The Fresh Start

Bankruptcy provides a means for debtors to eliminate or reduce some or all of their debt, while saving certain property deemed essential to support themselves and their dependents — enough to let them start over “fresh.”  That’s why we call it a “fresh start.”

The “property deemed essential” for a fresh start is called “exempt property.”  Bankruptcy is federal law, but each state has its own list of exempt property.  If you are a Kansas resident, you must use the Kansas exemptions; but if you recently moved, the bankruptcy code has a set of rules for determining proper residency for bankruptcy purposes.