Every year, it is estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau that more than 700,000 people file for bankruptcy. Another 1-2 million must deal with foreclosure, repossession, or eviction. In 2007 alone, it is estimated that a record number of homeowners were subject to foreclosures and the light has not yet appeared at the end of the tunnel. For these individuals and millions more who are on the brink of financial misfortune, this book has been written to provide that light, a guide that will help you make the financial and life decisions necessary to come out the other side and rebuild your life. Included in this book you will find not only detailed descriptions of the bankruptcy, foreclosure, and eviction laws in the United States; you will learn exactly what you can do to come through the process as gracefully as possible. By hiring the right attorney, filing the right paperwork, and knowing your rights throughout the process, it is possible to not only survive, but to prosper after a catastrophic financial shortfall. You will learn how to start rebuilding your credit immediately, without needing to wait the full term that a bankruptcy remains on your record. You will learn how to shuck the social stigma and what your rights are coming out of a repossession or foreclosure. More than ten major financial hardships are provided through the chapters in this book with detailed instructions on how each one will affect your finances, life, and family, and then what you can do to bounce back. You will learn what housing options are at your disposal following a foreclosure and how to negotiate with the bank to make the process less damaging. You will learn how to relocate your family and how take advantage of government and municipal programs designed specifically to help people who have fallen to hardship. You will learn what options you have at your job and in the community and finally, the different ways you can start overcoming the black marks on your record in rebuilding your credit, finding a new home, and acquiring hard to find financial assistance. Dozens of interviews were conducted with experts in the field of debt management, bankruptcy law, and social work in the hopes of providing a comprehensive perspective of what millions of individuals have gone through before you and how they managed to survive the tumultuous aftermath of their financial hardships. In this book, you will not only learn how to survive your downturn in financial standing; you will learn how to rebound and retake your life.