There is no better time to take a good look at the “big picture” of your financial life than when you are facing a debt crisis. You are going to be unearthing all your important documents anyway to prepare your bankruptcy schedules, so to not look at all that information from a wider perspective than just debt relief would be to miss a great opportunity. A “fresh start” that comes from the debt relief may not be sufficient. You may need to plan a path forward to prosperity as well.
I earned my Certificate in Personal Financial Planning from the University of California, Irvine by attending classes there at night from 2001 through 2003. Additionally, I’ve been a member of the Orange County Financial Planning Association after I completed my formal education. As I’m going through your financial affairs I am also looking through the wide angle lens of a financial planner instead of just the narrower focus of resolving your debt crisis as your bankruptcy attorney.
That being said, I only practice bankruptcy law. I do not practice financial planning as a discipline in the same way I do bankruptcy law. Staying up to speed with the latest in bankruptcy law, honing my skill set and staying in the bankruptcy problem solving mindset is really more than a full time job. My financial planning mindset is only to discover issues, point them out and get you to take the next step in addressing those issues. I do not, however, monitor or help you execute them as your financial planner would. On the other hand, you will be getting a lot of financial planning advice as we prepare your bankruptcy, as appropriate.
Bankruptcy is the critical care debt management part of a financial plan. It should not be your entire financial plan. I strongly encourage you to have a financial plan and will point out the most critical deficiencies and opportunities I see for you based upon my training as a financial planner. Then you can act on that to maximize your fresh start. For those wanting further assistance in financial planning, I will make the introductions to find you someone who can expertly guide you and coach you over the longer term.
