Doctor Robert wasn't his name, but to protect the indifferent, that's what I'll call him. But, I'll start with his son. Growing up, there was a kid I walked to school with. What was he to me? In elementary schools today, peers are all "friends." Educators promote tolerance by suggesting a presumptive bond among kids. Fine, but liberal use diminishes a word. And as for myself, I never overused the word, "friend" and I still don't. So, the kid was a kid I knew. His dad, Doctor Robert, was head of cardiology at a major hospital. Doctors (physicians) make very good money. But this was back when doctors made very, very good money.

Walking over to Dr. Robert's house to see Dr. Robert's son, I'd notice Dr. Robert's car. Now, in bankruptcy petitions we accurately describe clients' personal property. To ensure correct valuation, cars must be graded. We use Kelley Blue Book's terms of art: Fair, Good, & Excellent. Bankruptcy petitioners' vehicles are rarely in Excellent condition, even if the clients would like to think they are. They're generally Good or Fair, though often enough they're Poor, which is off the Kelley chart altogether. Now, Doc Robert's car was what you'd call Poor. A beater. Or what Israelis sardonically call a tarante (tah-RAHN-teh-- and don't forget to roll your r). I wondered why he'd possess such a tarante? I asked my mother, what was the meaning of this? She said the good doctor didn't wish to inspire envy. I wasn't wholly satisfied with her answer.

Years later, while visiting my parents' homestead, I cruised by the doctor's house. The doctor was still there, but the original tarante was gone. Parked in its stead was an Audi. Now, Audi is Volkswagen's luxury brand, but remember: people change less often than they stay the same. See, this wasn't a brand new, shiny, high-performance Audi. It was an old, stodgy (and green-- a bad color depreciates a car more than anything... at least in my Blue Book), dusty Audi station wagon. The doctor would have only grown richer since my youth, yet his car remained humble and below his means. While the eye of envy is green, that eye does not envy a green car.

My mother's answer makes more sense to me now. As a callow youth, I would look down upon the doctor. I don't anymore.

It's nice to drive a nice car. But I see a lot of people driven into insolvency by lust for cars. It's tough not to. Every. Single. TV or radio break features promotions for new and expensive automobiles But with a depressed economy, what debtors could afford to finance yesterday isn't what they can afford today. So, think twice before financing and driving off with that fancy car. Even if you can afford it today, future misfortune can send you driving off again. To bankruptcy.

Fortunately, we've learned that bankruptcy is not a dirty word. There's a way out, if the money's gone and you can't afford your car payments. What was that bumper-sticker phrase Forrest Gump unknowingly coined? I can't say (I mean, I literally can't say), but when Mr. Gump's whimsical tale airs on our violent (but swear-free) airwaves, it reads, It Happens.

It Happens. Economic misfortune, that is. And when It Happens to the honest debtor, there's a way out. If times have hardened and you can't afford your fancy car, you can take a cue from Dr. Robert. Switch to a dusty, stodgy Audi. You'll still owe the finance company more than you can repay, but we're here to help.

Contact us for bankruptcy representation by an experienced licensed attorney. Prices you can afford. Installment plans available.

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