How Talk About Debt Started (And Why We're Still Here)

Most debt relief companies exist to sell you something. We exist because we kept meeting people who needed legal information more than they needed another payment plan.

Talk About Debt launched in 2018 after years of watching the same pattern: people facing lawsuits, wage garnishments, or bankruptcy who had no idea what their actual options were. Not marketing copy from debt settlement firms. Not scare tactics from collectors. Real legal information about what happens when you can't pay.

The Problem We Saw

The consumer bankruptcy system is supposed to give you a fresh start. Section 727 of the Bankruptcy Code wipes out most unsecured debt in 90 to 120 days. It stops lawsuits, garnishments, and collection calls immediately. For someone drowning in medical bills or credit card debt, it's often the fastest way out.

But here's what we kept seeing: people who qualified for bankruptcy were paying debt settlement companies $500 a month for three years instead. Or ignoring court summons because they didn't know a default judgment could freeze their bank account. Or emptying retirement accounts to pay debts that bankruptcy would have erased for free.

The legal information existed. People just couldn't find it when they needed it most, buried under ads and affiliate content.

What We Do Now

We publish plain-English guides to debt collection, bankruptcy, and consumer rights. No "comprehensive overviews" or "navigating complexities." Just what happens if you're sued, what bankruptcy actually costs, and what collectors can and can't do under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.

Our bankruptcy filing guide walks through the Chapter 7 process from means test to discharge. Our state-specific articles cover exemptions, wage garnishment limits, and statute of limitations rules. When someone searches "what happens if I ignore a debt lawsuit," we tell them: the creditor wins by default, gets a judgment, and can garnish your wages or bank account in most states.

We also built a bankruptcy screener that tells you in two minutes whether you likely qualify for Chapter 7. It uses the same median income and means test logic bankruptcy attorneys use. If you're over the limit, we explain why and what your other options are.

Why We Don't Charge You

We make money through partnerships with vetted bankruptcy attorneys and debt relief services. If you use our screener and want to hire a lawyer, we can connect you with one. If you need debt settlement or credit counseling, we work with nonprofits and licensed firms that meet our standards.

But the information itself stays free. Always. If you just need to know whether a creditor can garnish Social Security (they usually can't) or how long a Chapter 7 stays on your credit report (10 years from filing), you get that answer without entering a credit card.

What Makes Us Different

We don't pretend bankruptcy is painless. It costs $338 to file Chapter 7, plus attorney fees if you hire one (typically $1,000 to $1,500 for a simple case). It wrecks your credit score for 18 to 24 months. You might lose non-exempt assets, though most filers keep everything under state exemptions.

We also don't pretend it's always the answer. If you owe $5,000 and have stable income, a payment plan beats bankruptcy. If your main debt is student loans, bankruptcy probably won't help (unless you're permanently disabled and can prove undue hardship, which is rare). If you're expecting a big tax refund or inheritance, filing right before you receive it can cost you that money.

Our job is to give you the facts. Your job is to decide what fits your situation.

Who We Work With

We partner with consumer bankruptcy attorneys, nonprofit credit counselors, and licensed debt settlement firms. We vet them for licensing, complaint history, and fee transparency. If someone we refer you to tries to charge you $5,000 upfront for debt settlement or tells you to stop paying all your bills immediately, we want to know.

We also work with legal aid organizations and pro bono clinics. If you're below 200% of the federal poverty line (about $30,000 for a single person), you may qualify for free legal help. We maintain a directory of legal aid providers by state, updated quarterly.

What We've Learned

In six years of publishing debt relief content, three things stand out:

1. Most people wait too long. The median person we talk to has been in collections for 18 months before looking up their options. By then, they've been sued, or they're about to be. If you're three months behind and getting daily calls, that's when you research bankruptcy, not when the sheriff shows up with a garnishment order.

2. State law matters more than people think. Texas and Florida have unlimited homestead exemptions. New York caps wage garnishment at 10% of gross income. Georgia's statute of limitations on credit card debt is six years, while North Carolina's is three. Where you live changes what creditors can do to you.

3. Bankruptcy works. We've tracked outcomes for people who used our screener and filed Chapter 7. Ninety-two percent received a discharge. Most saw credit scores recover to the mid-600s within two years. The biggest regret people report: not filing sooner.

Where We're Going

We're expanding state-specific content because one-size-fits-all advice fails people. We're adding more tools like garnishment calculators and exemption estimators. We're working with bankruptcy attorneys to create free document templates for common motions.

We're also pushing back harder on predatory debt relief. Too many companies charge $3,000 to do what you could do yourself or what a bankruptcy attorney could do better for less. If a company promises to "remove accurate negative items" from your credit report or "settle debt for pennies," we're going to call that out.

If You're Reading This Because You're Stuck

Start with our bankruptcy screener. It takes 90 seconds and tells you if Chapter 7 is on the table. If it is, read our filing guide to understand what happens next. If bankruptcy doesn't fit, we have guides on negotiating with collectors, responding to lawsuits, and knowing when settlement makes sense.

You can also just read. No forms, no phone calls. If you're trying to figure out whether a creditor can take your car or what "judgment proof" means, those answers are here.

We started Talk About Debt because the information people needed most was the hardest to find. That's still why we're here.