Life After Bankruptcy

If you are one of the many unfortunate people that have had to file for bankruptcy we congratulate you on the start of your new financial life. Hopefully, you have learned some hard lessons from your financial mistakes and sincerely want to avoid them in the future.

The good news is that there is hope. You can recover from bankruptcy and get credit once again even though you will have the dreaded bankruptcy black-mark on your credit report for another ten years.

The truth is, the first two to three years after bankruptcy is going to be tough, however, there are some steps that you can begin to take to start rebuilding your credit immediately. The sooner you begin good financial habits the quicker you are going recover and earn good credit once again.

To begin rebuilding your financial profile you have to start proving that you’ve learned from your mistakes. There are steps that can be taken, in stages, to begin rebuilding your financial profile and restoring your credit rating.

Immediately:

• Savings Account – If you do not currently have one, establish a savings account and start making regular deposits for an emergency fund.
• Create no additional debts – This one seems like a no-brainer but it is surprising how many people try to rush right out and finance something. Even with a bankruptcy on your record there are places willing to extend credit, at a cost. Avoid using buy-here, pay-here car sales, rent-to-own stores, and the like.
• Pay Mortgage/Rent/Utilities on time! – If you rent, or were lucky enough to keep your home, make your payments on time! You want to show that you have learned from your mistakes. Late payments may get reported to the credit bureau, which will severely damage your credit even further.
• If you retained a credit card through your bankruptcy, use it once in a while for small purchases and pay it off immediately at the end of the month.
• If there was a extraneous reason for your bankruptcy, such a death of a spouse, divorce, severe illness, etc., be sure to list that on your credit report. This will not effect your credit score but could help if there is a judgment call to be made.

 6 – 12 Months:

• Apply for a secured credit card – Banks will be more willing to give you a secured credit card after bankruptcy. With a secured credit card, you deposit money into a special account with your bank. The bank then issues you a credit card with a limit equal to the amount you deposited.
• Shop around to different banks – When comparing banks for your secured credit card, make sure to look at their interest rates and fees that they charge. Do not pay any upfront fees. Also, ensure that they will report your good credit management to the credit bureaus.
• Do not apply for credit cards more often than every six months – If you apply for a credit card and get turned down you will need to continue to practice good financial habits and reapply later, preferably with another bank. Each time that you apply for credit your credit score will go down slightly. Continued reapplication for a credit card or loan could severely affect your credit rating!

 After 1 – 2 Years:

• If you keep your accounts in good standing and your mortgage/rent and bills paid on time you should started getting better offers for unsecured credit cards in the mail. Be careful not to fall back into the credit trap though—use your new credit wisely! Also, be sure to read our article on Credit Card Traps to Avoid!
• In the early years your credit is going to cost you more—be prepared to pay substantially higher interest rates for loans and credit cards. However, you can help take the sting out of those higher rates by paying off your credit cards in full at the end of every month and paying extra towards the principle on other loans.

If you consistently practice good financial habits and aggressively work to pay your bills on time and not accumulate too much debt the less your bankruptcy will matter and the more likely lenders will be willing to extend to you better interest rates.

 

If you'd like to submit your own article click here!

All information contain within is owned and Copyrighted by PlanaBudget.com ™.
All information is deemed to be accurate but is in no way guaranteed.