Every legal statement above is footnoted to primary law, the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11, U.S. Code). Citations were verified against the official statutory text as of June 2026.
This article is general legal information, not legal advice. Bankruptcy outcomes depend on the specific facts of your case, and the law can change. Reading this page does not create an attorney-client relationship. For advice about your situation, schedule a free consultation. THIS IS ADVERTISING MATERIAL. We are a debt relief agency. We help people file for bankruptcy relief under the Bankruptcy Code.
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);
}
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 1, Foreclosure & the automatic stay
============================================================ */
function ArticleForeclosure({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Foreclosure', date: 'May 2026', read: '6 min read',
title: 'Can Bankruptcy Stop a Foreclosure in Kentucky?',
standfirst: "If a foreclosure sale is bearing down on your home, bankruptcy can stop it, at least long enough to catch your breath, and often long enough to keep the house. Here is how the law actually works."
};
const footnotes = [
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)', note: 'The filing of a bankruptcy petition operates as a stay, applicable to all entities, of acts to enforce liens against, obtain possession of, or collect claims against the debtor and property of the estate. Section 362 is the statutory basis for the automatic stay that halts a foreclosure.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(2)', note: 'The stay of acts other than against property of the estate continues until the case is closed, dismissed, and for chapter 7 cases when a discharge is granted or denied.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(d)', note: 'On request of a creditor and after notice and a hearing, the court "shall grant relief from the stay" for cause, including lack of adequate protection, i.e., a lender can ask the court to lift the stay.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(5)', note: 'A Chapter 13 plan may "provide for the curing of any default within a reasonable time and maintenance of payments" on a long-term secured claim such as a mortgage, the mechanism for catching up on missed payments over the plan.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1322' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 1322(c)(1)', note: 'A default on a lien on the debtor\u2019s principal residence "may be cured . . . until such residence is sold at a foreclosure sale", meaning the case generally must be filed before the foreclosure sale takes place.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1322' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 1322(b)(2)', note: 'A plan may modify the rights of secured creditors "other than a claim secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor\u2019s principal residence", the anti-modification rule for home mortgages.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/1322' }];
return (
Few letters land harder than a notice of foreclosure sale. If you are staring at one right now, here is the short answer: yes, filing for bankruptcy can stop a foreclosure in Kentucky, immediately. The longer answer is about what happens next, and whether you can keep your home for good. Both depend on a handful of specific provisions in the Federal Bankruptcy Code, and timing matters more than almost anything else.
The automatic stay: an instant pause
The moment a bankruptcy petition is filed, federal law imposes what is called the automatic stay. By statute, the filing "operates as a stay, applicable to all entities," of efforts to enforce liens against, take possession of, or collect debts from the debtor and the property of the bankruptcy estate. In plain terms, a creditor that was about to sell your house has to stop, not after a hearing, not after a motion, but the instant your case is filed.
The automatic stay is not something you have to ask a judge for. It takes effect the moment your case is filed.
That pause covers the foreclosure sale itself, along with most collection calls, lawsuits, and wage garnishments. It generally remains in place until the case is closed or dismissed, or until you receive a discharge. For a family days away from losing their home, that breathing room is the whole point.
}>
The stay is powerful but not absolute. A lender can ask the court to lift it, for example, if your home has no equity and you are not keeping up payments. The law lets a creditor request relief from the stay "for cause, including the lack of adequate protection." That is exactly why what you do after filing matters so much.
Chapter 13: how you actually keep the house
Stopping the sale buys time. Keeping the home usually means filing a Chapter 13 case and proposing a repayment plan. Chapter 13 is built for precisely this situation. The Code lets your plan "provide for the curing of any default within a reasonable time and maintenance of payments" on a long-term debt like a mortgage. Translated: you spread the missed payments, the arrears, across the life of your three-to-five year plan while you resume your normal monthly payment going forward.
There is a hard deadline hiding in the statute, though. The right to cure a default on your primary home lasts only "until such residence is sold at a foreclosure sale." Once the gavel falls at the sale, that window generally closes. This is the single biggest reason not to wait: filing the day before a sale preserves your options; filing the day after usually does not.
What Chapter 13 will not do to your mortgage
One common misunderstanding: Chapter 13 does not let you rewrite the terms of the loan on your main home. The Code specifically excludes "a claim secured only by a security interest in real property that is the debtor's principal residence" from the kinds of secured debts a plan can modify. You can cure what you are behind on; you generally cannot cram down (or reduce) the balance or interest rate on your primary mortgage.
What to do if a sale date is set
If you have a foreclosure sale date, treat it as a countdown. The earlier you talk to an attorney, the more options remain on the table: curing arrears through Chapter 13, evaluating whether Chapter 7 makes more sense, and making sure the filing happens before, not after, the sale. Eastern Kentucky families do not have to navigate that timeline alone.
);
}
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 2, Which debts bankruptcy erases
============================================================ */
function ArticleDischarge({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Chapter 7', date: 'June 2026', read: '7 min read',
title: 'Which Debts Does Bankruptcy Actually Erase?',
standfirst: "Bankruptcy can wipe out a lot, but not everything. Here is a plain-language, statute-by-statute look at what a Chapter 7 discharge erases, what it leaves behind, and who qualifies in the first place."
};
const footnotes = [
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 727(a)', note: 'In a Chapter 7 case, "the court shall grant the debtor a discharge" unless one of the specific disqualifying conditions listed in the statute applies (for example, certain fraud, or a prior discharge within the look-back period).', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/727' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 727(b)', note: 'A Chapter 7 discharge "discharges the debtor from all debts that arose before the date of the order for relief," except as provided in § 523, the broad rule that erases most pre-filing debt.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/727' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 727(a)(8)', note: 'A debtor may not receive a Chapter 7 discharge if granted one in a case commenced within eight years before the date of filing the current petition.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/727' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(5)', note: 'A discharge does not discharge an individual debtor from any debt "for a domestic support obligation", i.e., most child support and alimony.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/523' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(8)', note: 'Student loans are excepted from discharge "unless excepting such debt from discharge under this paragraph would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor\u2019s dependents."', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/523' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(1)', note: 'Certain taxes, including recent income taxes of the kind specified in § 507(a)(8) and taxes for unfiled or fraudulent returns, are excepted from discharge.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/523' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 523(a)(2)', note: 'Debts for money, property, or credit obtained by "false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud" are excepted from discharge.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/523' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 707(b)(2)(A)(i)', note: 'The "means test": in a consumer case the court "shall presume abuse exists" if the debtor\u2019s current monthly income, reduced by specified allowed expenses and multiplied by 60, exceeds the statutory thresholds.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/707' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 707(b)(7)', note: 'No party may bring a means-test motion to dismiss if the debtor\u2019s annualized current monthly income is at or below the applicable state median family income, so below-median filers generally clear the means test.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/707' }];
return (
When people picture bankruptcy, they picture a clean slate. That image is mostly right. A Chapter 7 case can erase the great majority of ordinary consumer debt. But the law draws careful lines around what gets wiped out and what survives. Knowing those lines ahead of time is the difference between relief and an unwelcome surprise. Here is how the Bankruptcy Code actually sorts it out.
The starting point: a broad discharge
In a Chapter 7 case, the rule is generous by design. The statute directs that "the court shall grant the debtor a discharge" unless a specific disqualifying condition applies. And the discharge reaches far: it covers "all debts that arose before the date [you file bankruptcy]," subject to the exceptions Congress wrote into the law. That broad sweep is what eliminates the debts most families struggle with, credit cards, medical bills, personal loans, and the like.
The default is erasure. The law starts by discharging your pre-filing debts, then carves out specific categories that survive.
There is a timing limit on how often you can do this. You cannot file under Chapter 7 and receive a discharge if you already got a discharge in a Chapter 7 case filed within the previous eight years. For most people that is not an issue, but it is one of the first things an attorney will check. Keep in mind, even if you can't get a Chapter 7 discharge, that doesn't mean a bankruptcy discharge under a Chapter 13 bankruptcy isn't possible.
What bankruptcy does not usually erase
The exceptions to discharge are listed in Bankruptcy Code Section 523, and they reflect policy choices about debts society does not want erased. The ones that come up most often for Eastern Kentucky families:
Child support and alimony
Domestic support obligations are not dischargeable. The Code excepts any debt "for a domestic support obligation" from discharge. Bankruptcy will not erase back child support or alimony.
Most student loans
Student loans occupy their own category. They are excepted from discharge "unless excepting such debt from discharge . . . would impose an undue hardship on the debtor and the debtor's dependents." That undue-hardship standard is demanding and fact-specific, which is why most, though not all, student loans survive a bankruptcy. That said, if your student loan payment does impose an undue hardship, for an additional fee, we will open a separate proceeding inside your bankruptcy to request they be fully or partially discharged.
Recent taxes
Some tax debt can be discharged, but recent income taxes generally cannot. The Code excepts taxes "of the kind and for the periods specified" in the priority provisions, as well as taxes tied to unfiled or fraudulent returns. Whether a particular tax year qualifies turns on specific dates, so taxes are worth reviewing carefully with an attorney.
Debts from fraud
Finally, the law will not let someone discharge debts they ran up dishonestly. Money, property, or credit obtained through "false pretenses, a false representation, or actual fraud" is excepted from discharge. Honest people in genuine financial trouble have nothing to fear here; the provision targets deception.
}>
Quick summary: credit cards, medical bills, and personal loans usually go. Child support, alimony, most student loans (unless causing undue hardship), recent taxes, and fraudulent debts usually stay.
Do you even qualify for Chapter 7? The means test
Chapter 7 is not automatically available to everyone. Congress added a "means test" to steer higher-income filers toward Chapter 13. Under it, a court "shall presume abuse exists" if your current monthly income, after subtracting allowed expenses and multiplied out over five years, clears certain dollar thresholds. If the presumption of abuse arises and you cannot rebut it, your Chapter 7 case can be dismissed or converted.
The good news for many Kentucky households: there is a simpler gate at the front. If your annualized income is at or below the applicable state median, no one may even bring a means-test motion against you. In other words, below-median filers generally pass the means test without difficulty, which is one reason Chapter 7 fits so many families in this region.
The honest bottom line
Bankruptcy is a powerful, legitimate tool, but it is a precise one. The same statute that erases your credit card balance leaves your child support untouched, and a few specific dates can decide whether a tax bill goes or stays. None of that should scare you off; it just means the details deserve a careful look. A free consultation is the right place to map your specific debts against these rules and see what your fresh start would actually look like.
);
}
Object.assign(window, { ArticleForeclosure, ArticleDischarge });
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 3, Stopping wage garnishment
============================================================ */
function ArticleGarnishment({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Your rights', date: 'June 2026', read: '6 min read',
title: 'Can Bankruptcy Stop a Wage Garnishment in Kentucky?',
standfirst: "Watching a chunk of every paycheck disappear before it reaches you is one of the most demoralizing parts of debt. The good news: filing for bankruptcy can shut a wage garnishment off, and federal law limits how much can be taken even before you file."
};
const footnotes = [
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)', note: 'Filing a bankruptcy petition "operates as a stay, applicable to all entities," of acts to enforce a judgment against, or to collect a claim from, the debtor, which is what a wage garnishment is. This is the provision that stops the garnishment.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(2)', note: 'The stay specifically reaches "the enforcement, against the debtor or against property of the estate, of a judgment obtained before the commencement of the case", the legal mechanism behind most wage garnishments.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(2)', note: 'The stay continues until the earliest of the case being closed, the case being dismissed, or a discharge being granted or denied.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: 'Archer v. Macomb County Bank, 853 F.2d 497 (6th Cir. 1988)', note: 'Sixth Circuit decision (binding in Kentucky) arising from a bankruptcy court’s finding that a creditor was in contempt of the 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) automatic stay, with damages assessed for the willful violation, illustrating that a creditor who acts to collect in violation of the stay can be held to account.', url: 'https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/509591/david-archer-plaintiff-appellee-v-macomb-county-bank/' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(k)(1)', note: '"An individual injured by any willful violation of a stay provided by this section shall recover actual damages, including costs and attorneys\u2019 fees, and, in appropriate circumstances, may recover punitive damages." A creditor who keeps garnishing after being notified of your filing can be liable.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '15 U.S.C. § 1673(a)', note: 'Under the federal Consumer Credit Protection Act, the maximum part of an individual\u2019s aggregate disposable earnings for any workweek that may be garnished "may not exceed (1) 25 per centum of his disposable earnings for that week" (with a separate floor protecting low earners).', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1673' },
{ cite: '15 U.S.C. § 1674(a)', note: '"No employer may discharge any employee by reason of the fact that his earnings have been subjected to garnishment for any one indebtedness." You generally cannot be fired over a single garnishment.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/15/1674' }];
return (
If a creditor has a judgment against you, they can ask your employer to withhold money straight out of your paycheck. That is a wage garnishment. It is legal, it is automatic once it starts, and it can take a painful bite out of money you were counting on for rent and groceries. Two separate bodies of federal law shape what happens next: one limits how much can be taken, and the other can stop it entirely.
Filing bankruptcy stops the garnishment
The fastest way to turn off a garnishment is the bankruptcy automatic stay. The moment a petition is filed, federal law says it "operates as a stay, applicable to all entities," of efforts to collect a pre-existing debt from you. A wage garnishment is the enforcement of a court judgment, and the stay specifically halts "the enforcement, against the debtor or against property of the estate, of a judgment obtained before the commencement of the case." In plain terms: once you file, the garnishment has to stop.
The garnishment does not pause for a hearing or a negotiation. It stops by operation of federal law the moment your case is filed.
That protection generally lasts through your case. The stay continues until the case is closed or dismissed, or until a discharge is granted or denied. The Sixth Circuit, whose decisions are binding on Kentucky bankruptcy courts, has recognized that a creditor who willfully violates the automatic stay to collect a debt can be held in contempt and assessed damages. For a household living paycheck to paycheck, getting that full check back can be the difference between staying current on rent and falling behind.
}>
Creditors must respect the stay once they know about your filing. If a creditor willfully keeps garnishing after being notified, the law provides that an injured individual "shall recover actual damages, including costs and attorneys' fees," and in appropriate cases even punitive damages. Part of an attorney's job is making sure the garnishing creditor and your employer's payroll department get prompt notice.
Even before you file: federal limits on garnishment
Many people do not realize that federal law already caps how much of a paycheck a creditor can take. Under the Consumer Credit Protection Act, the amount of your weekly disposable earnings subject to garnishment "may not exceed (1) 25 per centum of his disposable earnings for that week," with a separate floor that shields the lowest earners. A creditor taking more than the law allows is over the line, and that is worth checking on its own.
You usually can't be fired over one garnishment
Another common fear is losing your job because your wages were garnished. Federal law addresses this directly: "No employer may discharge any employee by reason of the fact that his earnings have been subjected to garnishment for any one indebtedness." A single garnishment is not lawful grounds for termination.
If your wages are being garnished right now
Garnishment is one of the situations where moving quickly genuinely pays off: every pay period that passes is money out of your pocket. It is also possible that we may be able to recover money that was garnished from your paycheck in the 90-day period before you file your bankruptcy case. The first step is simply understanding your options: whether the amount being taken is even lawful, whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits your situation, and how fast a filing could stop the bleeding. That conversation is free, and it carries no obligation.
);
}
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 4, The automatic stay (cornerstone)
============================================================ */
function ArticleAutomaticStay({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Your rights', date: 'June 2026', read: '5 min read',
title: "The Automatic Stay: The Legal 'Pause Button' That Starts the Day You File",
standfirst: "The single most powerful thing that happens in a bankruptcy case happens immediately, before any hearing, before any plan. It is called the automatic stay, and it is the law that finally makes the phone stop ringing."
};
const footnotes = [
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)', note: 'The filing of a petition "operates as a stay, applicable to all entities," of a broad list of collection activities against the debtor and property of the estate.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(1)', note: 'The stay halts "the commencement or continuation" of a judicial or other action or proceeding against the debtor that was or could have been commenced before the case, i.e., most lawsuits and collection proceedings.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(a)(6)', note: 'The stay halts "any act to collect, assess, or recover a claim against the debtor that arose before the commencement of the case", the collection calls and demand letters.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(b)', note: 'The stay has carve-outs: among other things, it does not stop the establishment or collection of certain domestic support obligations, or the commencement or continuation of a criminal action against the debtor.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(c)(2)', note: 'The stay of acts other than against estate property continues until the earliest of the case being closed, dismissed, or a discharge being granted or denied.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(d)', note: 'On request of a creditor and after notice and a hearing, the court "shall grant relief from the stay" for cause, including a lack of adequate protection of the creditor\u2019s interest, so the stay can be lifted in specific circumstances.', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 362(k)(1)', note: '"An individual injured by any willful violation of a stay provided by this section shall recover actual damages, including costs and attorneys\u2019 fees, and, in appropriate circumstances, may recover punitive damages."', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/362' },
{ cite: 'Archer v. Macomb County Bank, 853 F.2d 497 (6th Cir. 1988)', note: 'Sixth Circuit decision (binding in Kentucky) reviewing a bankruptcy court’s finding that a creditor was in contempt of the 11 U.S.C. § 362(a) automatic stay and the assessment of damages for a willful violation, confirming that the stay is enforced through the courts’ contempt powers.', url: 'https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/509591/david-archer-plaintiff-appellee-v-macomb-county-bank/' }];
return (
People often picture bankruptcy as a long, slow process. Much of it is methodical, but its most important protection is instant. The moment your petition is filed, a federal law called the automatic stay springs into effect and freezes nearly all collection activity against you. No motion, no hearing, no waiting. Understanding what it does, how long it lasts, and where its limits are is the key to understanding why filing brings such immediate relief.
What the stay actually freezes
The statute is sweeping by design. Filing "operates as a stay, applicable to all entities," of a long list of collection efforts. Two parts of that list cover what most families are living through. The stay halts "the commencement or continuation" of lawsuits and proceedings against you that arose before your case. And it stops "any act to collect, assess, or recover a claim against the debtor" that predates the filing. That second clause is the one that finally silences the collection calls, the dunning letters, and the relentless demands for payment.
One filing reaches every creditor at once. The stay is "applicable to all entities", not the one creditor you negotiated with, but all of them.
Where the stay has limits
The stay is broad, but it is not infinite, and honest expectations matter. Congress wrote specific exceptions into the law. Among them, the stay generally does not stop the establishment of certain domestic support obligations, or the start or continuation of a criminal proceeding against the debtor. So bankruptcy is not a shield against a criminal case. It is aimed at the consumer debts that pile up and overwhelm.
}>
A creditor can also ask the court to lift the stay. The law provides that, on request and after notice and a hearing, the court "shall grant relief from the stay" for cause, for example, where a secured creditor's interest in property is not adequately protected. This is most common with a house or car you are behind on. While a Chapter 13 plan gives you an opportunity to catch up matters so much.
How long it lasts
The stay is not a temporary 72-hour pause; it is meant to pause collection efforts during your case. By statute, the stay of collection acts continues until the earliest of three events: your case is closed, your case is dismissed, or a discharge is granted or denied if you file under Chapter 7. In a typical Chapter 7, that protection carries you through to the discharge that wipes the debts out.
The stay has teeth
Crucially, the automatic stay is not a polite request. It is a federal law, and violating it has consequences. The Bankruptcy Code provides that an individual injured by a willful violation of the stay "shall recover actual damages, including costs and attorneys' fees, and, in appropriate circumstances, may recover punitive damages." The Sixth Circuit, whose decisions bind Kentucky bankruptcy courts, has enforced this through the courts’ contempt and damages powers, in a case where a creditor was found in contempt of Section 362(a) and damages were assessed for a willful violation. A creditor that keeps calling, keeps garnishing, or keeps a collection suit moving after learning of your filing is exposed to real liability. That is what gives the stay its bite, and why, for so many people, the filing date gives them their first full night of sleep in months.
);
}
Object.assign(window, { ArticleGarnishment, ArticleAutomaticStay });
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 5, What to bring to your free consultation (practical)
============================================================ */
function ArticleConsultPrep({ navigate }) {
const { Callout, Card } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Getting started', date: 'April 2026', read: '4 min read',
title: 'What to Bring to Your Free Consultation',
standfirst: "You do not need to bring anything at all to talk to us. There is no paperwork to gather and no homework to do first. It just helps to come with a rough idea of a few things, so here is what is worth thinking about beforehand."
};
const groups = [
{ icon: 'receipt', title: 'An idea of what you owe', blurb: 'A general sense of the kinds of debt weighing on you, such as credit cards, medical bills, or a loan you have fallen behind on. You do not need exact numbers or any statements; a ballpark is plenty.' },
{ icon: 'hand-coins', title: 'An idea of what you earn', blurb: 'Roughly what your household brings in each month, from work or any other source. This helps us talk through which options realistically fit your situation.' },
{ icon: 'home', title: 'An idea of what you own', blurb: 'The big things you would most want to protect, like your home or your vehicle. Just knowing what matters most to you is enough to start the conversation.' },
{ icon: 'sunrise', title: 'An idea of your goal', blurb: 'What you are hoping for, whether that is stopping a garnishment, saving your home, or simply getting a fresh start. Knowing your goal helps us point you the right way.' }];
return (
The hardest part of dealing with debt is usually the first step: picking up the phone. The consultation itself is meant to take pressure off, not add to it. There is no charge, no obligation, and no judgment, and there is nothing you need to prepare. The few things below are simply helpful to have in mind, not requirements.
Come exactly as you are. You do not need a single document to have a useful first conversation.
{groups.map((g) =>
{g.title}
{g.blurb}
)}
}>
Not sure about some of this? That is completely normal, and completely fine. Part of our job is helping you sort it all out, so do not let anything on this list hold you back from reaching out.
What to expect on the call
We will listen first. You tell us what is happening, whether that is a garnishment, a foreclosure notice, or simply debt that has become unmanageable, and we ask a few questions about your income and what you owe. From there we explain whether Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 fits your situation, what the process looks like, and what it costs. You leave the call with honest answers and clear next steps, whether or not you decide to move forward.
);
}
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 6, Rebuilding your credit after bankruptcy (practical)
============================================================ */
function ArticleRebuildCredit({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Credit', date: 'April 2026', read: '6 min read',
title: 'Rebuilding Your Credit After Bankruptcy',
standfirst: "Bankruptcy is a clean slate, not a dead end. For many people already behind on payments, credit was already suffering. Here is a practical, realistic path to rebuilding it in the months after your discharge."
};
return (
One of the most common fears we hear is that filing bankruptcy will ruin your credit forever. It will not. A discharge wipes out the debts that were dragging your score down and stops the cycle of missed payments and collection activity. That is the foundation a rebuild is built on, and for many people, the climb back starts faster than they expect.
You are not starting from zero. You are starting from a clean slate, which is a very different thing.
Every client of our office receives access to a free credit rebuild program designed to help you raise your score after your case is over. The general roadmap below is what that effort tends to look like.
How to rebuild, gently and deliberately
Consider a secured credit card
A secured card is backed by a small deposit you put down, which makes it easy to qualify for after bankruptcy. Used carefully, it is one of the most effective rebuilding tools there is. Charge one small, recurring expense to it and pay it off in full every month.
Keep your utilization low
The portion of your available credit that you actually use matters a great deal. Keeping balances well below your limit, and paying on time every single month, sends the strongest possible signal that you are a reliable borrower again.
Be patient with new credit
Resist the flood of offers that often arrive after a discharge, many carry high fees and high interest. A single, well-managed account does far more for your score than several poorly chosen ones.
}>
Many people are surprised to find they qualify for reasonable financing, including a car loan or even a mortgage, within a couple of years of discharge, provided they have rebuilt steadily and on time.
The habits that carry you forward
Rebuilding credit is less about tricks and more about consistency: pay on time, keep balances low, check your reports, and avoid taking on debt you do not need. The fresh start that bankruptcy provides is most powerful when paired with these steady habits. That is exactly what our free credit rebuild program is built to support, and it is the same plain-spoken, walk-with-you approach we bring to every part of your case.
);
}
/* ============================================================
ARTICLE 7, Will I lose my property? Federal exemptions (cited)
============================================================ */
function ArticleExemptions({ navigate }) {
const { Callout } = AB;
const meta = {
tag: 'Exemptions', date: 'March 2026', read: '2 min read',
title: 'Will I Lose My Property? Federal Exemptions Explained',
standfirst: "The single most common fear about bankruptcy is losing everything you own. In reality, the law is built to let honest people keep the essentials. Here is how exemptions protect your home, car, and belongings in Kentucky."
};
const footnotes = [
{ cite: '11 U.S.C. § 522(c)', note: 'With limited exceptions (such as certain taxes and domestic-support obligations), property exempted under this section "is not liable during or after the case for any debt of the debtor that arose . . . before the commencement of the case."', url: 'https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/11/522' }];
return (
When people imagine bankruptcy, they often picture the bank backing a truck up to the house and hauling everything away. That image is almost the opposite of how the law actually works. Bankruptcy is designed to give honest people a fresh start, and a fresh start is not much use if you lose your home, your car, and the tools you need to earn a living. That is what exemptions are for: they shield essential property from creditors.
What an exemption actually does
An exemption is a category of property the law lets you protect, up to a set dollar value. Property you properly claim as exempt is, with narrow exceptions, "not liable during or after the case for any debt of the debtor that arose . . . before the commencement of the case." In plain terms: exempt property is yours to keep. In the great majority of consumer Chapter 7 cases, everything the filer owns fits within the available exemptions, and they lose nothing.
Most Chapter 7 filers keep their home, their car, and their belongings. Losing property is the exception, not the rule.
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Exemptions are powerful but technical, and a misstep can put property at risk. This is one of the clearest reasons to have a local attorney map your specific assets against both systems before you file.
The honest bottom line
For the overwhelming majority of the families we help, the answer to "will I lose my property?" is no. The law is written to protect the essentials so you can actually get the fresh start bankruptcy promises. The way to know exactly where you stand is to sit down and match your property against the exemptions, and that review is part of your free consultation.