Ohhh… My Aching Credit Rating!

Most people believe that their credit rating will be ruined for the next 8-10 years if they file for bankruptcy. This could not be further from the truth. Bankruptcy is not a shiny gold star on your credit report, that is for sure, but it is far from a death toll on your credit. In reality, your credit rating is already pretty darn low from all the missed and/ or late payments you have been piling up prior to filing. While I highly doubt any creditors will actually see things this way, filing is actually you showing that you do want to improve and do better for the near and foreseeable future. Yes, your credit rating will take a hit. Yes, your interest rates will be a bit higher than the norm for a few years, but you are not in a credit purgatory. Once you have filed, you will find that there will be ample opportunity for you to rebuild your credit rating. Do not be surprised if you are flooded with credit card companies offering to help you rebuild your credit. Car dealerships will jump on this bandwagon as well wanting to give you a loan regardless of the fact that you just went through bankruptcy proceedings. They do so not out of the kindness of their hearts, but out of the greed in them instead. Car dealerships and credit card companies know full well that you have no other option than to take the outrage offer they give you in order to rebuild. You need them; they do not need you. They take advantage of this by hiking up the interest rates and killing you with annual fees. It can be tempting here to fall back into old habits. If you have yet to get back on solid financial ground than you would probably be better off doing nothing. It takes activity to rebuild your credit rating, but at least you are not doing anymore damage. If you have student loans that are as yet unpaid either start or continue making those payments once your case is discharged. Making installment payments like with a student loan can help rebuild your credit as well. Bankruptcy is a scary option to consider when you have already been undergoing some tough financial times. The stigma that it carries is enough to keep some people from filing. For others it is the perceived damage that will be incurred on their credit rating. What they fail to realize is that the damage has already been done. Filing bankruptcy cannot do much more than the last year or years of lackluster financial mismanagement have already done. In fact, bankruptcy will actually be the first step in getting your credit rating back where it needs to be.