Not Alone Filing Bankruptcy
You are not alone filing bankruptcy. As this US Magazine story portrays, even celebrities file for bankruptcy. Even celebrities who earn millions file for bankruptcy. Why? The answer is simple. Debt beyond the ability to repay is a recipe for bankruptcy. This is true whether you earn millions or much less. If you cannot afford to repay your debts, bankruptcy may be the solution.
Knowing you are not alone filing bankruptcy is often a comfort to those considering bankruptcy. Thoreau was right when he spoke of people leading lives of quiet desperation. This is especially so when dealing with debt. Feeling you are alone in your debt dilemma needn’t be. Millions of others live under the canopy of debt, often believing they are alone in their plight. They are not.
Credit availability is, obviously, tied to debt. And credit availability is now back. Much of credit market dried up during the great recession in years past. Now credit is back. So is debt. And along with it the need for debt relief. There is no more comprehensive or complete recovery from debt than filing for bankruptcy. Again, that is why you are not alone filing bankruptcy.



Eliminating credit card debt is the ideal solution to excess credit card debt. But that is easier said than done. Trimming expenses, paying your debt down faster and tapping your savings are all options to decrease your debt. These are great ideas. But not if they won’t work for you. Maybe your expenses are already shaved to the bone. Perhaps you can’t pay your debt off any faster. And what if you have no savings? If so, credit card debt elimination in bankruptcy may be your best bet.
As has been pointed out, Trump’s businesses accumulated too much debt. With more debt than income to afford it, Trump and bankruptcy became a team for these businesses. Though these businesses filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy reorganization, the bankruptcy effect was the same as the most common consumer bankruptcies (Chapter 7 and 13) individuals file. Trump filed bankruptcy to limit and eliminate his business debt. His businesses simply couldn’t afford the debt. Bankruptcy law allowed the debt to be eliminated, lessened or refinanced through the bankruptcy court. Bankruptcy can do this for business debt. And bankruptcy can do this for personal debt. It is why businesses and individuals file for bankruptcy.
Qualifying for Chapter 7 bankruptcy requires the filer to pass the bankruptcy means test. This, then, is the primary bankruptcy means test meaning. To “pass” the bankruptcy means test, the filer must demonstrate eligibility to file for Chapter 7 bankruptcy. What this means is that an individual or couple filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy must prove eligibility for a Chapter 7 filing. To be eligible for filing Chapter 7 bankruptcy, filers must show, essentially, their living expenses exceed their income. Put another way, they owe more in living expenses than income earned. This recent news article clarifies many of the bankruptcy means tests basics.