Debt Surges and So Does Inflation

Geraci Law reports increase in pressure on retired workers!

Read the press release below from Geraci Law – you can read additional news @ https://www.infotapes.com/Press.

As if we can’t see it ourselves, the Federal Reserve reports that consumer debt levels increased 14% in March 2022. Credit card debt and other revolving debt increased by 21.4%.

Revolving credit, which includes credit cards, surged by 21.4%.

Food is up 10%, and gas is up 25% over a year ago. Pension payments have not increased, the stock market is down 20%, and social security payments are up only 5% or less.

At Geraci Law, we have seen this cycle before. Geraci Law is one of the oldest and largest debt relief agencies in the country, with roots going back to 1977. This data indicates that the cost of living will increasingly outstrip the ability to pay debt, in the coming months.

“It usually takes 2 years for consumers to realize they should eliminate or consolidate debt using either Chapter 7 or 13”, says Geraci Law founding member attorney Peter Francis Geraci.

“Bankruptcy filings are at a historic low, and borrowing is at a historic high, with the good feelings of a stock market bonanza all but gone.” Geraci Law is seeing an increase in Chapter 13 debt repayment plans filed by retired persons, and those approaching retirement. “Retirees and fixed income individuals are the canaries in the coal mine, the first to suffer from inflation and high debt repayments”, said Mr. Geraci.

Dial 1-800-CALL-PFG for a free phone mini-consultation, or make an appointment online 24/7 at www.infotapes.com. Bankruptcy laws are in place to help you. Who knows bankruptcy like Geraci Law? Geraci Law has 35,000 5-star reviews since November 2016!

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Just Call!

If you have questions, Geraci Law believes in the phrase – JUST CALL! We want to talk to you and provide the best information possible.

At Geraci Law, you always have direct access to your attorney and paralegal team. No call centers, no leaving a message on a machine. Everyone you interact with is a Geraci Law employee.

It’s one of the many reasons we are the most reviewed bankruptcy law firm in the country. Over 40 years in business, over 200,000 clients served, and more than 30,000 5-star or positive bankruptcy attorney reviews.

So…

1. Thinking debt settlement or consolidation?

Just Call! 1-800-CALL-PFG

2. Want your “fresh start” Chapter 7 or 13 options?

Just Call! 1-800-CALL-PFG

3. Want a free credit bureau “soft pull” to see your debts?

Just Call! 1-800-CALL-PFG

4. Find out how much debt you have?

Just Call! 1-800-CALL-PFG

5. File from home using our Geraci Law app & Client Corner

Just Call! 1-800-CALL-PFG

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Can I File Bankruptcy if I Have Co-Signers?

Read Chapter 17 of Attorney Peter Francis Geraci’s “Complete Book on Bankruptcy” below or at https://www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com/Book17.html.

Yes. And you can either discharge your obligation to both the creditor and the co-signer, or pay the creditor to protect your co-signer.

Talk to your co-signer. Perhaps they already filed a bankruptcy with Geraci Law and you don’t have to worry! Perhaps they need to and you can come in with them. You may want to pay that loan to protect your co-signer. Or, your co-signer might say, “Go ahead and file Chapter 7 and I will pay this one off for you” or “I filed bankruptcy myself, so don’t worry, I already got rid of this debt.”

You can also file Chapter 13 and pay a co-signed debt to protect your co-signer. You can file Chapter 7 and still pay the co-signed debt to protect the co-signer. Or you can file either and let the co-signed decide what to do if the creditor goes after them on their guarantee.

Whenever a lender wants a co-signer, they don’t trust the person that wants the loan. Therefore, someone has to agree that if the person who is getting the money does not pay, that the co-signer will make the debt good, and take up the payments.

If you are the person who signed to pay if your friend or relative didn’t you may complain if you are called upon to pay the loan that your friend or relative got. In fact, it may push you over the financial edge.

Therefore, if you have a lot of bills, and now have a problem because of a co-signer, you will want to include that co-signed loan in your list of bills when you come in for your first interview.

If you co-signed, you probably did not want to pay the other person’s loan. In a Chapter 7, you will discharge your liability for the loan. In a Chapter 13, you can set up a special class for co-signer loans, and pay them or not pay them, as you wish.

If other people co-signed for you, you may want to protect them. In a Chapter 7, you will probably want to pay loans that other people co-signed for you on, so that you are protecting your co-signers. Just keep on paying those loans, despite your Chapter 7, if you want to protect your co-signers.

In a Chapter 13, if you want to protect your co-signers, you can set up a special class of creditors for co-signer loans, and propose to pay the co-signer loans ahead of other loans.

Example: Tim works at the Post Office and has 3 co-signers for his credit union loan. The credit union is taking $200 per paycheck out of his check, and Tim has a car payment of $329 per month, and a bunch of other bills, so he needs debt relief.

The Geraci Law Chapter 7 or 13 Bankruptcy Solution: Tim files a Chapter 13 to pay his car and co-signer loan 100%, and can pay his other creditors after the car and co-signer loan are paid. He can also just get rid of all his debt in a Chapter 7, but continue paying the car loan and credit union loan. He will “reaffirm” the car loan, but will not sign a reaffirmation on the credit union loan. He will pay the regular payment on the credit union loan, re-authorizing his payroll deduction.

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Are Unlisted Creditors Discharged in My Bankruptcy Case?

Read the article below or @ https://www.infotapes.com/Articles written by Attorney Peter Francis Geraci.

That depends. In the First Circuit and the Seventh Circuit, there are cases that talk about missing creditors that aren’t discharged unless the case is reopened to amend schedules to list an omitted creditor, but, at least in the 7th Circuit, that reasoning is rarely followed.

In Stark v. St. Mary’s Hospital, 717 F.2d 322 (7th 1983), the Seventh Circuit concluded that the decision of whether to discharge the debt of an omitted creditor is based on equity. The Stark court said the burden is on the debtor to show that law and equitable principles allow the reopening of the case to include the omitted creditor. Without such a showing by the debtor, the debt will not be discharged and the creditor will have a claim against the debtor, despite the previous order for discharge of debts.

This case has been criticized for suggesting that adding a creditor to a schedule has an effect on the dischargeability of the underlying debt. See In re Anderson, 72 B.R. 783 (Bankr. D. Minn. 1987).

The general rule in most jurisdictions is that a debt is either dischargeable or not based on the nature of the debt, and the nature of the status of the claims proceeding, and that reopening the case is unnecessary.

Even in the 7th Circuit, which is Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin, if the creditor has actual notice of some kind, such as you called and told them, or if “no harm, no foul” because the case was a “no asset case” and they would have gotten nothing even if they were listed, or if the creditor is really to blame because they sold the debt to someone else and didn’t tell them, the case does not have to be reopened at all. At Geraci Law, the issue rarely comes up.

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Geraci Law in Tampa

Geraci Law attorneys Rob Brynjelsen and Jonathan Parker attended CLE (Continuing Legal Education) in Tampa. We can help Tampa (and Florida) residents file a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 bankruptcy. Here’s some of the photos from their visit!

Medical Debt To Be Removed from Credit Reports

See article from CNET ” Medical Debt to Be Removed from Credit Reports This Summer – What to Know” @ https://www.cnet.com/personal-finance/medical-debt-to-be-removed-from-credit-reports-this-summer-what-to-know/

This does not mean you do not owe the debt but rather the 3 major credit reporting agencies Experian, Equifax and Transunion will not report debt until ONE YEAR of going into collections and the plan is NOT report any balance under $500.

If you have unpaid debt, if you need help – the medical bills may not show up but creditors can still attempt to collect, call Geraci Law. We’re happy to help.

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Don’t be Embarrassed, Nervous or Afraid!

Below is from Chapter 2 of Attorney Peter Francis Geraci’s, “Complete Book on Bankruptcy.” Read below or the rest of the book @ https://www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com/

CHAPTER #2 Don’t be Embarrassed, Nervous, or Afraid

Everyone tells me they are embarrassed, nervous, and afraid to get out of debt. So read our 30,000 reviews and find out what Geraci Law has done to make their life better. Start with the reviews.

Now, let’s take embarrassed first. No one talks about money. They talk about everything else, but in America, money is a guilty secret. So the first thing you have to realize is that almost 1 million people a year file bankruptcy. That’s right. It’s real common. Are you 40 years old? In the last 40 years, about 40 million people have filed bankruptcy. So don’t be embarrassed. Donald Trump has put more than one of his projects in bankruptcy.

Second is nervous. Log on to infotapes.com and read real life stories about people just like you and how their Chapter 7 or 13 worked out for them. Get educated. Then you won’t be nervous. Take my free online 20 minute credit counseling course. Or take my 2 hour course for $25. Too much debt is bad. It can actually affect your health. Bad debt is like a bad marriage, or a bad cold. It can make you feel miserable. If you get out of debt, your credit score goes up, and you can start saving for a house or car you want.

Third is afraid. Don’t be. At Geraci Law, we will not file a bankruptcy for you unless we think it will make your life better. So, once you realize you’re in good hands, that a million people just like you file every year, and you know your credit score and savings will go up, you will be ready to get some good advice.

Why would anyone be happy about having to file a bankruptcy? The answer is, if there were no bankruptcy laws, you would have no way out of financial trouble.

The bankruptcy laws, and how they can help you, are not known to the general public. When a person finds out that they can get out of debt, and start fresh, without giving up any possessions, they are generally very happy. No one files a bankruptcy case unless they have to. If you have the money to pay your bills, pay them!

Why would you be happier if you kept your house, kept your vehicle, kept your pension, kept your household furnishings, and had no debt, and could save money each month for retirement? Why wouldn’t you?

Realize that if you have $20,000.00 in credit card debt at 18%, and just make the minimum payments at 2.5% of the balance, never using the card again, it will take you 37 years to pay it off. Go to our website, http://www.infotapes.com, and follow the links to msn.money.com, and bankrate.com. You will find useful financial calculators on those sites. Plug in your debt, and see that if you can pay only minimums, you have a life sentence of debt. If you have a lawsuit, getting garnished can eat 15 to 25% of your take home pay, or snatch your entire bank account.

Why should you have a life sentence of debt? Be happy! Don’t worry! If you can only pay minimums, collectors are calling, you have to charge necessities, you may be better off filing Chapter 7 and getting a discharge of that debt, or Chapter 13, which is a no-interest debt repayment. You could take that $500 a month and repay your debts in full with no interest over less than 36 months.

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Do I Qualify for Bankruptcy?

Check out https://www.kwalifyme.com/ to get answers to questions like:

Cost Of Bankruptcy
Cost Of Consolidation
Debt To Income Ratio
Experian “soft pull” report (doesn’t show on credit!)
Experian Credit Score
KBB Vehicle Value

Get your free online:

Median Income Score
Creditor Analysis
Bankruptcy Bar Calculator
Lawsuit Finder
Debt Consolidation Score

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Student Loan Debt

Read the article @ https://www.infotapes.com/articles/news/90/student-loan-forgiveness-for-the-permanently-disabled/

Student Loan Discharges for Disability – Fill out online https://disabilitydischarge.com/

You can show that you qualify for a TPD discharge by providing documentation from one of three sources:

the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)
the Social Security Administration (SSA)
a physician “unfit for any gainful employment’ like a catastrophic Worker’s Compensation or accident

For SSA (Social Security Disability) discharge and you have not received a notice their debts are dischargeable by the government, you can apply for the discharge by showing you are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. You can qualify for a TPD discharge by providing a copy of their SSA notice of award or Benefits Planning Query showing that the next scheduled disability review will be five to seven years or more from the date of your last SSA disability determination.

Read ALL ABOUT DEBT RELIEF at www.bankruptcybookbypeterfrancisgeraci.com.

Nice People Doing Nice Things for Nice People

One of the common sayings at Geraci Law is “nice people doing nice things for nice people.” Geraci Law staff takes this very seriously. No one wants to file for bankruptcy but sometimes life circumstance causes more debt and an inability to pay.

I worked with attorney Ricardo Gomez on my case. I never felt so heard, understood, and reassured before in regards to getting my financial life back on track. I was drowning in calls from debt collectors and constantly being pressured by them. When I first spoke with Rick, he took enough time to listen to my situation, let me know exactly what it is I should expect, and what I needed to do on my end to make sure things ran smoothly when filing. I am so grateful for his mother for raising an amazing son who goes above and beyond for his career. He is very down to earth and provided his own personal experiences to relate to me. Thank you Rick for helping me breathe again & see a light at the end of the tunnel! Keep up the fantastic work!
Geraci Law Chicago Client for Attorney Ricardo Gomez

I was shame and embarrassed to even call and start this process over again, I have worked with this office before but it’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I didn’t know what to expect when I called or who I would be working with as my lawyer. Well let just say that this young man was the most amazing individual that I have had the pleasure of working with in a long time. He made the experience of me coming back to this office such a pleasure, he is very very knowledgeable and very great at would he do he also shared with me a lot of history on bankruptcy so I would like to thank Mr Geraci himself for working with Joseph and showing him the true meaning of not only bankruptcy but also compassion for others and working to help people like myself have so type of relief and less stress. Covid hit my home hard I missed a lot of work and was pushed into a corner. When I left there today the only thing I was saying was thank god for these people and Joseph. I will get a good nights sleep! Thank you Joseph and god bless
Geraci Law Racine, Wisconsin client for Attorney Joseph Blaha

So when I finally decided to stop hiding behind my credit. I decided to do something about it .. I searched the Internet for a bankruptcy lawyer .. I made a few calls to the firms around the area.. but luck .. so I seen your website and decided to make the call and I’m so happy that I did .. you all have made it very easy and painless .. I now have a step in the right direction and I’m feeling good about it .. so thank you, you all for the hard work .. it’s much appreciated.. thank you
Geraci Law Schaumburg, Illinois client for Attorney Mark Levine

I have had a few issues along the way but Bridgett was always there and was willing to help me work through them and she worked with me she never judged me
I always felt like she actually cared my bankruptcy is ending as I’ve made the last payment and she’s been there to help me through all of that because that was the issue itself with wrong information as to how much I actually old but that’s all been straightened out the right people I got a hold of them it’s all taken care of and my bankruptcy is finish it which is great she does she’s very professional I would work with her anytime I recommend her to anyone she’s great she knows what she’s doing is she she answers you and she takes care of your problems so she will get a solution to it one way or the other she is a great asset to dresses thank you so much
Geraci Law Indianapolis, Indiana client for Attorney Bridget Spears

I HIGHLY recommend this firm. My case was not clear cut and had aspects that confused me. Right from the beginning Joseph explained everything to me and took a great deal of time to answer and explain any of my concerns with understandable options, kindness and caring. I felt I could definitely trust this firm to advise me on whether or not to pursue bankruptcy vs other options. I NEVER felt they were out for my money (fees). Abraham took over and made sure I TOTALLY understood every step I needed to take including how to prepare for the court date and encouraged me to MAKE SURE I did the needed creditor courses in time. He also explained ALL my options—bankruptcy or NOT—and what the potential pitfalls/ benefits were for each option.
WOW…I never felt rushed. I always felt I was the most important person and felt safe with their knowledge and dedication to making sure I understood everything. They did not rush me to hire them. They allowed me to ask questions and to think before hiring them.
After I hired them the firm’s staff helped me with any concerns and updates. Lisa was an amazing comfort whenever I needed help with something that confused me. The staff always responds very quickly. Once this firm was hired I felt they were attentive and totally on top of everything.
My case was resolved quickly with a positive outcome. I am so grateful for their help and send thanks to them all. This was a difficult decision to make but their expertise and care made this feel like a team effort. Thank you Abe, Joe, Lisa and Geraci Law staff!
Geraci Law Milwaukee, Wisconsin client for Geraci Law Wisconsin Staff

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CHAPTER #2 Don’t be Embarrassed, Nervous, or Afraid

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