i received 25000 from a life insurance after my husband passed away in feb 2012. we lived off of it and it was spent. can i file bankruptcy? which one

Determining eligibility to file bankruptcy is a very complicated process and requires an analysis of many different factors, and you have not provided (and could not provide) the necessary information in a forum like this.  You need to consult with a bankruptcy attorney in your area for the answers to your questions. As far as which assets you can keep, that depends on the value of the assets, and the exemptions you have available under applicable law.  Exemptions are "protections" for value you have in certain assets such that they are "exempt" from collections.  Every state has different exemptions amounts available. Exemption laws are based on the state where you resided for the 2 years prior to filing your bankruptcy case or, if you lived in more than 1 state during that period, in the state where you resided for the greater part of the 180 days prior to that 2 year period. Mark J. Markus, Attorney at LawCertified Bankruptcy Law Specialist--State Bar of California Board of Legal SpecializationHandling exclusively bankruptcy law cases in California since 1991.http://www.bklaw.com/bankruptcy blog: http://www.bklaw.com/bankruptcy-blog/Follow Me on Twitter:  @bklawr