Tuesday is one of my normal days in my Cambridge office, and today was no different. Early in the afternoon I met with a young couple in financial trouble. She is home with their newborn child, and up until a few weeks ago he had a good job, until he got laid off. They met with me to ask for my advice on how to deal with their debts. Towards the end of our meeting my cell phone began to ring, but as I always do when I’m in with someone, I ignored it.
After they left my office I checked my voice mail message to find that a producer from BNN – The Business News Network wanted to do an interview in two hours about the massive increase in personal bankruptcies, and to get my thoughts on the new bankruptcy rules coming into force on September 18, 2009. I called the producer back, and they said they wanted me on camera at 4:05 this afternoon. Fortunately my colleague Howard Hayes was available to cover our appointments this afternoon, so I got into my car and headed for the CTV studio in Kitchener. BNN is based in Toronto, but they use CTV facilities across Canada for many of their interviews.
I arrived a few minutes before the live interview. The technician clipped the microphone on my lapel, and gave me the earpiece, and I sat there staring at the camera in the same studio they use for the evening news. The interviewer, Andrew Bell, was in the studio in Toronto; I couldn’t see him; I could only hear him in my earpiece. My picture was beamed by satellite to their Toronto studios, and then on air.
Mr. Bell asked me about the speed that people’s finances are collapsing, and I related the story of the young couple I had met in my Cambridge bankruptcy office two hours earlier who had lost their job and were facing bankruptcy. We talked about options, and I explained why a consumer proposal is often a great way to avoid bankruptcy if you have the income to support it. (I didn’t say this on air, since I never disclose any names or exact facts to the media, but the couple I met with will cut their expenses and decide whether or not bankruptcy is necessary when we meet again next week).
Whether I’m appearing on national television or meeting in private with someone in my Cambridge office, my message is always the same: there are options, and in many cases it’s possible to avoid bankruptcy, but you need to understand your options, so call my Cambridge office today at 519-622-3773 or 310-PLAN, or e-mail me, and let’s get started.
And if you are interested, you can watch the interview on the BNN web site.
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