that were discharged in their bankruptcy. I didn’t. I actually disputed EVERYTHING that was included in my Chapter 7 bankruptcy. If you are in Chapter 13, I would advise against this. If you are in Chapter 7, FIRST look at the history on the account, 2nd look at if it has more negative than positive payment history. If it’s a younger account (3yrs or less), has negative history throughout, it’s fair game.
Using your dispute log, begin disputing the inaccurate items you found when analyzing your credit reports.
Disputes need to be done with ALL 3 Credit Reporting Agencies at the same time!
YES, you can include multiple inaccuracies in the same letter. If you do this, ATTACH A SEPARATE LIST OR SPREADSHEET, DO NOT include it in the letter in paragraph format.
I like to send these letters Certified Mail, Return Receipt via email (a bit cheaper).
Wait about 37-45 days for results to come back.
Accounts will either be UPDATED or DELETED (most will delete in Chapter 7, Chapter 13, you want to ensure it’s correct if so, leave it be, if not THEN you want to dispute again).
Anything that was not updated or removed, send a letter to the Creditor to fix/delete their individual account (they should not see any information from any other creditor/account that you do not have with them).
THEN, send a Method of Verification Letter to the Credit Bureaus to see what their problem is :).
Both letters should be mailed about 3 days apart. 1st to Creditors, 2nd to Bureaus.
Wait about 37-45 days for results to come back. I like to send these letters Certified Mail, Return Receipt via email as well.
Usually by this time the errors have been removed or updated. If not, it’s time to file a complaint with the CFPB and your state’s Attorney General’s Office. If it gets this far, you want a deletion.
Some have contacted their bankruptcy attorney again, or an FCRA attorney to begin a lawsuit against them for credit reporting violations. You may be able to get $1000 per report, per violation $$$.
*NOTE: Attorney’s fees are paid by the credit bureaus/creditor. An FCRA should be free to you if you have a legit case. Be ready to have all of the disputes you have sent as well as a copy of your bankruptcy documents.
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Title: Rebuilding After Bankruptcy Dispute Letter Templates
NOTE: The attached dispute letters will need to be customized. I used to attach a copy of the discharge papers that list the creditors included in the bankruptcy. You can do this if you want an update. If you want to increase the likelihood of your accounts being deleted, STATE THAT YOU WANT A DELETION IN THE LETTER vs wanting an ‘update’ or an ‘investigation’ and do not initially include your bankruptcy papers.
Bureau Addresses:
Equifax: P.O. Box 7404256; Atlanta, GA 30374-0256
Experian: P.O. Box 4500; Allen, TX 75013
TransUnion Consumer Solutions, P.O. Box 2000; Chester, PA 19022-2000
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*Let the Credit Rebuild Begin!
Title: Step One: Get A Credit Card
There’s a video here
You should only begin this module if you have:
Completed your budget and feel moderately on point with it
Saved up $1000 in your Emergency Savings
Have let 15 days pass AFTER you have received your Certified Mail Return Receipt back from your 1st dispute to the credit bureaus for errors listed on your credit reports.
I would LOVE for your first card to be an unsecured one (does not require a deposit, may require a fee/annual fee upfront), from Credit One. I’ve noticed that those who start off with an unsecured card reach 680-720 in 12mths with no problem. Those who start off with a secured card, reach that same FICO score range in about 15mths.
The links above are prequalification links. If you are not matched to a card, do not proceed with an application, BUT you may call them to see why you were denied/explain your situation to them. You may be able to talk them into getting a card. You’ll simply ask why you were denied and if a reconsideration would make a difference. If so, they’ll manually process your application and let you know if you’re approved.
If you have discharged either one of them in your bankruptcy, forget it. You’ll have to wait a year to apply with either one of them.
Last resort, First Premier. Their rates are ridiculous, so please read over the terms to see if it’s feasible for you.
DO NOT APPLY FOR ANY OTHER TYPE OF CARD, very few are able to obtain an unsecured credit card outside of the companies listed, Simply follow the advice below for a secured card.
Secured Credit Cards: A secured credit card is a type of credit card that you have to put a security deposit down for. The security deposit is placed in a bank account where it is held as collateral in the event you default due to nonpayment. The credit limit you’re approved for by the credit card issuer is often the same amount as your security deposit. You can use $200 of your Emergency Savings leaving you with $800, only because you will get the security deposit back in about 11 months when you close the card.
Open Sky – Client Fav! Will not check your credit.
First Progress, Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 – Will not check your credit
Capital One Secured Credit Card – Prequalification link, will check your credit, and you will get a hard inquiry.
Your Local Credit union – Call and check guidelines first. Let them know you’re fresh out of bankruptcy (if applicable) and let them tell you what their approval underwriting entails. They will check your credit and you will get a hard inquiry.
*** Most major banks will not extend credit to you if you are fresh out of bankruptcy. remember, inquiries are not your friend on a bankruptcy scorecard. Keep them at a minimum, research carefully. ***
VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT ACTIVATE THE CARD UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED STEP TWO, WHICH SHOULD HAPPEN AS SOON AS YOU RECEIVE YOUR CARD.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Two: Obtain a Credit Builder Installment Loan (if applicable)
If you already have an installment loan reporting on your credit reports, you can skip this step and activate your credit card from step #1.
Examples of installment accounts are: student loans, car, mortgage, etc. These may stem from accounts that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy or that you have elected to reaffirm.
The suggestions listed in the lesson are:
A local credit union
Alliance Credit Union
Self Lender
There’s a video here
Summary:
Your Credit Builder Loan will be between $500-$1000+. I determine this by my client’s budget, so I suggest you do the same. The monthly payment amount must fit within your budget and CANNOT come from your Emergency Savings each month.
Make each and every loan payment when you get the statement to 2 weeks ahead of its due date!. This is VERY important!
If you can pay 20% more than the fixed monthly payment that would be great! So, if the monthly payment amount is $65, then make payments of $78. This will reduce the amount of interest paid and allow you to pay off the principal amount of the loan more quickly. I would make this a habit for any installment loan you incur, including your mortgage.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: BONUS: Installment Loan Hack
I first found out about this hack at a Credit Repair Conference. it is designed to give you extra points on the FICO 08 Scoring Model (used for vehicles and credit cards).
This is a guide on how to take advantage and it’s ONLY for those with the financial means to do so without touching their Emergency Savings AND if you DO NOT have other installment loans on your credit report. This has work best for my clients with Credit Unions, I’ve listed some below.
You will open your Credit Builder Loan and immediately pay it off to less than 30% (less than 10% is even better!). For example, if you are approved for $1000, you will pay your balance down to $273 with your first payment.
This causes a boost in scores (varies, I’ve seen as low as 7 pts and as high as 43 pts) Installment Loans begin factoring into the FICO Scoring Amount Owed Category more once it has been paid off by 30-35% (so essentially, paying $300-$350 for your first payment will increase your scores too, but not nearly as much.
Some credit unions will not let you do this, those that do are:
Alliant
Navy Federal Credit Union
PenFed Credit Union
Feel free to ask your credit union if this is allowed BEFORE you obtain a credit builder loan with them
Once you pay down your loan to below 30%, your due date will be pushed back for several months because you have essentially pre-paid.
I’ve had more clients have success doing this with the first 6-12 credit builder loan than the 2nd time, so I wouldn’t bother doing it again once you’ve paid the first one off. AGAIN, this will not work if you already have installment accounts reporting!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: HOW TO USE YOUR CREDIT CARD
Review your budget and select one of your fixed monthly expenses to charge to your new credit card. The Credit on Fire Academy or your Credit Monitoring fee are great options for this.
Make sure whatever balance you choose, the charge per month is less than 10% of your approved credit limit (so if the credit limit is $300, you will charge no more than $27/mth).
As soon as you get your bill you will pay it in full (the BILL not by the due date).
If there is an activation or processing fee, then that is your first month’s purchase.
Creditors usually try to keep the initial fee just under 30% of the approved credit limit; that’s too high! So if you are approved for First Premier and the fees equal $85 and your credit limit is $300, the processing fee is 28% of your credit limit. We want it below 10%, so you will charge NOTHING, but instead make an immediate payment of $58 to get it below 10%.
You will not apply for another credit card for at least 4-6 months. You want 3 full months of credit reporting for this card showing timely payments and super low balances.
You want 3 full months showing for your Credit Builder Loan with timely payments, with that 20% overpayment.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Three: Check Credit Reports & Get Another Credit Card
Four to Six Months Have Passed & It’s Time for You to Go Back to the Disputing Section and Re-Review Your Credit Reports to Check for Errors AND to Get Another Card!
There’s a video here
Summary:
Four to Six months may have passed and it’s time to get your next card!
Here are some things to note:
Do not get another secured card, your goal is to get an unsecured card only. My preference is a Capital One Card.
If you are not matched to a card and you got a secured card initially, then Credit One is okay, again use the prequalification tool to avoid an unnecessary hard inquiry.
If you got a Credit One card initially, then you will chill and let your current card and installment loan report for a total of 5-6 months before applying for Capital One again.
Complete this step BEFORE your Credit Builder Loan Expires, if applicable.
Use the prequalification link for Capital One, found here: Capital One
If your current FICO 8 Credit Scores are under 600, you will try to get matched to a Platinum Capital One Card. (You can see one of your FICO 8 Scores for free here ).
If your FICO 8 Credit Scores are over 600, you will try to get matched to a QuicksilverOne Rewards card for Average Credit.
Capital One will automatically enroll you in the Credit Steps program on this card, it’s an automatic credit line increase within 5-6mths.
How to Use Your Two Credit Cards
You will keep your secured card at $0 and charge on it every 1-3 months no more than 1% of your approved credit limit. YES, you read that right. So, if your credit limit is $200, you will charge $2 every 2-3 months to allow FICO to keep scoring it positively. When a card is left dormant – aka no charges being made on it – FICO will begin scoring it less and less. We do not want that. Some of my students/clients have had success charging $1 a month, if that works for you, great! The point is to not let 3 months go by and you haven’t charged on the card. It is imperative to pay your first card off IN FULL!
Switch your credit monitoring or Credit on Fire subscription to your new Capital One Credit Card.
Charge up to 10% of your Credit Limit on Capital One Card and pay in full every month when the statement comes.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Step Four: Get Another Credit Builder Loan – Increase the Amount
Again, if you already have installment accounts reporting, please skip this step!
This step should happen two months after you have secured your 2nd Credit Card.
There’s a video here
Summary:
After your Credit Builder Loan term has ended, some of you will receive a check (as with Self Lender, you pay first, then get your loan). Put the cash in your savings and go back to your credit union/Self Lender to see if you can get an Unsecured Credit Line for 2yrs of $2000+. If not, get another secured loan.
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Ongoing Action Steps
Three-five months after you have gotten your new Credit Builder Loan, it’s time to get another credit card. You are preparing to cancel your Credit One and replace it with a better quality card.
I personally like Barclay Apple Rewards Card, however, this is a perfect time to have another conversation with your credit union. If you have the Capital One Platinum card, you can apply for Capital One QuickSilver at this point if Barclay is not a good option for you.
Remember to pull your AnnualCreditReport.com credit bureau reports for the year (at least one of them, and then continue to pull one every 4 months) to review it again for items to dispute.
I cannot stress enough to use your credit cards as directed. Once you have more than one card, you do not need to use each and every one of them every single month. You can have one card that you use often, and another card that you will use sparingly, roughly every 4 months to keep it active with the credit card company.
NEVER exceed 10% of your total available credit limit.
FICO scores your utilization on each individual card and the total debt to credit ratio on all cards combined.
***To increase scores more, FICO has stated that utilization being as close to 1% as possible without being $0 is ideal. So, if you want to maximize your scores, pay 2 off BEFORE the billing cycle ends (will have to call your credit card company to find out that date if you cannot locate it on your billing statement) and adjust your budget accordingly. Thie means 2 cards will report at $0 and the 3rd will report a small balance, which will have your utilization looking ah-mazing!***
Once your Credit One card reaches 15-23 months, CANCEL IT.
Depending on what cards you end up with after you have had your Barclay card for a minimum of 6 months (you MUST wait 6mths) you can apply for another credit card if you desire. Chase, Citi, and American Express are NOT options, don’t even waste your inquiry on them. This is an option, I didn’t get another card, I was cool with my Cap One, Barclay, Walmart and Discover. I call in every 6 months to ask for credit limit increases instead of applying for new credit.
Notice I did not mention a store credit card or a merchant account or any other type of card. This is unnecessary. If you have someone that can add you on to an older credit card account with great payment history and low balances as an authorized user, that would be great! Your credit scores will benefit from the age being added on to your account and your scores will thank you!
Do not apply for anything else unnecessarily – ever! Your credit should be protected like your social security number. This means not co-signing for anyone either. If you won’t let someone use your social security number to obtain government funding or anything else, don’t let them use your credit!
MONEY SAVING TIPS:
Now that your scores have improved, call your insurance company (or begin shopping around) to get better rates. Check with your credit union to see if they can refinance any high-interest rate cars you may have (mortgages have to wait for about 2yrs or so).
Hope this helps!
Need Help? Schedule a time to chat with us here, attach a copy of your credit reports from bit.ly/IQreport or www.MyFICO.com: bit.ly/CreditChatback
Title: Next Steps…
I know this is a lot, and I have broken it down into smaller pieces than what was given to me.
If you need help, my Prosperity Team and I are here for you!
We have 2 services geared specifically for those seeking to jumpstart their Rebuild After Bankruptcy:
“Fresh Start” Rebuilding After Bankruptcy Program – Includes a Budgeting Consultation to assistance with establishing a budget to ensure you’re on the right track to a fully funded Emergency Fund; Audit of your Credit Reports to ensure all items are reporting accurately, completely, consistently, and timely; personalized After-Bankruptcy Dispute Letters that you can mail off right away, a full Credit Rebuilding Action Plan so that you know specifically what credit items to add to your credit reports, A Follow Up Credit Consultation, and access to our Free FCRA Attorney who will work with you (if your own attorney refuses) to pursue your rights using the courts if violations occur.
3-Report Counseling Session – We’ll spend up to 2 hours performing a complete audit of your Credit Reports to ensure all items are reporting accurately, completely, consistently, and timely, dispute letter templates to address these concerns that you can customize and mail out on your own. We’ll go over our findings during your 30-Minute Credit Counseling Session, as well as personalized instructions on how to begin rebuilding. A Written Summary is included.
As always, tap into our community to answer any questions you may have!
*Disputing Your Bankruptcy
Title: My Steps for Disputing Your Bankruptcy