Without question, one thing on people’s minds who are married and have debt problems is the fear that bankruptcy may lead to divorce. With almost twenty five years of experience as an
Indiana bankruptcy attorney, I can put those fears to rest.
Mostly, I’ve found, filing bankruptcy works exactly the opposite way. Remember, filing bankruptcy is not the problem – it’s the stress over not being able to pay bills that’s the problem. Unpaid bills add up, with the biggest thing they add up to being stress in the marriage.
Bankruptcy, above all, is designed to stop stress. Bankruptcy buys time. Bankruptcy organizes the financial situation and turns it into a plan. A plan, by definition, lowers the stress level of the people making and working the plan, and that can be especially true when a married couple works as a team to get back on their feet.
This may sound corny and “Rah, rah!”, but let me tell you. I’ve seen this work over and over again with married couples. The decision to file bankruptcy is their first step to a new beginning in the relationship. With the biggest burden unloaded – the burden of indecision – couples can work on bringing back the love and caring. The two can now move forward with their lives, away from blaming and from regrets. In my experience, this almost always works to the good of the marriage.
When couples are honest with themselves (as well as with their attorney) and work together on their financial issues – things get better, not worse. Honest!
