Home Equity ? Let the Market Eliminate Your Private Mortgage Insurance
December 31, 2009
In decades past, most people who were interested in obtaining a home loan were required to put down at least 20% of the purchase price. Those days are gone, and as home prices have risen faster than incomes, the average down payment required by lenders has dropped. In fact, it is often possible to buy a home with no down payment at all. Nationally, the average down payment is a 3%. It’s nice to be able to buy a home with such a small amount of ready cash, but there is a downside ? if the down payment is less than 20%, the lender requires that private mortgage insurance (PMI) be added to the house note.
No one likes to pay PMI; the payment doesn’t go towards paying off the house and the payments aren’t tax deductible. And the PMI payments aren’t trivial; the monthly PMI payment on a home priced at the U.S. median price of $206,000 with a 3% down payment is $129. Lenders require that borrowers pay PMI until the borrowed amount becomes less than 80% of the value of the home. In years past, this has meant that homeowners had to pay PMI until they had paid enough of the loan balance to reduce the debt to less than 80%. Times have changed, however, and many homeowners may be eligible for a faster way to avoid the monthly PMI payments.
Top 10 Ways Managing Your Money Is Just Like Riding a Bike
December 30, 2009
An avid cyclist and bike racing fan, I sit transfixed during the many hours of Tour de France coverage every July when the race rolls around. This year, during some of the less-than-scintillating early miles of the sprint stages, my mind wandered a bit, and it occurred to me that there are some interesting parallels between winning the Tour de France and winning at personal finance. Having watched Lance Armstrong pull off the win for 7 years in a row, I’ve compiled this list of the Top 10 Ways Managing Your Money Is Just Like Riding a Bike: 1. If you take safety precautions (e.g. helmet/emergency fund), you’ll feel a whole lot more relaxed and confident on the journey. 2. The better prepared you are, the greater your chances of succeeding. It’s important to learn from the past, but you must also scout out the road ahead and evolve with the constantly changing environment. 3. Crashes happen. The actions of other participants, bystanders, and the media can sometimes distract you from your goal. If you expect the unexpected and are able to respond with a level head, you’ll be better off. 4. If you take too many unnecessary risks, you might end up out of the race, and sometimes it can take quite a while to recover. 5. But you’ll probably have to take at least some calculated risks to come out ahead. For example, you might improve your performance by using cutting edge products, e.g. ultra-light wheels for big uphill climbs or, in the financial world, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs.) But you also make some tradeoffs, e.g. less stability going downhill or, with HSAs, penalties if you withdraw the money for something besides health care. 6. There will be rainy days, and there most certainly will be ups and downs. The one who weathers the tough days the best usually comes out ahead in the end. 7. You don’t have to come out on top ("beat the market," so to speak) every day ? or any particular day, for that matter ? to win the overall race, the race that really matters. 8. You can go a lot farther if the team you surround yourself with has skills, experience, a well-defined goal, and the right motivation. 9. Even if you start at a huge disadvantage, you can emerge victorious if you have the right attitude, understand the rules of the game, and persist despite setbacks. 10. A little bit of luck never hurts! So the next time you’re in doubt as to which road to take on your personal financial journey, consider looking to the peloton for guidance and inspiration. Whether your goal is a yellow jersey on the Champs-Elysées in July or a secure retirement, there’s a surprising amount to learn from watching a bunch of bike racers circumnavigate France. Congratulations, Lance!
A Guide to Getting a Debt Consolidation Loan UK
December 30, 2009
If you’re getting in over your head with credit, you might consider getting a debt consolidation loan UK . This loan is designed to pay off at least a portion if not all of your outstanding debts, allowing you to have either reduced payments or in some cases only the single payment of the loan itself to repay.
If you’re looking for a debt consolidation loan UK , there are several factors that you might want to consider to find the loan that’s right for you. Different banks and lenders may offer different terms for a debt consolidation loan UK , and you want to make sure that you get the best deal for the money that you can. Some of the factors that can affect your chances are your credit rating, the value and type of collateral that you’re putting up to secure the loan, and of course the total amount that you need to borrow.
Let’s look at each of these factors individually and how to maximize your deal on a debt consolidation loan UK .
Credit Rating
What Does Your Credit Score Tell You?
December 29, 2009
When you apply for a loan or a mortgage, the first thing the lender does is to check your credit score. Based on your credit score, the lender decides the amount of finance you are eligible for and the interest rate at which you will be charged. So what is this credit score and how does it influence your capacity to take fresh credit?
Your credit score is a number that reflects on the likelihood at which you will pay back a loan. Credit scores generally range between 300 and 800. In general, a score of above 620 is needed to avail of a loan at lower costs. If you have a low credit score, it would indicate high risk and would make it difficult for you to obtain fresh credit at reasonable costs.
Mortgage Refinancing - Does Size Matter After All?
December 28, 2009
Hopefully your ego has never had to experience the words, "It’s okay honey. Size doesn’t matter." After all, what’s important is the quality right? In a perfect world, perhaps this is true, but in the realm of mortgage refinancing, what is best is usually based on length. Let me explain.
The majority of mortgages are given at terms of either 15 or 30 years. This simply means that if you have a mortgage of $150,000, you will have to pay it off in pre-calculated payments (fixed mortgage) over the next 15 or 30 years depending on which loan you have chosen.
Both long term (30 years) and short term (15 years) loans have their benefits and drawbacks. With a long term loan, you are going to benefit from having significantly lower monthly payments. This makes sense because the loan amount is spread out over a longer period of time. However, because the length of the loan is extended over 30 years, you will be paying higher interest rates and subsequently, more money in interest as opposed to a shorter termed loan.
Payday Loans - Ways to Keep Your Costs Low
December 27, 2009
Payday loans offer a fast and easy solution to financial emergencies. But, costs can add up if you don’t pay the loan off or borrow excessive amounts. To use payday loans wisely, follow these tips.
Borrow What You Need
You may be instantly approved for $1000, but it will cost you more than a $500 loan. The fees may be the same for both loans, but the interest fees will be higher for the $1000 loan.
Save yourself cash by only borrowing what you need to cover your expenses. With the lower amount, you can pay off your payday loan quicker, saving even more money.
Compare Payday Lender Fees
Payday lenders charge different fees and interest rates, so compare lenders. Payday lenders are required by law to post their fees and rates. You can quickly compare these fees and interest rates through online payday lenders.
When comparing, look for both the flat financing fee and interest rates. Add these two amounts to get the true financing cost of the payday loan. This extra step will save cash, especially if you rollover your loan.
Pay Back Your Cash Advance ASAP
Mortgage Refinancing Companies — Choosing The Right One
December 26, 2009
Searching for a mortgage refinance company can be a daunting task. In a moderately sized city, there could be at least several major refinancing companies and several smaller local refinancing institutions. In a larger city, you can easily have hundreds of refinancing companies. If you add in the access to mortgage companies via the Internet, the options are truly limitless. With so many options, how can you find the right lender to refinance your home mortgage loan?
One aspect that needs to be considered when searching for the perfect mortgage company is experience. This is not to say that an inexperienced lender will not be able to give you the best refinancing rates on your mortgage. Instead, when referring to experience, I am talking about experience pertaining to your refinancing needs. For example, if your credit score is not as high as it should be, you would want to choose a lender that has experience in dealing with homeowners with less than perfect credit.
Credit Repair: How To Deal With Your Creditors
December 25, 2009
If you are in danger of credit problems because you have more debts than you can handle, there are things you can do at least keep your creditors reasonably happy.
First, prioritize your debts or rank them in terms of the ones that can give you the most trouble the quickest. If you’re three months behind on your utility bill and the company is threatening to cut off your power, you should deal with this debt first.
Second, be sure to keep an accurate log of all phone conversations with creditors and copies of all correspondence.
This way, you will have a good record of what’s going on, to whom you spoke last, the date of that conversation and its result. It’s not uncommon for large corporations to have different people or even different departments contacting you about late or missed payments. If you keep accurate records, you will always be able to defend yourself against the claim that you have been unresponsive or uncooperative.
How to Compare Fixed Rate Mortgages and Adjustable Rate Mortgages
December 25, 2009
There are many types of mortgages, and the more you know about them before you start, the better. To compare one Adjustable Rate Mortgage with another or with a fixed-rate mortgage, you need to know about indexes, margins, discounts, caps, negative amortization, and convertibility. You need to consider the maximum amount your monthly payment could increase. Most important, you need to compare what might happen to your mortgage costs with your future ability to pay.
FIXED RATE MORTGAGES
In a fixed-rate mortgage, your interest rate stays the same for the term of the mortgage. The main advantage of a fixed-rate mortgage is that you always know exactly how much your mortgage payment will be, and you can plan for it.
Benefits and Advantages:
- Low rates for the full term of your mortgage
- Security of a fixed monthly payment for the life of you loan, regardless of fluctuations in interest rates
- More stability may give you peace-of-mind
Disadvantages
- Higher initial monthly payments compared to those of adjustable rate mortgages
- Less flexibility
ADJUSTABLE RATE MORTGAGE (ARM).
How To Protect Yourself Against Identity Theft
December 24, 2009
Identity theft is a serious crime that continues to grow. If you become a victim of identity theft, you may spend months, or years, trying to repair the damage. A compromised credit report can ruin your chances of getting a new job, a loan, insurance or even housing. It’s true that it is possible that you could be arrested for a crime you didn’t commit if someone else has used your identity to break a law.
Unfortunately, many of the methods that thieves use to steal identities are completely beyond your control. Although it’s rare, some store clerks have been known to use their position to give or sell information to identity thieves. There are some measures you can take, however, that will make it harder for them to steal your identity.
Protect Your Credit Card Number When Making Purchases:
After you make a purchase and your credit or debit card has been swiped through a credit card terminal, check to make sure that the printed receipt hides all but the last four digits of your credit card account number (there will usually be an x in place of the first twelve digits).
