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One year post discharge - update on my rebuilding progress - 700 FICO, 50K limits

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    One year post discharge - update on my rebuilding progress - 700 FICO, 50K limits

    It has been right at a year since my chapter 7 was discharged. The cause of my financial distress were multifactorial but, at its root, it was due to eating my credit card hamburger today without planning for Tuesday. I had/have a good income, but I mismanaged it horrifically.

    I started off my post-discharge with a leg up. Two credit cards survived BK. They were both at different credit unions and I did not burn either CU for even one red cent. Both CUs were notified as there were on my matrix, but both neglected to close or chose not to close them.

    Immediately after discharge, I got reams of car loan offers at usurious rates. These went into the burn pile. I stay-and-paid on my house and my car. I also got some ridiculous credit card offers. No one should ever pay $175 a year for a rebuilder card. Poor decisions like that are why many of us got into financial distress. Any fees you would be paying would be far, far better spent on a secured credit card. Which is what I did. I opened up two $500 secured cards, both with prime lenders. Post-BK, your credit report is likely to go under manual review for any application. Seeing CreditOne and other terrible cards on your post-BK profile is a red flag that you still make bad decisions. Seeing, for example, Discover on your profile means a solid lender has deemed you worthy. It makes a difference. Both of my secured cards were for $500 and both do not report as the secured cards they are.

    I also opened up Capital One using the card pre-qualifier. They pre-qualified me for an annual fee card, but annual fee cards are terrible so I applied instead for a non-AF card and was approved. It was only $1000, but it was an approval. Months later, I applied for another card and got a limit a few thousand higher. About 10 months post-discharge, I applied for the Quicksilver (best CapOne card IMHO) and was approved for $10,000. I think Capital One is fantastic for people fresh out of BK .

    Where do I stand today, at one year post discharge? I have several credit cards with several lenders. My total limits are over $50K. I have charged up thousands over the last year and earned decent cashback on that. I have never paid even a cent of interest because I pay in full. My FICO scores are around 700 depending on which report is pulled.

    The good: I can charge my normal expenses and not worry about debit card fraud and also get good cashback.
    The bad: Sometimes I daydream of whipping out the plastic and flying to Switzerland for a 2 month vacation that I can't afford. Old habits die hard. For this, I keep a box of my old credit card statements. It's depressing to look through but if I ever think of buying something I don't have money for in the bank today and already set aside, I need only read my last statement owning over 30K on just one card. :/ Nope, never again.

    Should everyone try to rebuild as quickly as I did? No. It can be argued that I shouldn't have either, considering the credit card problems I created for myself in the past. I disagree, but one never knows.

    Tips if you want to rebuild:

    1. Throw away those awful car loan offers and those hideous credit card offers. Never, ever pay an annual fee, a setup fee, or really any fee. Any lender that would look good on a manual review will offer cards that don't have those sorts of things.
    2. Open up a secured card ASAP with a solid lender. Don't apply willy-nilly - do your research. Some lenders, such as Wells Fargo, won't let you open up a secured credit card even if you have a million dollars in cash in your hands that you are trying to give them. They are simply not interested. Use prime lenders who are known to be BK-friendly. A credit union is excellent for this.
    3. PAY IN FULL. Always, every time. You should not charge something you don't have money for TODAY. It's great that you get paid on Friday but it's also irrelevant. You either have it in the bank today and set aside for this purchase or you don't.
    4. Look at how many people file BK a second time. Statistically, that could be you or me. How do you think that happens? More often than not, I bet it's due to violating number 3. Don't carry a balance.
    5. Income matters. Improve yours if possible. There's no way I'd have 50K+ in credit limits at 1 year unless my income supported it.
    6. Age matters. The 15K credit card I was approved for would have been declined in a heartbeat if I had gone for that in the beginning. I had to make baby steps and show that I could be trusted to not make bad decisions such as carrying a balance.
    7. Build an emergency savings fund. I can't tell you how much to set aside or how to work it into your budget, but prioritize it. You car will break down. It is inevitable. Also, your kid (or you) will break a leg or need to see a doctor. A plumber will be needed for an emergency. These or similar things will happen to you and they will be unscheduled. If you have no emergency fund, you are guaranteeing yourself to go into debt for things that are going to happen whether you like it or not. That means overdraft fees, borrowing money from family, using payday loans, carrying a balance on a credit card, or who knows what else but it means impoverishing yourself by plan. Plan for something else.

    One thing I've noticed on here is people saying, "I don't rebuild because I am living only on cash." Then you find a post from them a year or two later saying, "We decided to buy a house and our scores are still 400. We barely got approved and we're going to be paying hundred more in interest every month." I'm considering selling my house and moving to a new area in a few years. It may not happen, but if it does then I'll be very glad I rebuilt to the extent I have and, presumably, even more by that later date. Even 1% APR extra because of bad credit will cost you a small fortune. Consider a $150,000 mortgage at 30 years. The difference between 5% and 6% APR is $33,874. That's only one percent interest difference and bad credit can easily cost you more than just 1%.
    Chapter 7, above median, no asset. Discharged with no UST involvement.

    #2
    Great post

    I am proud of myself we got a Barclays 0% credit card interest for a year we charged on it and also put money away to earn the little interest we got and a few weeks before the offer was up paid it all off. We did make payments more than what was asked for so it was not much to pay off. Don't know if that was the right thing to do but I was so glad that we had the will power to keep the money in savings just for that purpose. Pam

    Comment


      #3
      Great posts. Unfortunately couldn't pay new cards off in full and I've built cc balances of about $9000 4 years post-discharge. But that is still about 1/10 of the cc debt I had before bk. So I'm making progress especially now with this new 60k HELOC I hope to close in a few weeks.

      Comment


        #4
        I don't rebuild because I am living only on cash." Then you find a post from them a year or two later saying, "We decided to buy a house and our scores are still 400. We barely got approved and we're going to be paying hundred more in interest every month."

        Hi, so happy to see that you are doing well. I quoted this portion of your post because as I have been around for a while here and have never seen anyone refer to the situation you described here. Most of the people you hear of tell stories of being stress free and very happy to be in a cash situation. There are many more stories of people that did not learn to live on cash, ran up all those cards again (good intentions and convinced themselves they would pay off every month) and found themselves with a second bankruptcy in their future or not being able to do anything because too early to file again.

        It really is not that hard to get credit for a car or house or anything else after bankruptcy, there are people doing it every day. The lesson is about living below your means. The thing is you may be able to pay off your cards every month now until you are suddenly laid off or something medical happens you are right back in the same boat you were in before filing. Life happens and the timing is not always the best and part of having that second chance is doing it different this time (obviously what you did the first time around didn't work). If you feel that you need to "rebuild" your credit and that is important to you for whatever justification you come up with (house, car, points (really???)) then keep at it until you reach that milestone score you are striving for. Just be aware of old patterns and old justifications, a very easy habit to fall into. Good Luck!

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by ben1381 View Post
          Great posts. Unfortunately couldn't pay new cards off in full and I've built cc balances of about $9000 4 years post-discharge. But that is still about 1/10 of the cc debt I had before bk. So I'm making progress especially now with this new 60k HELOC I hope to close in a few weeks.
          And here is an excellent example of what Drazil65 is warning about.

          ben1381, I don't know how you can say you are making progress. Since your discharge, you are averaging $187.50 per month in credit card debt. And your solution is to borrow against your home? How about looking at your budget and figuring out how to start living within your means while getting the $9,000 paid down asap without incurring more debt? That would be progress.
          LadyInTheRed is in the black!
          Filed Chap 13 April 2010. Discharged May 2015.
          $143,000 in debt discharged for $36,500, including attorneys fees. Money well spent!

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by LadyInTheRed View Post
            And here is an excellent example of what Drazil65 is warning about.

            ben1381, I don't know how you can say you are making progress. Since your discharge, you are averaging $187.50 per month in credit card debt. And your solution is to borrow against your home? How about looking at your budget and figuring out how to start living within your means while getting the $9,000 paid down asap without incurring more debt? That would be progress.
            I have to agree with LadyinRed on this. Looking at your debt as "at least it isn't as bad as it was before" is not an ideal way to look at things. You will end up even in more debt!! We all had to attend the credit counseling class for our bankruptcy, I took mine very seriously and to heart. I am a "never again..." person, and being in a sinking mound of debt is my top NEVER AGAIN.

            I love updates, and I especially love this one. Txskyblue, you have mentioned everything that I feel is right that one should do following BK.

            Build that emergency fund!!! Do not be one of those people who say "I have this credit card for emergencies..." because that emergency WILL happen, and how are you going to pay it off? I know life has a way of knocking us off our feet, but relying on a credit card for emergencies and not building a savings is dangerous. Even three months savings is better than no months. Savings and investments should be top priority for those fresh out of BK (and without debt). And, btw... be wise with what you consider an emergency. Your spare bedroom tv going on the fritz is not what one should consider an emergency. ;)

            PAY IN FULL!!! Paying in full is essential. Old habits and mindsets die hard, and if you think you are prone to carrying a balance than I would stay away from credit card altogether.

            Living below your means and breaking the paycheck to paycheck cycle is a must, imo. Yeah, I splurged. I bought YNAB. It was on sale at Steam for $20, but I decided to get it, and I credit it for helping me break the paycheck to paycheck lifestyle. It has helped to give me a totally new approach to money. My husband and I have turned into what I think of as "moderately" frugal people. We cut down on eating out, he bikes to work now, and we cut expenses around insurance, cellphones, cable, etc. Currently we put away 30% into savings, our goal is to increase that to 42%. He is 3 years away from his PhD, when he graduates we are hoping to increase that % even more.... which, btw, since he is in a STEM field the school has paid for his Masters, and he now works for a contractor that pays his tuition for the duration of his PhD. So no student debt for him, thank God.

            Remember where you came from... I remember that pit of the constant phone calls, the creditors harrassing me, the weight of not being able to pay my bills, the anxiety of the 341 hearing... I don't ever want to be in that position ever again so I do what I can to avoid it.

            My BK just had a birthday and is 4 years old now. I have been approved for many credit cards for decent limits. The recent Discover approval I got was my lowest limit in a while. My score is just breaking 700, I think it would be higher had I started the credit rebuilding sooner, but ahh well. The BK was an eye opening experience... I wish I didn't have to go through it to get where I am today, but I am a better person having come out of it.

            PS: Funny enough, my husband and I are going to Switzerland in the next two weeks. It took a LONG time to save, and really cutting cost. We used a travel card for every last expense we had, and used the rewards to help pay for our trip; we ended up taking about $1200 off our trip through rewards. It sucks seeing that money leave my bank account, but that is what we saved for, and in the end I am happy about saving for it all rather than putting it on credit and still paying for it years down the road.
            Last edited by iswmle; 08-26-2014, 07:00 PM.
            Filed No Asset Chp 7 BK: January 2010
            Discharged: August 2010
            A life lesson well learned.

            Comment


              #7
              I agree with LITR as well. 9K in revolving debt is bad. It doesn't matter that is was 90K before BK. It was $0 after BK! And now it's 9K. He's charging things he doesn't have money for right now and he's carrying a balance. If you want to avoid a second BK, those are two things you should never do. And I also think the HELOC idea is bad. Every person is different and I cannot know what he'll do, but many people pay off their cards with a HELOC and then charge up the cards again. Think you won't do it? Your cards were at $0 and now they're 9K. What's different now? Well except that you now owe monthly payments on a HELOC so you're financial bottom line is worse than it was immediately after BK. I wish him the best but I do not think he has thought out his actions as well as he could.

              Originally posted by iswmle View Post
              I have to agree with LadyinRed on this. Looking at your debt as "at least it isn't as bad as it was before" is not an ideal way to look at things. You will end up even in more debt!! We all had to attend the credit counseling class for our bankruptcy, I took mine very seriously and to heart. I am a "never again..." person, and being in a sinking mound of debt is my top NEVER AGAIN.

              PS: Funny enough, my husband and I are going to Switzerland in the next two weeks. It took a LONG time to save, and really cutting cost. We used a travel card for every last expense we had, and used the rewards to help pay for our trip; we ended up taking about $1200 off our trip through rewards. It sucks seeing that money leave my bank account, but that is what we saved for, and in the end I am happy about saving for it all rather than putting it on credit and still paying for it years down the road.
              Can I come along? One of these days I'll get to go but it's not today. Enjoy your trip!
              Chapter 7, above median, no asset. Discharged with no UST involvement.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Drazil65 View Post
                The thing is you may be able to pay off your cards every month now until you are suddenly laid off or something medical happens you are right back in the same boat you were in before filing. Life happens and the timing is not always the best and part of having that second chance is doing it different this time (obviously what you did the first time around didn't work). If you feel that you need to "rebuild" your credit and that is important to you for whatever justification you come up with (house, car, points (really???)) then keep at it until you reach that milestone score you are striving for. Just be aware of old patterns and old justifications, a very easy habit to fall into. Good Luck!
                I agree with the sentiment of your post but not all the points. Emergencies happen, which is why I have an emergency fund. How does having credit cards change whether an emergency will occur?

                You are somewhat dismissive of credit card rewards. My CapOne pays 1.5% of all purchases. I have monthly expenses (electricity, groceries) that I will pay whether I am living on cash or charging then paying in full. 1.5% in free money isn't bad. Also, I'm in school. I'll probably charge abour 25K over the next couple years. That's $375 in cashback. It's not like hitting the lottery but I know few people who would turn down a free $375. The issue comes when people charge things they do not have the money in the bank for and then carry a balance. 1.5% is nothing when you are paying 10 - 20% APR on a credit card balance. Unfortunately, many people do this and that is how credit card companies make money.

                You are spot on about old patterns and old justifications and the point is well taken. I am not special or somehow immune. I know that if I charge things I don't have cash in the bank for, then I can easily end up bankrupt again.
                Chapter 7, above median, no asset. Discharged with no UST involvement.

                Comment


                  #9
                  I wish life and relationships were so simple! I got to keep my wife happy and that required that I get a second car. I'm moving non-tax deductible debt to deductible debt especially because the kids are grown up and I've lost the exemptions.I also have a defined benefit pension plan that will pay me at least 4-5k monthly after retirement plus social security-a fairly rare commodity these days!. And I am retirement eligible (age 56) but continuing to work because of our spending. As long as I can pay my bills pretty much on time I am ok with what I am doing. And right now I do NOT think I am heading towards a second bankruptcy!

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by TXskyblue View Post
                    I agree with the sentiment of your post but not all the points. Emergencies happen, which is why I have an emergency fund. How does having credit cards change whether an emergency will occur?

                    You are somewhat dismissive of credit card rewards. My CapOne pays 1.5% of all purchases. I have monthly expenses (electricity, groceries) that I will pay whether I am living on cash or charging then paying in full. 1.5% in free money isn't bad. Also, I'm in school. I'll probably charge abour 25K over the next couple years. That's $375 in cashback. It's not like hitting the lottery but I know few people who would turn down a free $375. The issue comes when people charge things they do not have the money in the bank for and then carry a balance. 1.5% is nothing when you are paying 10 - 20% APR on a credit card balance. Unfortunately, many people do this and that is how credit card companies make money.

                    You are spot on about old patterns and old justifications and the point is well taken. I am not special or somehow immune. I know that if I charge things I don't have cash in the bank for, then I can easily end up bankrupt again.
                    QFT.

                    I am not one to knock rewards. They can be AMAZING BUUUUT someone has to carefully manage credit or it is not worth it. IMO even a dime of interest is enough to negate the rewards. I can use my debit card to purchase gas or I can use my a credit card that gives me 2-5% cashback on said gas. As long as the card is being PIF each month I think the latter is the best option.

                    With that being said I think some people are rewards crazy. I do not ever want to spend my time juggling 17 different credit cards just because this one gives me 5% back on gas, this one is 3% back at drugstores, this is 2% across the board... Too much work!

                    Right now I use the Amazon Chase card and my husband uses USAA Amex. We use PNC Cashbuilder to pay our monthly bills. Last year I got $76 back from PNC alone. None of these offer the greatest of rewards, but they have them nonetheless, so it's all good to me.

                    I think the downfall mentality people have with credit cards are they have, therefore they must spend. People are also quicker to justify purchases because this card has 0% interest for 12 months, so why not get the tv? My husband says that he thinks of credit cards as "The bank is loaning me this money to buy $50 in groceries. I will be paying the bank back $50 at the end of the month". So if he sees something that he wants he asks himself Is it in our budget? as opposed to Do I have the room on my credit card?

                    Be in charge of your credit card, rather than your credit card being in charge of you. ;)
                    Last edited by iswmle; 08-27-2014, 02:46 PM.
                    Filed No Asset Chp 7 BK: January 2010
                    Discharged: August 2010
                    A life lesson well learned.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      And right now I do NOT think I am heading towards a second bankruptcy!

                      Interesting...Did you think you were heading for the first one? Just sayin...

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Drazil65 View Post
                        And right now I do NOT think I am heading towards a second bankruptcy!

                        Interesting...Did you think you were heading for the first one? Just sayin...
                        Yes had OVER 100k in credit card debt and paying private school tuition(yeshivas) No longer doing that and 9K in credit card debit and 16K car loan transferring to maximum of 60K Heloc and I'm half way through the period of time when I could but not expect to file BK again.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          I am somewhat starting the path ben1381 has gone through. I'm going to openly admit that I just recently started carrying a balance on my rewards CC! I ran the numbers (I love finances... but the DW hates it), and I've decided the rewards do NOT outweigh the risk of carrying a balance! And what I did just this past week, I put my CC through the shredder in front of my wife. She was somewhat surprised that I did that.

                          I think on this forum (and related type forums), we hear all the "success" stories.. but most people are not usually open to posting their "falling back into old habits" stories. I'm just glad I'm catching myself before I go down "that path" again. Even if you do not go into a 2nd BK, you are just kidding yourself and going into that area where you feed your hard earned money as interest back to the credit card companies.... AGAIN!

                          Shred those cards and pay off those balances.
                          Retained Lawyer: 04/2009 Filed: 09/2009 341 Meeting: 10/2009 Discharged: 12/2009 Asset: 05/2010 made asset Closed: 07/2013 after 47 long months

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I think on this forum (and related type forums), we hear all the "success" stories.. but most people are not usually open to posting their "falling back into old habits" stories. I'm just glad I'm catching myself before I go down "that path" again. Even if you do not go into a 2nd BK, you are just kidding yourself and going into that area where you feed your hard earned money as interest back to the credit card companies.... AGAIN

                            Congrats on standing up and admitting what we all know deep down, its just a matter of time before old habits creep back in...you can always find justification for any action and convince yourself that you are different now. Truth is, once you been down that road your wheels just seem to slide back there before you know it, better not to travel that path.

                            You can do it without credit, there is no such thing as the American dream (a tag line created by the banks to make you feel worthless if you did not do their way), your dream is what you make it and not defined by others standards. Its more like a nightmare most of the time...

                            I applaud you and appreciate your honesty. Financial freedom is the best thing you can give your family and I would call that an American dream! Good luck and stay off that road!!!!

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Drazil, I think you over generalize based on your own perceived short comings. Everyone is different, and while we all have the potential to fall back into debt it does not mean it will automatically and eventually happen based on past experiences. A change in lifestyle is key.
                              Filed No Asset Chp 7 BK: January 2010
                              Discharged: August 2010
                              A life lesson well learned.

                              Comment

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