Do I have to be behind on my bills to file for Bankruptcy?

Transcription:

Hi, I’m Robert Geller. I am a consumer bankruptcy attorney in the Tampa Bay area. I want to talk to you about whether you have to have fallen behind on your bills in order to file for bankruptcy right now.

Unfortunately, we’re dealing with this COVID-19 pandemic and there are a lot of people struggling out there. There are as many as one in four working Americans unemployed. Many are wondering what they should do and might be paying their bills with their savings or their using their retirement savings to keep up.

If this sounds familiar and you realize that you can’t continue to pay your creditors, even if you are current right now, you can file bankruptcy. You don’t have to be behind on your credit card bills and you shouldn’t wait until you reach that point because you shouldn’t be depleting your savings and retirement.

If you think you might fall behind, you should go talk to a lawyer. There are consumer protection laws that allow you to tell creditors you can’t speak to them once you hire an attorney. Creditors and bill collectors must stop calling you once you give them the attorney’s information. So rather than waiting a few months or a year or two to get behind on your bills, take action sooner rather than later. You’ll be able to get rid of the debt so that you can rebuild. Don’t deplete your savings or your retirement.

I’m attorney, Robert Geller, and I want to help you build a bridge to a brighter future.
Thank you.