Facing Financial Facts in Brampton
When Tony (not his real name) first came to the David Sklar & Associates’ Brampton office, he was very clear about two things:
- his current financial mess was 100% his own fault and
- he wanted to learn how to ‘get his financial act together’.
At 30, he was a hard working ‘regular guy’, who had never really saved for anything. Everything he wanted, he had gotten on credit.
As he move through his credit-funded life however, he found it harder and harder to get the credit he ‘needed’. So much of his paycheque was going towards credit companies and banks to pay for past indulgences, he had very little left to live one. Finally, he started missing payments, his car got repossessed, and his answering machine was full of messages from bill collectors.
During his first meeting with Jason Sklar, Estate Administrator – Tony was very clear. He wanted help to get out of his current mess and he wanted to learn how to ‘get his financial act together’.
A close examination of Tony’s financial situation showed that he had:
| Monthly Net Income: | $2,340 | |
| Assets: | Furniture | $1,500 |
| Personal Effects | $2,000 | |
| No Secured Debts | ||
| Unsecured Debts: | 3 Credit Cards Totalling | $18,000 |
| Line of Credit at Bank | $10,000 | |
| Overdraft at Bank | $450 | |
| Total Unsecured Debts | $28,450 |
Together, Jason and Tony explored all of his options. After careful consideration, Tony decided to declare bankruptcy. This was not an easy decision for Tony, but complications in his life made a 5 year consumer proposal undoable.
Under the Ontario Execution Act, Tony’s furniture at a value of $1,500 and his person effects at a value of $2,000 were exempt from bankruptcy.
Tony’s income of $2,340 per month, meant that as a single man with no dependents, he had ‘surplus income’ and would have to pay $207 per month into his bankruptcy estate for disbursal by his trustee to his unsecured creditors.
As a first-time bankrupt with surplus income, Tony’s bankruptcy would run for 21 months. During this time, he would be required to submit monthly records (including paystubs) of income/expenses, honour the terms of his bankruptcy, and attend Credit Counselling sessions.
Tony is at the very early stages of his bankruptcy, but he is already showing signs of success. He is following a budget, and is working hard at learning the skills that will help him ‘get his financial act together’.
To protect our clients’ privacy, aspects of this case study have been altered
