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What's My Next Step? Bankruptcy may be my only choice!

Submitted by on Wed, 01/07/2009 - 11:46
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I have a total debt of $50,000 with only a part-time job at the moment and my unemployment benefits set to end in May 2009. My credit card creditors don't want to work with me on lowering my interests (2 @ 28.99% interest) or set up a debt management plan unless I have a full-time job and can guarantee a monthly payment. Due to a bad choice of paying Amex's Collections $40,000 by liquidating my IRA last year to avoid a lawsuit, I now also owe a total of $20,000 (already added to the total and with interest and penalties accruing daily) to the IRS and Franchise Tax Board in taxes. I'd rather pay them than my credit card creditors who won't work with me. My FICO scores are in the 450s to 490s with most of my unemployment payments going to them. I recently went to a free legal aid service and they told me to see them when I'm done with my unemployment benefits and if I still don't have a full-time job in May. I also had a Consumer credit counseling phone interview and they suggested that bankruptcy may be my only option. I am single and thankfully living with family temporarily but have no real assets to liquidate, I need my car (with a $7,000 loan left to pay) to look for a job after I finish graduating from college this May to a "jobless" city such as Sacramento, CA which will have a bleek 209 job market due to budgetary problems. I don't want to wait till May to stop paying everyone and I don't know what I need to be focusing on now. Please help, I don't know where else to turn or look. Thanks for any/all advice in advance, it is greatly appreciated.