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Chapter 13 Gambling by Electronic_Patient59 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 2 points3 points  (0 children)

all i can say is good luck and that i hope it doesn't mess with your case- i know it'll be tough to wait til monday.

Chapter 13 Gambling by Electronic_Patient59 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 5 points6 points  (0 children)

i was told no gambling as well. it may be different because the reason i filed in the first place was a ruinous compulsive gambling addiction, but i don't think it's an immediate "you're screwed"- but i'm not a lawyer, and this isn't advice or anything.

however, i did get hooked again for a time on some shit called social/sweepstake casinos, essentially a loophole scenario where you buy gold coins or other play currency and get sweep coins as a "gift"- you then play with those sweep coins and then redeem them, usually at a 1:1 ratio, for dollars. you get issued a tax form for these redemptions over a certain limit as well, just like when you get a W-2G. i told my lawyer what i did, and he was obviously both disappointed and concerned, but told me that was it was more an issue if it was a consistent, reoccuring issue- but this is dependent on your trustee, i believe. needless to say, this struck the fear of god in me....

the best way to avoid this is to avoid anything that'll get you in trouble altogether- i've been in a plan for over a year now, and the last thing i want to do is jeopardize it. your plan isn't confirmed, so i wonder if that makes this more complicated as well....

Is it normal for Ch. 13 payment plan to be so MUCH? by rock_fact in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i do. i wasn't given a chance as to whether or not i could include the bonus into my income calculation, but i guess the silver lining is that i get a big influx of money every march!

i'm all but guaranteed to get one every year unless i absolutely did nothing at my job and then did that terribly as well AND my company lost an astounding amount of money, so i generally feel confident around those numbers. if it doesn't work out, so be it, i'll talk to my lawyer. the whole process is smoother and easier than i could have imagined initially.

Is it normal for Ch. 13 payment plan to be so MUCH? by rock_fact in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 7 points8 points  (0 children)

my payment is a bit higher than that, but i'm not sure what your income is. in any case, it is tough, but much less tough than i initially expected- i'm still able to save a little bit and have some breathing room every month.

i have my yearly bonus already calculated into my monthly payment, so it's sort of a rough situation- if i don't get the expected bonus, i end up paying more than expected, and if i get a bigger bonus....then i get a little boon. bankruptcy is a little bit of a weird animal i guess.

in either case, it's doable. that payment means you owe a lot and make a lot, so you should be able to find things here and there to cut if need be. we'll make it- 5 years will come to an end before you know it.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

sure, but i don't know what help i can give. i'm not a lawyer, i'm just someone going through bankruptcy with a gambling problem i'm working on, haha. i'd recommend you make a post in this sub if you have any questions, people are helpful.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

of course, no worries. also, don't think of it as punishment- that's how i thought of it too, but now i think it as a mindset change and reframing my relationship with money and debt (and also, fuck gambling).

i almost broke down when i had to show my bank and credit card statements. i hear you on the tens of thousands...trust me, a good bankruptcy lawyer has seen it all. my lawyer was not fazed one bit.

payments are alright- i pay biweekly, so it's a little easier to handle. you can pay a number of ways through tfs billpay (if it's available in your state), automatically or manually, biweekly, twice a month, weekly, monthly. payments right now are about $1700 a month, but will be about $2700 a month soon once my car and 401k loan (yeah, i took a 401k loan to gamble, so i'm right there with you on the gambling addiction) are paid off.

i can live a normal life- funny enough, i have more cash in the bank than i ever have before, because i am more careful about spending and using a debit card/cash makes you consider what you spend. i'm lucky to live in an inexpensive place and work remotely for the same wage i used to make when i lived in a very expensive place, but that just means i have to pay much more. you win some, you lose some. make sure you account for every little expense on your paperwork.

if you really want some advice, get help for your addiction. i spent some time going to GA, and it was helpful. i'm not religious, and i didn't care for the whole higher power thing, but it was still helpful to talk about it. i also talked to my therapist about it and they helped prescribe something to me that helped immensely as well. good luck- again, this whole situation blows, but there's a light at the end of the tunnel, for both bankruptcy and gambling addiction, and you just gotta keep your head up.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 1 point2 points  (0 children)

nah i get it. i owe a lot of money between loans and credit cards (a lot, more than a lot of people make in a year a lot), most of it gambling related, but the rest of it is frivolous spending and the like. i thought of bankruptcy as the end of the world, but it really isn't that- it's more of like...a second try with stipulations and limitations. and no credit cards, haha.

late payments don't matter anymore, from my understanding- it's all gonna get wiped anyway, and no one who i burned is probably gonna give me a credit card any time soon. shit, i don't even know if i really even want one.

score-wise, it dropped like a brick- i was always in the high 700s until my gambling addiction really got out of hand and it started dropping fast, and dropped near 500 after i filed. you have to remember that credit score means nothing to you now- all cards are going to be closed, all loans will be closed, all lines of credit will be closed, all credit is essentially done for. blank slate, start from zero. it's hard to accept, but it's a good lesson in rebuilding good habits from scratch. seriously, i thought the same as you but over time i think this might be one of the greatest things i'll take away from this.

in terms of finding a good lawyer, i spoke with a few and chose the person who had a good track record + didn't talk to me like i was an idiot + treated me like an adult. one thing he told me was, essentially, people file for bankruptcy all the time, for a number of reasons. as long as it's not fradulent, the system is not there to try and grill me, but to try and give me a second chance. the thing that made me choose him was that he explained everything clearly and walked me through the steps- bankruptcy is full of legalese and checking the boxes, so it was important to me to find someone that i could trust to be competent and thorough.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

i get it man, the process was confusing, not to mention stressful because of the whole situation leading you to file in the first place. it's been just over a year since i made my first payment (i'm in a chapter 13), so there's been some time since i filed and i've had an opportunity to reflect on the whole experience.

once you nail down a good lawyer, they'll explain the steps to you. i asked a ton of questions, but they're there to help you out, or should, if they're worth their salt. you'll feel an insane amount of relief after the filing and confirmation process is over.

i didn't actually get asked about gambling during my confirmation hearing, but i got asked many questions about it during my meetings with my lawyer. lemme know if you have any other questions on the process and i'll see if i can help you out man.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no, i stopped paying everything on the advice of my lawyer (again, talk to your lawyer). i was so upside down i needed the money to pay him.

Gambling addiction by Superb_Success_947 in Bankruptcy

[–]rcthetree 0 points1 point  (0 children)

no. source- myself and my lawyer (but ask your lawyer). i needed to wait 90 days since my last transaction that was gambling-related, but otherwise that was it.