Is there a reason to seek bankruptcy if I'm judgment-proof?
I owe an amount to credit-card companies that's so high that I could not possibly pay it off if I lived to be 200. I also owe money to banks via deficiency judgments on several short-sales. (No need to wonder how bad an investor I am. I already know.)
That I owe the money is not in dispute. If I am sued I will lose. And, yes, I know I can negotiate settlements. But, in case the creditors sue:
* Is it true that the creditors' only options after successfully suing me are to garnish bank accounts and paychecks, and/or put a lien on real estate I own?
* If so, what if I have no assets in any bank accounts, the real estate I own already has liens that exceed its value by far, and my paycheck is already being garnished to the maximum allowed by the law of the state in which I reside (Colorado)? Does bankruptcy offer any protections that I don't already have by being, well, a judgment-proof (or collection-proof) deadbeat?
Negotiating settlements is the right thing to do. I know that, and that is my intention. But knowing that I'm in a collection-proof position gives me more strength in negotiating, and that's really what I'm trying to determine.