The home phone rings at your elderly grandmother’s home. She hasn’t upgraded her phone so she can see who is calling. She answers hoping to hear a familiar voice but instead hears a stranger from a collection agency. Your granny is smart and wants these collection calls to stop so she politely tells them to “go fly a kite” because they can’t take her social security income anyway. But the phone still rings later than afternoon and the next day too. This is just stress that your grandma does not need.
When the phone rings a month later at grandma’s house she knows that a familiar voice will be on the other end. Why? Because you recommended to her that she explore whether bankruptcy was an option. For her it worked. As your grandma knew, bankruptcy wasn’t necessary because a creditor could not take her social security income. Specifically, Social Security Income laws prohibit garnishment of such benefits. But, the fee and process involved was worth it to quiet her phone and cut back on all those collection letters. The automatic stay imposed on her creditors when she filed bankruptcy meant that they couldn’t contact her anymore. She hangs up after talking to her cousin and waits for the phone to ring again.
