American Express Travelers Checks?

[PaKettle]

I have not filed yet but plan to file within the next month. I quit paying my accounts 2 months ago.

Yesterday I found about $1000 in AmEx Travelers Cheques that I had taken out of a cash advance from some credit card (not American Express card) probably about 6 months ago and we didn't use them on the trip so I stuck them in a shoe box with other travelers' supplies and forgot I had them.

Can I use this cash (it is CASH, for all practical purposes) to pay my attorney for the bankruptcy? Would American Express have any way of tracing it to see that I just paid my attorney with this money, and if so, is there anything wrong with that? If I keep it I would have to claim it as cash on hand and that wouldn't be good, I'm sure, so it seems to me that using to pay the attorney is the best way to use it.

I suppose if I had known I had this, I could have made payments on my accounts for another month or so, but that really wouldn't have prevented me from filing bankruptcy.

Is this a stupid question? I am just nervous about not doing anything that might be perceived as "wrong" or "abuse". I honestly just found these cheques and did not know I had them, or I no doubt would have used them to pay a few extra bills before I quit paying the bills...

I can pay my attorney with this, right?

[PaKettle]

Is this a dumb question? Sorry, if it is, but I really would like some feedback on this. I guess my question stems from the fact that I just "found" this money that I didn't know I had until now, it is traceable, theoretically and I'm not sure how to deal with it. I just don't want to do anything inappropriate or give the appearance that I was hiding money. (But I WAS hiding it, in a sense, from myself, which is why I just found it!)

[CindyLou]

It is no different than if you had 1000 dollars socked away under you mattress. You can pay your attorney with any money that you have to your name and there is would be no questions asked!!

[demismom]

I'm not sure, this Cash Advance is past the 70/90 day rule, no? I would think it'd be safe and you HAVE been paying the cc bill until now right? I don't see any issues, but I'm not sure, sorry.

[PaKettle]

It is no different than if you had 1000 dollars socked away under you mattress. You can pay your attorney with any money that you have to your name and there is would be no questions asked!!

Thanks. I was pretty sure that was the case, but wanted some reassurance, since it is traceable money. I suppose a case could be made that I put it away purposely to hold onto, to pay the attorney, but that was not the case, though it would be hard to prove one way or the other. In any case, I still need another grand to pay off the attorney before he will file! But this will at least help us retain him, and help stop some of the phone calls.

[Boscoe]

Pa Kettle - give your attorney a retainer and then forward all calls to your attorney's phone. That is the way most people do it. Also, use your answering machine to screen ALL calls from now until you file, and only pick up when it is someone you want to speak to.

After you file, the calls will soon stop - they must stop calling by law.

[PaKettle]

Pa Kettle - give your attorney a retainer and then forward all calls to your attorney's phone. That is the way most people do it. Also, use your answering machine to screen ALL calls from now until you file, and only pick up when it is someone you want to speak to.

After you file, the calls will soon stop - they must stop calling by law.

Does the Trustee ever ask you where you got the money to hire your attorney when you file? Seems like they might since attorneys are so expensive, and if you are supposedly bankrupt, where did you get the money??? Just seems like a logical question they might ask...

I wonder how most people Do get the money? We are having trouble coming up with it and it may delay the time of our filling a month or so past when we would ideally LIKE to file, just because we can't seem to come up with the money. Right now we are having trouble just buying necessities and paying the car payment. I expect we can and will - hopefully! - improve our income situation after we file, but until we file it is tough!