How Could This Have Happened? I Thought I Was Smart and in Control!
For most who realize they are in serious financial difficulties, it’s a very rude awakening! Are you reading this because you feel this way? You are far from alone.
The thing is, until we find ourselves in this situation (I filed a Consumer Proposal in 2009), we have probably believed certain fallacies.
The key untruth is this: that only irresponsible people become insolvent or file for Bankruptcy.
Now that you are on this website, reading this article, you know this just isn’t true!
Insolvency has a way of creeping up
You may have spent months or years knowing that money was a problem, but reassuring yourself that you had the situation under control.
What we rarely realize is that it’s not the situation we’re controlling, but our awareness of it.
We tell ourselves stories about how this month is better than last month, or how we’ve never been late on our rent (at least), or how we had enough credit to get that that recent funeral … and use these as evidence that our finances are “OK”. We accept the offer of a new credit card, “just in case.” We congratulate ourselves on our optimism!
So, what a shock it can be when, seemingly all of a sudden, an important payment cannot be made. Consequences loom. The phone may start ringing. To use a modern term, your insolvency, which you’ve hidden even from yourself, is now being “outed.”
For me, the feeling of loss of control was terrifying. Over the course of just a few days, I went from full (but unrealistic) confidence that I had everything covered, to the realization that my situation was potentially disastrous and that I could not solve it by myself.
Luckily, I found this website, Bankruptcy-Canada.ca, and educated myself about my options. At that point, it was not too scary to make an appointment to see a Trustee. I still felt very embarrassed – of course! – but I knew I would get the assistance I needed, and things went very well!
But to backtrack for a minute – now that we know that responsible people like ourselves can become insolvent, let’s take a look at some statistics to see what company we are in.
In the last ten years, in Canada, over a million consumers have filed for Bankruptcy or Consumer Proposal.
Astoundingly, that is more than one in every ten Canadian adults! You deal with people every day who have been through this process. How many of their situations were caused by irresponsibility? Very few.
Getting Back Control over Your Finances
Here’s a challenge. If you’re at that uncomfortable point where you know you need professional advice, make an appointment with a Trustee. Your first appointment is free and no-obligation.
While you are there, ask the Trustee how many of his or her clients became insolvent because of irresponsibility. The answer will instantly ease your embarrassment!
I remember how relieved I felt during my first conversation with my Trustee, when we discussed this very thing.
Don’t hesitate to make your appointment – I guarantee you’ll feel better, AND you’ll be on the road to better financial times.