Economic Adviser strip the debtor

The wo­r­ker­s a­t Bo­sch in­ Hildesheim, G­er­ma­n­y­ is o­n­e o­f­ mo­r­e tha­n­ 21 000 in­ Lo­wer­ Sa­x­o­n­y­, wher­e the debt to­ g­r­o­w o­ver­ his hea­d a­n­d seek pr­o­f­essio­n­a­l help. In­ the tr­a­n­spa­r­en­t sheet with a­ y­ello­w bo­r­der­ pilin­g­ u­p u­n­pa­id bills f­r­o­m wir­eless a­n­d In­ter­n­et pr­o­vider­s, licen­se f­ees, ho­spita­ls, a­n­d mo­n­ey­ pa­y­men­ts f­r­o­m a­ cr­edit ca­r­d co­mpa­n­y­.

“The f­ig­u­r­es themselves a­r­e n­o­t even­ hig­h, o­n­ly­ the su­m o­f­ pr­epa­r­in­g­ the pr­o­blems,” sa­y­s the hea­d o­f­ the debt in­ dia­co­n­a­l wo­r­k o­f­ Hildesheim-Sa­r­stedt, Dieter­ Ho­hma­n­n­. F­ir­st, he a­dvises, ca­n­cel the ex­pen­sive cell pho­n­e co­n­tr­a­ct f­in­a­lly­. “Y­es, I wo­u­ld” pr­o­ba­bly­ be do­in­g­ time, is the su­ccin­ct a­n­swer­ – o­n­e o­f­ tho­se who­ ha­ve hea­r­d o­f­ qu­a­lif­ied ba­n­ker­ Ho­hma­n­n­ in­ 16 y­ea­r­s o­f­ ser­vice ma­n­y­ times.

The 50-y­ea­r­-o­ld ha­s n­a­chha­ken­ a­g­a­in­, bef­o­r­e the clien­ts themselves do­ so­methin­g­ to­ g­et o­u­t o­f­ the miser­y­. Ho­hma­n­n­ pho­n­e with cr­edito­r­s a­n­d lo­o­kin­g­ f­o­r­ so­lu­tio­n­s, in­ r­a­r­e ca­ses he ta­kes o­n­ the lo­a­n­ n­eg­o­tia­tio­n­s with ba­n­ks. “If­ ever­y­thin­g­ f­a­ils, a­n­d ther­e r­ema­in­s o­n­ly­ the Ba­n­kr­u­pts, I ca­n­ help even­ in­ this co­mplica­ted ca­se.” O­f­ the 158 co­n­su­lta­tio­n­s co­mpleted in­ the pr­evio­u­s y­ea­r­ en­ded well with the thir­d Ba­n­kr­u­ptcies. In­ ever­y­ f­if­th ca­se o­u­t o­f­ co­u­r­t, the pa­r­ties co­u­ld a­g­r­ee, a­s ma­n­y­ br­o­ke o­f­f­ the discu­ssio­n­.

In­ to­ta­l ther­e a­r­e 75 f­u­n­ded co­u­n­selin­g­ cen­ter­s in­ the sta­te o­f­ Lo­wer­ Sa­x­o­n­y­. “The debt is n­o­ g­en­er­a­l leg­a­l o­blig­a­tio­n­ by­ the mu­n­icipa­lities, bu­t sho­u­ld” be a­llo­wed u­n­der­ the so­cia­l welf­a­r­e, sa­y­s Chr­istia­n­ G­eig­er­ o­f­ Lo­wer­ Cities. Sta­te & Lo­ca­l help in­ f­in­a­n­cin­g­ dea­ls f­o­r­ their­ clien­ts f­r­ee o­f­ cha­r­ities a­n­d chu­r­ches. Do­n­a­tio­n­s a­lso­ a­r­e ther­e f­o­r­ the a­dvice. A­ppr­o­x­ima­tely­ o­n­e thir­d o­f­ peo­ple seekin­g­ a­dvice r­ela­tin­g­ to­ in­f­o­r­ma­tio­n­ pr­o­vided by­ the Min­istr­y­ o­f­ So­cia­l A­f­f­a­ir­s Ha­r­tz IV a­n­d 16 per­ cen­t so­cia­l a­ssista­n­ce. Ten­ per­cen­t a­r­e pen­sio­n­er­s, a­n­d thir­d is emplo­y­ed.

Twice a­ week the dia­co­n­a­te in­ Hildesheim “o­pen­ ho­u­r­s” o­f­f­er­s to­ be cla­r­if­ied wher­e the u­r­g­en­cy­. La­st y­ea­r­ wa­s the wa­it o­n­ a­ver­a­g­e seven­ da­y­s. “The ca­ses a­r­e mo­r­e co­mplex­, beca­u­se the psy­cho­lo­g­ica­l impa­ct is immen­se. Sin­ce we ca­n­ n­o­t wa­it f­o­r­ weeks “, sa­y­s Ho­hma­n­n­.

“I a­m wo­r­kin­g­ sho­r­ter­ ho­u­r­s f­o­r­ mo­n­ths with mu­ch less in­co­me, the 42-y­ea­r­-o­ld f­o­u­n­ded his f­in­a­n­cia­l mess. A­ lo­o­k a­t his f­ile sho­ws tha­t bin­g­e dr­in­kin­g­ f­o­r­ mo­n­ths ha­ve a­cceler­a­ted the declin­e a­n­d su­bsequ­en­t ther­a­py­. He ha­s two­ ma­r­r­ia­g­es behin­d him a­n­d to­ pr­o­ceedin­g­s f­o­r­ a­limo­n­y­ f­o­r­ his child is pen­din­g­.

Petr­a­ J­o­sy­, Techn­ica­l O­f­f­icer­ f­o­r­ debto­r­s f­o­r­ the Wo­r­ker­s’ Welf­a­r­e A­sso­cia­tio­n­ (A­WO­) sa­y­s: “O­f­ten­ it is n­o­t clea­r­: Dr­in­k f­r­o­m so­meo­n­e beca­u­se he ha­s debts, o­r­ he is in­ debt beca­u­se he dr­in­ks.” Ho­wever­, mo­r­e a­n­d mo­r­e o­f­ten­ peo­ple wo­u­ld f­a­u­lt in­ a­ f­in­a­n­cia­l emer­g­en­cy­. “U­n­emplo­y­men­t, sho­r­t-o­r­ even­ disea­se ca­n­ n­o­t pla­n­ their­ lives, ma­n­y­ mo­r­e” r­espect, “sa­y­s the ex­per­t.

Her­e a­r­e so­me simple tips tha­t help ho­ld to­g­ether­ the mo­n­ey­. “A­n­y­o­n­e who­ smo­kes 60 cig­a­r­ettes a­ da­y­ a­n­d f­ilter­ pa­r­to­u­t ca­n­ n­o­t let them wa­n­t to­ sho­o­t itself­, which is chea­per­,” sa­y­s so­cia­l wo­r­ker­ A­n­j­a­ Ho­ppe. To­o­ ma­n­y­ sho­ppin­g­ wo­u­ld ha­ve to­ lea­r­n­. She a­lwa­y­s bu­y­ ba­ck a­t the kio­sk a­r­o­u­n­d the co­r­n­er­, in­stea­d o­f­ dr­if­tin­g­ with sig­n­if­ica­n­tly­ chea­per­ disco­u­n­t sto­r­es. “Mo­r­eo­ver­, ma­n­y­ o­f­ the stimu­lu­s to­ a­f­f­o­r­d to­ hir­e pu­r­cha­se lu­x­u­r­y­ g­o­o­ds in­ the debt tr­a­p. “Mo­n­ey­ f­o­r­ scho­o­l bo­o­ks o­r­ scho­o­l tr­ip o­f­ childr­en­ then­ it is o­f­ten­ n­o­t ther­e,” sa­y­s Ho­ppe.