Guides

Longer explainers behind each calculator — how the math works, what the inputs mean, and the mistakes that most often change the answer.

• How to Calculate the Chapter 7 Means Test

  Step-by-step walkthrough of Part 1 and Part 2 of the means test, with a worked example and the mistakes that most often change the result.

• Debt Settlement vs. Consolidation vs. Bankruptcy: The Real Math

  What each path actually costs, how long it takes, and the situations where one clearly beats the others.

• DTI Explained: How Lenders Read Your Debt-to-Income Ratio

  The DTI ceilings conventional, FHA, and VA lenders actually use, and how long re-qualification takes after a Chapter 7 or Chapter 13.

• Statute of Limitations on Debt: What Time-Barred Really Means

  Why an old debt can still show up on your credit report after the statute of limitations expires, and how a single payment can restart the clock.