How To Eliminate Credit Card Debt
December 23, 2007
There is almost nothing more troublesome than having too much debt to pay each month. Consumers incur debt for many different reasons. Sometimes illness, accidents, or just bad luck can make it seem impossible to get finances under control. Other times it is simply because we spend more money than we earn. The first step toward taking control of your financial situation is to learn how to eliminate your credit card debt.
Develop a budget. Start by listing all sources of income. First list fixed expenses such as mortgage payments, insurance premiums, and auto loans. Next, list the expenses that vary from month to month such as utility bills, recreation and clothing. If there is any hope of controlling your credit card debt you must create and stick to a budget.
There are different kinds of debts. Mortgages and auto loans are debts secured by collateral. In the event of default on a secured debt, a lender may foreclose on your home or repossess your car. Unsecured debts are loans with no collateral and often have variable interest rates and are assessed a fee for late payments. In the event of default on an unsecured debt a lender may report to a credit-reporting agency, contact the debtor repeatedly by mail or telephone, and in general make life miserable for those who find themselves in financial trouble.
Stretching Your Grocery Dollars
December 22, 2007
Shopping for groceries is an inevitable fact of our ever busy lives. We may imagine that we are saving time by dashing in, roaming the aisles and throwing whatever looks good into the cart. Most often, what we end up with is repetitive, nutritionally unbalanced meals and ballooning grocery bills. Or worse, frequent fast-food stops and pizza calls. Brighten your meals and save time and money by planning ahead ? an added bonus you may even save a few calories.
Some money saving tips:
? Before you visit the grocery store each week, check out the Sunday circulars. Clip coupons while you watch television or get your children to lend a hand. Organization is the key to the coupon game, so invest in an accordion coupon file. Trust me, it’s infinitely easier than rifling through small slips of paper or finding yourself without the coupon you need when you get to the store. You can find some very user friendly organizers for around $10.00 at sites such as www.galison.com.
Making Your Business Happen with a Commercial Lender
December 21, 2007
If your home business is starting to overflow from the office into other parts of the house, it may be time to consider finding a building large enough to handle your startup’s rapid growth. However, most businesses are unable to generate enough revenue at this phase of growth to allow for the outright purchase of a new facility. In fact, businesses of all sizes commonly go through a commercial lender when acquiring new real estate.
There are literally hundreds of commercial lenders waiting to provide new businesses with growth capital. You’ve probably seen their advertisements pop up on your browser offering the lowest rates and best service. With so many lenders to choose from, how can you get past the gimmicks to find the one that will fill your needs?
Let’s start with the type of business you want to open. Are you thinking of a manufacturing, retail, agricultural, or service business? There are many different types of business, all with their own unique facility requirements. However, not every commercial lender will finance every property type. Here’s a brief list of the different types of property that a lender may (or may not) finance:
Mortgage Terms Explained
December 21, 2007
When you are hunting for a mortgage, you will find that there are many different types of mortgages available. I will list some of the more common ones and their uses.
15 vs 30 Years
Your mortgage term can be just about anything you choose. 15 and 30 year terms are popular these days, although 10 and 20 years also are available.
The shorter the term, the lower the interest rate. But the main attraction of shorter term mortgages is the money you save.
For example on a $200,000 mortgage with a fixed 4.5% rate, you would pay $1013.38 a month for 30 years and $1529.99 a month for 15 years. Over 30 years you would pay $364,816.80 versus $275,398.20 over 15 years, a savings of $89,418.60 or 24.5% in interest.
If you cut a very conservative quarter of a percent off for reducing the lenders exposure by 15 years, your savings will be nearly 26%.
Adjustable Rate Mortgages (ARM )
ARM’s are mortgages whose rates adjust according to the terms of the contract you made with the lender.
Credit Traps Snag Consumers
December 20, 2007
Nearly 20 years ago I worked for a small consumer advocacy organization in Washington, DC. Each week we received sacks full of mail from consumers across the country requesting our list of credit cards with low interest rates and no annual fees. If you wanted a low interest rate on a credit card back then, you often had to apply to a bank in Arkansas where interest rates were capped by state law.
Those were the good old days.
Now, interest rates range from zero percent to a high 39 percent. It’s tougher to find (and keep) a good credit card than ever before. That’s because there are many new traps that can snag unsuspecting consumers.
At the top of the list is the “universal default clause” which allows issuers to monitor you credit report and raise your rate if you are late on any bill that appears on your credit report. One major issuer, for example, will hike a 0 percent rate to 24.99 percent if you slip up!
Bad Credit Mortgage Lender - What to Look For
December 19, 2007
If you have less than perfect credit and are looking to get approved for a mortgage loan, be careful not to make some common, costly mistakes. When dealing with sub-prime mortgage lenders or bad credit mortgage lenders, many people are taken advantage of because of their eagerness to get approved.
Choosing and settling on a mortgage lender or mortgage broker is a very important decision. Make sure you don’t make mistakes that you will regret later. Ask yourself, the mortgage broker or lender these questions before you sign on the dotted line:
1. Is there a pre-payment penalty on the loan? Ask about this as soon as you are told you are approved. A 6 month pre-payment penalty is probably ok, but 1 year, or two years? Over 1 year is too long. Find out how much the pre-payment penalty is. Maybe its not much. But if there is one, its most likely to be so much, that it would defeat the purpose of refinancing the loan before the penalty time is up. If you are get a mortgage loan with a poor credit score, and then make your mortgage payments on time, you are likely to be able to refinance in 6 months to 1 year for a much better interest rate. You don’t want to hurt your chances of doing that with a heavy pre-payment penalty. Sometimes brokers will neglect to tell you about one.
6 Key Points to Evaluate Online Lenders
December 18, 2007
The internet is teeming with lenders who are vying for your business. It seems like everyone wants to loan you money. You are truly in the driver’s seat by going online for your mortgage, refinance, and consolidation needs. But how do you select a lender? How do you choose the right institution? How do you know who to trust?
In this brief article, we will cover the 6 simple, practical, and essential key points that we feel you should evaluate, when exploring online lenders: Feel free to print this out, and use it as a free guide, while pointing and clicking your way to success:
1. Privacy
2. Design
3. Popularity and Reputation
4. The Short Form
5. Communication
6. Points, Fees, Terms and Rates
1. Privacy:
In the modern world of ecommerce, it is essential that all respectable businesses honor your right to privacy:
a) Check for a posted PRIVACY POLICY, prominently displayed on the homepage of your prospective lenders site. Read it. Does it make sense to you? Does it address how they will use your email address, your name, and your private information?
Student Credit Cards 101
December 17, 2007
If you’re a college student, you probably already have a credit card. If not, you may have plans to get one or more soon. So why should you read on?
- Because financial debt is one of the main reasons that many students end up dropping out of college.
- Because your college years can be some of your most memorable-and some of your most costly. They don’t, however, have to be the beginning of an adult life strapped with debt.
- Although you may still feel in limbo between your teen years and adulthood, it’s time to take charge of your finances and manage them as an adult. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll be able to start saving and spending your own money.
For those new to credit cards and for others who know all about credit, let’s go back to the basics.
Why do credit card companies court college students?
It’s obvious by the friendly representatives who offer a free t-shirt or CD just for signing up in the student center. Or the applications slipped into bookstore bags. Or mail boxes crowded with card offers. Credit card companies want college students to carry their card.
Buying a Home With Bad Credit - Get Approved With a Recent Bankruptcy or Foreclosure
December 16, 2007
A few years ago, if you had a bankruptcy or a foreclosure on your credit report, you could forget about trying to get a mortgage loan. If you were lucky enough to find someone who would finance you, your interest rate would be through the roof and plan on putting 10-20% down.
But today, this is not the case. There are many programs available today to help people who have recently suffered a bankruptcy or foreclosure to get a mortgage loan or mortgage refinance loan.
There are two things to do if you are in this situation:
1. Get yourself a free copy of your credit report from all 3 major credit bureaus, look over everything, do you see any mistakes? Make sure everything included in your bankruptcy or foreclosure reports accurately on your credit report. Make sure those accounts involved in a bankruptcy or foreclosure are not showing something else like collection or charge-off.. That could make your score much lower than it needs to be. If you have a bankruptcy or foreclosure, you want everything involved to say so, so it is all under 1 circumstance, instead of many. You can dispute all errors on your credit report online nowadays. It takes about 15 minutes. You can do it right on the website of Equifax, TransUnion or Experian.
If You?re Looking To Borrow Larger Sums of Cash a Home Equity Loan Could Prove Ideal
December 16, 2007
There are a number of different loan products available today, and the one that you select will depend upon your circumstance and budget as well as on the amount of cash that you need to borrow. If you are a homeowner and you’re looking to borrow a fairly substantial sum of money at a low rate of interest, you may find that a home equity loan will prove ideal for your needs. This type of loan can benefit you in a number of ways, and if you have the equity in your home you could get a really affordable loan.
The equity in your home is the market value of the property minus any outstanding mortgage or other loans secure upon it. The balance is the equity, and with these loans you can borrow against this equity. As property price have risen quite dramatically over recent years, many homeowners have found themselves sitting on quite a nest egg, giving them the leverage to borrow money against the property if the need arises.
