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on a life towards debt freedom andfinancial independence.

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Dear Readers:

Aclient asked an interesting question the other day, “What’s the

secret that enables certain individuals to do such an excellent

job rebuilding their lives following bankruptcy, focusing on their

passion, defining, setting, and tracking their goals, while others seem to

have inconsistent results?” It’s been our experience that a key part of

the answer is getting focused on what you really want, reprogramming

your negative self-talk, setting goals and reinventing yourself. With the

assistance of your attorney, supportive friends and family, the

abundance of personal development and financial education material

available today, you’re not alone.

Each year millions of Americans struggle with the pressure of having

too much debt. It’s frustrating. It’s frightening. You imagine the worst:

Will I lose my house? Will my creditors take everything else? Will I

ever recover? You may feel alone, but you’re not. With the help of

your attorney and the information you will learn during your required

Credit Counseling Briefing and Debtor Education Course, you will be

guided on the path to financial recovery and better prepared for life

after debt.

Linking post-bankruptcy strategies with personal objectives doesn’t

need to be difficult; in fact, it’s easy and empowering. We believe the

right type of financial education can dramatically help individuals

successfully design an extraordinary life – regardless of your current

financial challenges. That’s why we thought this latest publication, NewBeginnings, would be of interest to you. The magazine will take only

10 minutes to read and in that time you’ll learn:

• What you can do to end the struggle and feel more alive. • How to fulfill course requirements and the options available. • Helpful tips for life after bankruptcy.

At Start Fresh Today, we help individuals fulfill current

bankruptcy requirements quickly and easily. That's why our

team of bankruptcy lawyers and technology professionals

designed Start Fresh Today's complete efficient and inexpensive

solution. Our methodology has successfully helped thousands

of people just like you.

A life of debt freedom can be yours. The bankruptcy laws are here

to protect you. In many cases, these laws give you a fresh financial start.

We wish you the best as you embark on a life towards debt freedom

and financial independence.

To your heart, your dreams and your exciting new journey,

Editor’s Letter

Table of

ContentsFulfill Your Requirements &

Learn About Finances........................................4

Marriage: When Love, Marriage

and Money Come Together...........................6

An Emergency Fund: Your Lifeline After

Filing Bankruptcy...................................................8

How to Vacation on a Budget ...................10

Article Page

newbeginnings 3


&I

f you're planning to file for bankruptcy, you must complete a

Credit Counseling Briefing before you file, and a Debtor

Education Course before your discharge is entered. The

agencies who administer these courses must be approved by the

EOUST, and failure to file certification that these courses have

been completed at the appropriate time may mean that your

case is dismissed or your discharge denied.

Fortunately, Start Fresh Today makes it easy for you to complete

your pre-filing Credit Counseling Course and your pre-discharge

Debtor Education Course right in the comfort of your own

home – or anywhere else that you have Internet access. After a

brief telephone follow-up, your certificate will be delivered

electronically.

Bankruptcy LawRequires a CreditCounseling BriefingBefore You FileThe Credit Counseling Briefing is a 90-minute, interactive, web-

based course that provides customized graphics and feedback

based on the information you enter. The Briefing is the same low

price whether you're filing individually or with your spouse.

The law requires that you complete a EOUST approved Credit

Counseling Briefing before you file your bankruptcypetition. Your bankruptcy attorney will file the Credit Counseling

certificate that must be filed with your petition.

You may be confused about the bankruptcy requirements and

uncertain about where to turn to fulfill those requirements

without aggravating your financial problems. But don’t worry,

between your attorney’s guidance and Start Fresh Today’s quick

and easy process, your requirements will be done before you

know it!

Here’s what you can expect from yourCredit Counseling Briefing:

• A web-based credit counseling briefing followed by a short

telephone conversation

• An easy to navigate, interesting credit counseling briefing full of

useful information

• Animated counselors to walk you through the briefing

• The ability to stop the briefing at any time and consult with the

credit counseling agency, or just take a break – you can pick up

where you left off later

• Customized feedback based on the information you provide

• A printable summary of the course

• Electronic delivery of your certificate

Or, if you prefer, you can complete the requirement with a

telephonic credit counseling briefing and work with a certified

counselor over the telephone.

Fulfill your requirements

Learn aboutfinances

newbeginnings 5

Fulfill Your Requirements & Learn About Your FinancesEOUST Approved

Personal FinancialManagement –Debtor EducationCourseCurrent law requires that bankruptcy petitioners complete a Personal

Financial Management Course (Debtor Education Course) after filing,

but before discharge.

The Debtor Education Course is intended to help you plan your financial

future and avoid post-bankruptcy pitfalls. The certificate of completion

must be filed with the court before you receive your discharge.

This two-hour financial management course is easy to navigate and

easy to understand. You'll get printable forms to use in budgeting and

financial planning.

At Start Fresh Today, you can receive an online Debtor Education

Course or a telephonic Debtor Education Course delivered by an

agency approved to issue certificates evidencing completion of a

financial management course in compliance with the Bankruptcy Code.

Here’s what you can expect from yourDebtor Education Course:

• A interesting, informative educational course followed by a short

telephone conversation

• Easy to use program with clear prompts, whether you're working

online or over the telephone

• Clear, understandable financial planning information

• The flexibility to complete the course all at once or in segments

to suit your schedule

• Electronic delivery of your certificate by email and posting to your

Start Fresh Today account

• Online course available in Spanish!

At Start Fresh Today we focus exclusively on helping individuals and

families go through the sometimes confusing and complicated

bankruptcy process. That’s all we do, and we’ve been doing it

successfully since the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and ConsumerProtection Act of 2005 (BAPCPA) was enacted. As industry

leaders and pioneers in the field, we are committed to

serving consumers who are overburdened by debt

and have chosen bankruptcy as their solution. We

offer our courses in English or Spanish, 24/7

customer support and live chat for your

convenience. Also, we’ve included a special discount

coupon on the back of this publication to help you

get through these difficult times.

If you decide that bankruptcy is right for you, we have a secret and

some simple advice we want to share with you in closing. After

helping thousands of consumers with this process there is one piece

of advice that always helps. The advice is simple and if you follow it,

it may just help you greatly to recover from these difficult days. The

secret and the message is hope. Hope of brighter days and hope

that things will improve is the secret that helped many to find the

strength to make it across some dark and desperate times.

Now our offering of hope is not to say your life as you know it will

be unaffected by your money troubles. It is instead an acceptance

of your current reality and then an enthusiastic embrace that while

tomorrow may be difficult, the days that follow will be better and

take you one step closer to a better financial life.

Everyone we help has lived through painful times in their life and

yet they tell us that hope carried them through. Hope provides

energy to make it through today and tomorrow and it positively

encourages you to power yourself forward to the better times that

will come.

Things are getting better…just hang in there.

“This is a belated thank you to the staff at your agency thatwere extremely helpful to me in completing this process, inparticular a woman by the name of Connie and a gentleman bythe name of Justin. Both of these staff went out of their way toensure my complete customer satisfaction and I would like tocommend them for their professionalism and assistance.”KarenSacramento, California

“The course was easy and available online and once it was overI got to speak to a representative. In my 30-minute conversationwith the gentleman I learned how to budget better and plan foran unexpected disaster. I became even more familiar with thecomponents of my credit score and more importantly than allof that he let me know there will be life after bankruptcy. At theend of the call I felt like a person again and not just a lot of debt.I feel prepared to handle my fresh start and am so glad theywere there to help me.” ChristinaFort Lauderdale, Florida

“Thank you for your assistance and the great information thatwas part of the Start Fresh Today counseling program. Some ofthe information I was familiar with, but there was so much moreto absorb. I look forward to using the tips to get back my 740score! I have reviewed the information with my husband and gothis "buy-in" to making changes and focusing on our goals. ”StephanieOhio

testimonials


When Love, Marriage andMoney Come Together

Marriage

newbeginnings 7

Marriage: W

hen Love, Marriage and Money Com

e TogetherY

ou know the old saying: "First comes love, then comes

marriage...." Unfortunately, however, many newly-married

couples start their new lives strapped with debt. Some

bring their own debts with them to the marriage; others start

racking up credit card bills as they plan their weddings and

honeymoons together.

Young couples often assume that they can't have financial

problems because they're pooling their financial resources,

including income and debt payments. Wrong!

Just because you're pooling your resources doesn't mean that you

can pay for your debts any easier than before. Sure, your income

may go up when you get married, but so can your debt. When

one spouse takes on the debt obligations of the other, credit

problems can ensue. In fact, paying for debts incurred by others

(usually family members) is one of the most common reasons

cited by individuals seeking credit counseling and debt

management assistance.

One couple took the plunge and got married – right into $56,000

worth of debt. The husband had a rocky credit history, yet was

determined to pursue his dream of starting his own company.

Trying to be supportive, his new wife let him charge to the hilt on

credit cards held in her name only. The husband's financial history

proved prophetic. His business failed, and unfortunately their

marriage did as well. The wife was stuck with the fallout from

his shattered hopes – mountains of expensive debt, all in

her name.

When you're young and in love, it's only natural to

want to share everything. But be careful; the ties that

bind should be those of mutual love and respect, not

mutual debt.

What can you do to avoid added debt if you're

getting married? First, look at your existing

monthly financial obligations. If you can't add

another car payment, or you've worked

hard to keep your credit card expenses

to the minimum, just say so. Explain to

your beloved that it's better for both

of you to avoid taking on more

debt. In the event of a split down

the road, even a divorce decree

cannot change the fact that

your good credit rating is tied

forever to any debt you

signed or co-signed for.

As new families come together, each person needs to consider

his or her values. Money management is an important part of your

value system and will often determine whether or not you will

achieve your goals. Consider the following:

• How important is money in your life?

• Does money consume all your thoughts?

• Does someone else make financial decisions for you?

• Are you concerned about your debts?

• What effect does money have on your relationships with

family members and friends?

In a survey of 49 of Forbes Magazine's richest people, 37 percent

reported lower than average happiness levels, according to an

ABC-TV special report called "The Mystery of Happiness." It

seems obvious that money does not make people happy, nor does

it bring love, power, freedom, self-worth, or security. Money is just

that: dollars and cents.

So what can you do to ensure that you are both financially secure

and happy? Researchers say that it's more important to your

emotional well-being to be independent, have a purpose in life,

and maintain a good sense of humor than to focus on money.

Research indicates that married people are less likely to die from

strokes, accidents, flu, tuberculosis, and various forms of cancer.

Instead, look at how you perceive money. As you

begin your life as a married person, this could

be the perfect time to change how you look

at money.

The day you get out of bankruptcy will probably be a great one.

You will likely be free of most of your pre-bankruptcy debts

and you'll have the opportunity to get a fresh financial start.

Now your goal must be to conquer the challenges of rebuilding

your credit and establishing new financial goals. When you emerge

from bankruptcy, you will probably be left with few or no credit

cards.

Many of your pre-bankruptcy sources of credit will be gone, and

to maintain your commitment to financial well-being, you're going

to have to find other ways to cover any emergency bills that may

arise. To be ready for these emergencies, you need to set up an

emergency fund.

What is an Emergency Fund?An emergency fund is a reserve of ready cash that you will use to

cover emergency expenses while you are back on your feet after

filing bankruptcy.

Typically, you should place three months’ worth of your average

monthly expenses in your emergency fund.

LifelineYO

UR

After Filing Bankruptcy

An EmergencyFund:


newbeginnings 9

Emergency Fund: Your Lifeline After Filing BankruptcyHow Do I Build an Emergency Fund?

You may well wonder how you're going to find the funds to start

an emergency fund when you're just getting out of bankruptcy.

Many people are forced into bankruptcy court because they are

unable to control their spending. For example, instead of saving

small amounts of money every week, they buy expensive gourmet

coffee, go out for lunch every day, or put money in the weekly

lottery. Although these types of expenses may be small individually,

when totaled up over a year, they can run into the thousands

of dollars.

For example, do you play the lottery? Do you religiously plunk

down 20 bucks every week on your favorite numbers with the

thought that you'll never really miss those 20 bucks if you lose,

and that if you win, all of your troubles will be over?

Leaving aside the almost overwhelming odds against you that you

will ever win a significant amount of money in a lottery (according

to most experts, you're more likely to be struck by lightning than

to win the lottery), you should think about how your money

would grow, if instead of spending it on the lottery, you deposited

it in a savings account.

Instead of putting those 20 dollars in the lottery every week, if

you deposit that amount weekly in a savings account with 4

percent interest, and don't touch the money for 18 years, you will

have saved more than $27,000.

Meanwhile, during the first three months of

your non-lottery existence, you will have

saved $260 for your emergency fund.

This sacrifice may only be temporary, but

the peace of mind you will gain will have

long-lasting effects on your financial

outlook.

Where Do I Put My Emergency Fund?If you have small but recurring expenses for nonessential items

like these, you can start building your emergency fund by giving

up these expenses and placing the money into your emergency

fund.

Ideally, the money should be placed in a savings account or some

other account where you won't have ready access to it and won't

be tempted to spend it. You also will need the discipline to hold

on to the money until you have a real emergency. If no emergency

arises, you'll have a nice source of savings for that rainy day down

the road.

Once you build up about three months of expenses for your

emergency fund, congratulate yourself.

Not only have you established an important cash reserve for

emergencies, you will also have proved to yourself that you can

control your spending and save money – two very important skills

for your life after filing bankruptcy.

How to vacationbudgeton a


newbeginnings 11

How to Vacation on a Budget

Whether you're rebuilding after bankruptcy or just trying

to save some hard-earned money, you've probably

come across the vacation question. That is, "how can

I afford vacation?" Turns out, it might be easier than you think.

Save as a FamilyIt's a good idea to decide how much you're willing to spend

before you start planning. That way, you can know where to make

compromises to get in under the line. Once you have the golden

number in mind, some economists recommend opening a savings

account exclusively for vacation funds.

Decide how much money you need to deposit each week (total

budget divided by weeks left until vacation) and put a "vacation

jar" in your house. Encourage everyone in the family to drop in

spare change and consider sacrificing small treats to contribute to

a much bigger one.

This allows everyone to contribute to the vacation and builds

anticipation. Saving for a concrete goal can be more fun than

saving in the abstract.

Develop a Travel BudgetA budget will require some sacrificing, but will pay off in the

end. If eating out is important to you, pick a dollar limit for

food you can eat out, or determine how many nights you'd

like to eat in restaurants. If you love souvenirs,

give everyone a souvenir budget. This way,

you're forced to choose things you

really like and can avoid impulse

buys that seem unimportant later.

You can save serious money

by making sure your lodging

has a kitchen, so that you

can prepare most of your

food. Staying in a furnished

apartment, a villa, a

condominium or sharing a

rental house with another

family are excellent ways to

save money on lodging.

Plan, Plan, PlanThis is the single most effective way to save money on the road.

Think of it this way: the earlier you start planning, the earlier you

can start enjoying your vacation!

• Book ahead: If you're planning to fly, make sure you book

your flights at least a month in advance, when fares are generally

cheaper.

• Look for bargains: Take advantage of your library's travel

magazine section, the Internet, your destination's Chamber of

Commerce - anywhere that might offer coupons for lodging,

food or attractions. And don't be afraid to ask outright about

savings and special deals if you don't see any!

• Scope out the area: Look at a map before leaving and find

the nearest grocery store, ice cream stand, gas station, etc.

When you know where you're headed, you won't have to

splurge for takeout right away or waste gas driving around to

find things.

• Bring the essentials: Pack the car with basic food, band aids,

allergy medicine - whatever you think you'll need on the road

(where essentials can be expensive) and when you first arrive.

If you know you'll be too tired for food shopping the first night,

consider a PB&J picnic or some other simple meal. Just arriving

will be a treat!

Know When to Save –and When to SplurgeSometimes, paying more up front is worth it. Lodgings close to

your attractions, for example, can save you on gas money. If you

must eat out on vacations, consider traveling in the off season,

when costs tend to be lower across the board.

Enjoying vacation is easier when you're not worried about ruining

your budget or pushing yourself toward (or back to) filing

bankruptcy. With a little planning, you should be able to relax

worry-free.

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