Core Columns

Articles about what matters most to you.

Archive for the ‘Personal and Corporate Finance’ Category

Top Secrets of Credit Repair Specialists!

Thursday, April 15th, 2010

If your credit has some issues that you would like to take care of, you may be wondering if it is time to call a credit repair specialist.  Before you do, consider this: There is nothing that any professional can do for your credit that you cannot do for yourself.  (The exception being having an attorney sue a creditor for illegal collection practices!)

As long as you have the desire to learn and the time to invest, there is no reason that you cannot repair your own credit.  Here are some strategies that are used by the pros for fast credit repair.

Pay for Delete

Most consumers think that when they have collection accounts, the best thing that they can do is to pay them off.  Unfortunately, many people who do this find that paying off collection accounts actually lowers their credit score.  The reason is that recent credit counts a lot more in your credit score than older items.  When you pay off a collection account you renew the last activity date and in doing so cause the account to impact your credit score much more.

What you want to do is contact the creditor directly and arrange for a pay for delete.  This should be done in writing up front before you make a payment.  This agreement, which should be signed, states that in exchange for payment in full the creditor agrees to delete the account completely from your credit file.  Only after you have a written agreement in place should you make a payment.  Be sure to hang on to the letter – you may need it later if the creditor fails to keep their end of the bargain and keeps reporting the account to your credit.

Piggybacking

Many people think that piggybacking, or becoming an authorized user, is no longer a viable credit restoration strategy.  This is because the new rules of FICO 08 put an end to people’s ability to pay a total stranger to add them to their accounts in hopes of raising their credit score.

This does not mean that you cannot still use piggybacking to improve your credit.  The new rules simply mean that you will have to get a parent or spouse to add you to their accounts.

Adverse Credit Remortgages Help You Get A Loan

Sunday, March 28th, 2010

When you want or need to remortgage your home but you have bad credit, adverse credit remortgages may be a good option for you. They are not the right choice for everyone but if you have been refused a regular mortgage, they may be the perfect answer. Following is some information for you.

The purpose of these mortgages is specifically to provide loans for people who have poor credit. In some cases, it is because the credit report shows rent or mortgage payments that have not been made. In other cases, there is a history of bankruptcy which is, of course, viewed as bad credit.

Some people do not actually have a poor credit history. They are self-employed and, because of that, are not able to prove a regular income. Whichever category you fall into, this type of mortgage may be the answer.

If your credit is only slightly bad, you may be able to secure this type of loan from a normal lender. Or there are also lenders who make a specialty of this type of mortgage. In this case, the interest rate may be a bit higher than with a standard lender.

Standard or specialty, your interest rate will be higher with this type of loan. The amount higher will depend on the state of your credit. The worse it is, the more of a risk you will be viewed as and, therefore, the higher the interest. You will end up paying 1% more over standard, at the least.

There are some benefits however. By taking out an adverse credit remortgage and making your payments on time, your credit report can improve. You will need to do this over a long time period for this to occur. But they do represent a way to get out of the hole that is bad credit.

If you can be accepted for a normal remortgage, you should do so to take advantage of the lower rates. If you cannot, then there are options. Bad credit rating remortgages are among them.

Benefits And Uses Of Home Equity Loans

Friday, March 19th, 2010

One of the best things about home equity loans is that home equity loans with bad credit are easier to qualify for than any other type of loan. The reason that they are so much easier to qualify for is that you are putting your house down as collateral. If you fail to pay your loan, the lender has the option of foreclosing on your house so that they can get their money back.

Another benefit to a home equity loan is that it usually has better interest rates than other types of loans. The interest rates are not going to be as low as your original mortgage, but they won’t be as high as other loan options. The interest rate that you qualify for is going to vary based on your credit score; the better your credit score the lower your interest rate is going to be. Another great thing about the interest with a home equity loan is that majority of the time the interest is considered tax deductible, but before you claim it on your taxes; you will want to talk to a tax professional.

Another benefit to applying for a home equity line of credit is that you can qualify for larger loans. Most personal loans for people with bad credit have a cap on them. For example, if you put down the title of your car as a guarantee you can only borrow as much as the car is currently worth. With a home equity loan, you can borrow as much money as you want, as long as you have that amount built up in equity in your home.

The most common uses for a home equity loan are to make improvements to your house, such as replacing your windows or even remodeling your kitchen. Another common use of home equity loans is to purchase a second home that you can use as a rental property.

Where, Oh Where Have All The 5000 Loans Gone

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

They are here.  They are on the Internet. It’s easy to find lenders who want to make a $5000 loan to you. You just type in the words:  money wanted, and you will be give a lot of websites.
The first thing you do when you go to a website is to fill out an application. This tells the lender a little bit about you. The lender will decide if you are the type of borrower he is looking for. Different lenders loan money for different reasons to different people. The lenders that will want to loan money to you will e-mail or call you. They will ask you some questions. Then they will offer you a $5000 loan at a certain interest rate for a certain time. If you have your choice between two or more lenders, you can pick the program that works best for you.
Some lenders can get you the money faster.  Sometimes the interest rate is lower with one lender then with another. Sometimes one lender will give you longer to repay the loan.
These loans get you money fast. They do not require any money up front. Many of these lenders do not require a credit report. These lenders are concerned with your ability to repay this loan. They want to know that you have the income to repay the loan.
Once the lender gets your application and you agree on an interest rate and terms, the lender will send you the documents to sign. When the documents are returned, the lender will send you the money. If the lender is in your area, you can do this in person. If the lender is far away, it can be done by mail.
The 5000 loans have gone to the Internet.  It is fast and easy to get these 5000 loans.

The Availability Of Short Term Car Insurance Provides Peace Of Mind When Others Drive Your Car

Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010

When you borrow a friend or family members car or if you loan yours out there is always the worry over an accident occurring and there not being any coverage. There is now short term car insurance available for just this reason. This is good news for those who chose to drive a friend or family members car without insurance due to the cost of long term policies.

You can purchase coverage effective for one day to twenty eight days. If you have children in college for example and they drive your car while home, this policy could be taken out to cover the car while your children are driving.

Until insurance companies began doing the temporary coverage the only options available were to drive without coverage, which is illegal in most states or take out a full years policy. Paying for a year when only a few days were needed was a loss of a lot of money.

This form of insurance has many benefits to it and is rather inexpensive. Most purchasers will be covered immediately after paying the fee. For information regarding discounts with your current provider call the agent that now handles your policy to inquire about their coverage and possible discounts.

This insurance is perfect for any temporary use of a vehicle. Should you need to rent a car and your insurance would not cover it, this policy would. Anytime you have to drive someone else vehicle or if you loan yours to someone the insurance would cover any accident.

If you would prefer not to go with your current provider, search online for companies offering short term auto insurance. Many of the companies accept your application online and will insure immediate coverage after you submit your payment on line. When buying online always purchase from those offering verified safety for payments and try to go with a company you are familiar with.

Improve Your Chances Of Approval For Online Loans With Bad Credit

Thursday, February 25th, 2010

Having bad credit will take you out of the running for a number of opportunities. You may find that finding an unsecured credit card is next to impossible. Online loans with bad credit can help you get money you need to pay for emergencies, you just need to get a few things in order first.

Credit Rating

Order your credit report to see what your current credit rating is. What does your payment track record look like? Do you constantly go over the balance on your accounts? Knowing a little bit about your credit report will help you as you apply for online loans. Your credit rating speaks volumes about your ability to control your spending and to pay your debts. Lenders look for responsible borrowers that can meet all of their monthly payment obligations with no problem. To help repair your credit, apply for secured credit cards because they help you learn how credit cards work and they prevent you from spending too much money.

Collateral

Usually online lenders won’t ask for any type of collateral but that doesn’t mean you should offer it. Collateral can secure your loan by giving the lender something to collect if you default on the loan. Having collateral can also increase the credit limit the lender can offer you. Online lenders usually ask for your home’s equity as collateral as they can offer you more money and collect more money from you.

Income

You must have a job in order to receive approval for an online loan. Lenders need to see that you can repay the money you borrow and that it will not take you a lifetime to do so. They may give you higher interest rates because of your bad credit, but you can reduce this by paying back the loan in a timely manner.

Computers with Buy Now Pay Later Plans

Thursday, February 11th, 2010

Some people find it difficult to be able to afford the exact computer they want. So if don’t have the full amount of money yet, don’t go off yet and buy a second rate machine, because buy now pay later plans may be just what you need.

There may be a number of reasons why you would want to look into computer financing. You may have spent most of your savings on something else, maybe your previous computer accidentally broke and you quickly need to replace it, or you want to buy a high performance computer but just don’t want to wait for months until you have the money. Getting a cheaper laptop would probably not be the best solution if you plan to be using it for awhile, so that’s why buy now pay later computers are so great. Like many other commodities and appliances, buying a computer on time will help you to be able to spread out the payment for your computer.

You can get most brands of computers with a buy now pay later scheme, the manufacturers don’t usually provide this service, instead, it is generally the retailer companies who allow you buy their products on time.

There are a large amount of online stores in which you can find buy now pay later computers and laptops, one of the best places you can find is at europc.com, the website is based out of England, but the products can be shipped abroad. What’s more, many companies like this are now offering 0% interest rate and some do not even require a deposit.

With the economic climate of today, it’s understandable that you wouldn’t want to spree all your money on a computer. A computer with a financing plan is one of the smartest options to choose if you’re low on cash. If you invest in a quality computer, and pay it on time, it will be better for you in the long run.

Is Cash Gifting Legal?

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

The United States has a law that says a person can gift – or give – you a certain amount of money without tax penalties. Discovering this law has led many down the road to investing in cash gifting. There are some who say they make six figures a year off of cash gifting. They never report their earnings to the government because cash gifting involves sending money through the mail to another person. An all cash business can hardly be traced by the government, so they use this loophole to make as much as they desire without consequences. But is this course of action legal?

Ignore the morality of the situation and focus on the laws surrounding it. For starters, cash gifting must be done without any advertisement involved whatsoever. Right there, you’ll find that these programs break the law. Many submit their site to Google, which is without a doubt an advertising method. This is one of the more sordid methods to make money with Google. Then too, they send out emails to various people, asking them to join for a price as low as $5, or sometimes an exuberant amount like $2500. That much money in cash needs to be forwarded to the postal address of the person who invited you in, who will then call or write you saying “Thank you for your gift.”

But it wasn’t a gift. That money went towards buying your way into the program, so that you can get cash in the mail large amounts like your sponsor did, without him having to shave money off the top. Usually these programs are set up in levels marked by dollar amounts – $100, $250, $500, $1000 or $2500 are the most common figures. If you send in $100, you’re only allowed to get $100 in cash at a time. The rest goes to your sponsor. So if someone sends you $2500, you take $100 and the other $2400 goes to the person above you who’s in the qualifying level to receive it.

This is certainly not legal. No matter how it’s worded on the website, you are buying your way into a program after it had been advertised to you. You’re not donating to a worthy cause like a disaster relief. You’re lining people’s pockets. Phrasing this as “cash gifting” is certainly not legal.

Understanding The Pros And Cons Of Unsecured Credit Cards For Bad Credit

Wednesday, February 10th, 2010

Unsecured credit cards for bad credit will provide you with the opportunity to pay for emergency needs and you can work on rebuilding your credit. To understand the differences between unsecured credit cards and a bad credit personal loan, here is a simple guideline.

Unsecured credit cards

An unsecured credit card is like a bad credit personal loan because you will have a monthly fee if you borrow money. The interest rates are usually very high for bad credit individuals. Unsecured credit cards offer a chance to rebuild your credit, as long as you control your spending. Here are pros and cons to unsecured credit cards:

  • Easy access to funds whenever you need them, as long as you haven’t already borrowed and neglected to repay those funds.
  • One time application fee. Some unsecured credit cards will charge a one time application fee in order for you to gain approval for the card.
  • Yearly fees. Since you have bad credit, lenders will charge yearly fees in order to allow you to continue using the card.
  • High interest rates. Unsecured credit cards have interest rates above 15%, which can destroy your ability to repay the money you borrow.
  • Harsh late payment fees. If you miss a payment, you will be penalized heavily.

Bad credit personal loan

A bad credit personal loan may be a better option over an unsecured credit card because you will get a set monthly payment amount. You also know when the loan will be completely paid off, giving you a glimmer of hope for the future.

  • The interest rates are incredibly high. Personal loans have interest rates that usually range higher than 20%!
  • You must have a job to gain approval for the loan. Without a source of income, how can a lender expect you to meet your monthly payment obligations?
  • If your credit is poor, you may only qualify for loan limits of $500 or less. Is $500 really going to help?

Advantages of Rent to Own and Owner Financing!

Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010

If you are looking at rent to own and owner finance homes for sale, you may be wondering if this is the right decision for you.  Let’s take a look at some of the key advantages of owner financing and houses for rent to own.

Monthly payment is going towards the purchase – Each month, a portion of your payment is credited towards the purchase price of the home.  When you rent to own, this is called a rent credit.  With owner financing, it works in the same way that a conventional mortgage would.

Less Cash Out of Pocket –Most rent to own and owner financing deals require significantly less cash out of pocket than conventional financing.  This is especially true since the mortgage market has tightened up.  Rather than having to make a 10% down payment, you can typically get into houses for rent to own for between 2% and 5% of the purchase price of the home.

No Additional Down Payment at Closing – Most of the time, contracts are structured so that you will not have to make any additional down payment when it comes time to get a mortgage of your own.  Your option fee and rent credits are frequently enough to cover the down payment requirements.  Additionally, most lenders will consider the mortgage a refinance and base the requirements off the appraisal rather than the purchase price.  This means that any equity build up in the home will further lessen the amount of cash you will be required to come up with out of pocket.

No waiting on an approval! –Getting a mortgage can be a stressful and lengthy process.  Typically, the process takes a month or more.  During this time, most people are on pins and needles, wondering if they are going to actually get the loan or not.  When you rent to own, you know right away if you are approved.