Stan & Michel – Consumer Proposal
Stan and Michel (not their real names) were well educated professionals with successful careers in the Toronto area. With one child, a lovely home and a promising future, their lives were on a sound footing.
When Stan’s company went out of business, they expected that Stan, given his education and excellent work history, would be able to find another job quickly. However, weeks turned into months and despite his best efforts, he was unable to find a suitable job.
Fortunately, they were able to make their house payments and take care of most of their bills with Michel’s salary, but they were sliding into debt.
Job Loss & Medical Issues
Then, 11 months after losing his job, Stan was dealt another blow – he was diagnosed with a serious medical condition that required surgery and a lengthy recovery. During this time, their bank, when renewing their mortgage, insisted that Stan’s name be removed from the title of their home.
Although Stan and Michel did their best to remain optimistic, Stan’s prolonged health issues and unemployment were increasingly difficult to cope with.
After nearly 5 years of unemployment, it was clear that if their finances remained as they were, they would have no savings for their daughter’s education or their retirement.
Although Michel’s salary had been able to make the minimum payments on Stan’s credit cards and unsecured bank loan – they were not able to pay off his debts. After much discussion and thought, they decided to contact David Sklar & Associates to see what could be done.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
During their initial appointment with David Sklar & Associates, they met with Estate Administrator, Trina Powell and reviewed Stan’s finances in detail:
| Monthly Net Income: $0 | ||
| Credit Card Debt 2 Cards: | $19,500 | |
| Unsecured Bank Loan: | $31,000 | |
| Total Unsecured Debts: | $50,500 |
All of Stan’s debts were in his name only, and as such, Michel was not responsible for them.
Stan and Michel’s household annual income was $65,000 per year. Stan was not on their home’s title and had no real assets beyond the exemptions allowed in the Ontario Execution Act.
After reviewing all of his options with Trina and the Trustee, Stan decided to file a Consumer Proposal, which would enable him to repay some of his debts. His proposal was accepted by the creditors, and was to run for 60 months with monthly payments of $315. At the end of the proposal, Stan would be released from his debts.
Credit Counselling & Managing Money
One of the conditions of his proposal, was that Stan attend credit counselling. Both Stan and Michel came to his first session. Stan was understandably upset over his situation, but he confided in Trina that after he had made the decision to file a proposal, he had gotten his first good night’s sleep in ages. While Stan and Michel had already been economizing for several years, they were able to come away with some additional ideas on how to manage their money.
Several months into his proposal, Stan contacted Trina to let her know he had restarted his job search and had found a job. While it was not at his previous salary level, there was the possibility of promotion, and it was in a field that he enjoyed. Note: once a proposal has been accepted by creditors, a subsequent increase in income does not alter the terms of the agreement.
Stan and Michel are still in the process of completing Stan’s proposal, but there is every reason to believe that this devoted couple, will successfully complete their proposal and rebuild their family’s financial stability.
To protect our clients’ privacy, aspects of this case study have been altered
