People who find themselves in financial trouble sometimes consider taking drastic measures when their situation appears hopeless. But there is always a way out.

Decades ago, John Glover, a lawyer then in his early 30s with a wife and two children, found himself standing in a bank lobby trying to figure out how he could stretch what little remained in his account to cover his expenses. Foreclosure loomed. He wanted to float a check, write it and worry about having the money in the account later.

“There was just no money,” said Mr. Glover, who had gone out on his own to build a law firm, but was struggling with self-worth issues and becoming an entrepreneur. “It was a dark time. I didn’t see a way out,” he said.

Mr. Glover focused on what he felt was the single most important problem: how to get through the next month, financially. His panicked mind

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