Many people underestimate everything that can potentially accompany a bankruptcy filing. This is why it is extremely beneficial to have a Sacramento bankruptcy attorney on your side every step of the way. Your Sacramento bankruptcy attorney can help you by setting realistic expectations about what you can expect to face before, during and after filing for bankruptcy. Your Sacramento bankruptcy attorney knows that you have a better chance of effectively handling a situation if you have prepared for it in advance. You can expect to have the last few months of your financial transactions meticulously scrutinized. Your transactions should match up with your current predicament. For example, if you say that you are in dire need of federal bankruptcy protection then your credit card records should not reflect expensive shopping sprees featuring luxury items. Bankruptcy officials will become suspicious if you have recently purchased major items that are more of a luxury than a necessity. If you have recently transferred titles to any vehicles or property into a friend or family member's name then that type of activity will definitely raise some red flags. If too many red flags are raised then your bankruptcy claim could be in jeopardy. You may ultimately be denied the opportunity to file for bankruptcy. If you are still permitted to file then you may not be able to include all of those lavish purchases. In that event, you will be required to make individual restitution to those creditors on your own. A good rule of thumb is to make sure that the six months immediately prior to you filing for bankruptcy align your situation and your credit card purchases. The same is true for cash advances. You will have to provide some sort of explanation for suddenly withdrawing a few thousand dollars and then immediately filing for personal bankruptcy. If your financial history is sketchy then perhaps you should prolong your filing for a little while.