Bankruptcy!

filed chapter 13 two years ago and I would like advice on how to rebuild my credit.   I have one more year of payments and cannot get anything on credit until my discharge.  I don't own my own house and the car I have is nearly ten years old and paid for. Please help!

As I'm sure you already know, there's no quick fix to repairing your credit. It's like trust. You start with a clean slate. But, what you do from that point on will either make you or break you.

One thing I would suggest is obtaining a credit card with a minimum limit or a secured credit card. Personally, I pay for a lot of my purchases using my Visa Checkcard which is linked to my checking account. If you can identify the total amount of your monthly expenses that can be purchased via credit card, you can set up a card with a maximum limit of that amount. It will require discipline, but if you would have spent that amount using cash previously, this can be an excellent way to have a credit card on which you can pay the entire balance every month. In about six month's time, you'll have established a record of paying on time and maintaining a zero balance.

For the future, try to identify the purchases that put you into debt in the first place and attempt to avoid them the second time around.

Again, you'll have a clean slate. Let's make sure that this time your creditors have nothing but good things to report and you're comfortable with your level of debt. Although it might seem like a long time, three years of staying on track will prove to be one of the biggest investments you can make in your financial life. I wish you the best!!!

Good Luck on your anticipated discharge!