Most people who file for bankruptcy are able to protect most if not all of their assets, including cash bank accounts, household goods and furnishings, 401(k) plans and IRAs (as well as other types of retirement accounts), cars and vehicles, their homestead and more. Assets are protected in a bankruptcy by way of exemptions, meaning that an asset is protected when it is ‘exempt from the bankruptcy estate’.  When an asset is exempt, it is outside of the reach of both creditors