When a person is considering filing for personal bankruptcy, there are a few important things that must be considered according to many Madison bankruptcy attorneys. First, many Madison bankruptcy attorneys would recommend analyzing the complete financial picture. Most Madison bankruptcy attorneys would agree that the best way to do this is to obtain the most recent copy of your credit report. Clients can easily access this very important document through the internet. You are entitled to one free credit report per calendar year. You may want to obtain reports from each of the three credit reporting agencies: Transunion, Equifax and Experian. This will allow you to form a more comprehensive picture and evaluate the situation in its totality. The credit report provides a lot of extremely valuable information like the name and contact information for each creditor, the amount that you owe to each creditor and your payment history for each account. It usually lists the accounts that you have defaulted on first followed by the accounts that are in good standing. Recent copies can provide the most accurate information which is what is needed to file your bankruptcy. In addition to obtaining a recent copy of your credit report, you will also want to gather other official documents that can lend credence to your current situation and the reason why you are filing for bankruptcy. These documents can include things like a few months of your bank statements-both checking and savings- the past few years of your tax returns, recent paystubs as well as credit card statements. All of these documents can help prove to the bankruptcy court that you are actually in true need and deserving of federal bankruptcy protection. Keep in mind that gathering of all of these documents can be very time consuming so you will want to be cognizant of any pending deadline as you accumulate your documentation.