Every few months my associate, Howard Hayes, and I meet with the credit counsellors at the Family Counselling Centre of Brant. Their office is at 54 Brant Avenue, which is about a five minute walk down Brant Avenue here in Brantford from our office at 218 Brant Avenue. They are a not-for-profit agency that specializes in helping residents of Brantford find solutions to their financial problems. They can often work out a debt management plan where you repay your debts over a period of time, with a reduced interest rate, so you can avoid bankruptcy.
We discussed some of the new bankruptcy rules that came into force on September 18, 2009. Some of the new rules are complicated, and I was impressed by their knowledge of the implications of many of the new rules. They truly want to find the best solution for their clients, and to do that they take the time to explain all of the options.
(As an aside, there are some “for profit” debt consultants who pretend they are acting in your best interests, but often they will charge you a fee and NOT explain all of your options. At the Family Counselling Centre of Brant, and here at my firm, Hoyes, Michalos & Associates Inc., we explain all options so that you can make an informed decision).
They told me that there are a lot of people in Brantford having financial problems, and I agree; we are also very busy. However, the good news is that there is help available, so if you want a trustee’s advice, call my office in Brantford at 519-770-4440, or contact the credit counsellors at the Family Counselling Centre of Brant for a no charge initial consultation.
