I had never heard of an iva before.  An iva is an acronym for “Individual Voluntary Agreement.  I was losing sleep and living in a state of extreme stress over the condition of my finances.  My wife has a medical condition that prevents her from working so the responsibility of our monthly payments falls on my shoulders.  I didn’t want my wife to feel bad about our situation so I was looking for some solutions, so I decided to talk to my brother.  He told me about a company that helped him negotiate with his creditors and enter into an iva with them.  He was able to get out of debt in just over three years.  I am confident that I can get over this hurdle successfully.