Why not to use a Payday Loan to pay for a Vacation
We all run into those financial emergencies at one point in our life. Some people have money saved for these occasions, others use credit cards, and others again use a payday loan to fill the financial gap for the 15 to 30 days where we need the cash. This is what a payday loan is for. Be able to make it to the next paycheck. Pay for the car repair because without a car you will be out of work soon. Situations like this are where the payday loan does its duty.
However, some payday loan lenders advertise their loans to be used for normal consumer needs. Needs? Well, not really. These lenders play with your desire for having a new TV, a new iPhone or iPod, or to go on vacation. Sure, we all like to treat us to those nice things in life, but we need to be able to pay for it and not necessarily to buy these items on credit. Especially, not to buy these items on very expensive credit.
While this article is mainly written with the payday loan situation in mind, it also applies to using a credit card to pay for these items. In both cases you put a consumer purchase onto a very expensive credit account. The initial interest fee on the credit card might be lower, but statistics show that consumers easily need 18-24 months to fully pay off their purchase. That is very expensive at 18%-27% if you ask me. A payday loan is even more expensive, but it forces the customer to re-pay the loan much faster, which is a good thing. The initial interest rate for this type of loan is higher, but the time between when the loan is taken out and when it is paid back is much shorter.
So, while these are the basics the real story is that both types of loans are not designed to be used for normal consumer purchases. We all have seen what the last recession has done to consumers who were in debt way over their head. The number of foreclosures and bankruptcy filings has sky-rocketed. While some blame goes out to the banks and mortgage companies, a lot of blame has to go to those consumers who financed non-critical purchases with very expensive loan type. Everything is good while you have a job, but when the money gets tight these loans are going to destroy your financial status.
Conclusion: Payday loans are a financial product that is designed to be used in a financial emergency. It is expensive, but payday loans are granted faster than a normal bank loan + they do not affect your normal credit history. A fast payday loan is not to be used for normal consumer purchases for gadgets, TVs, iPhones, or cars. Used with the proper understanding of how these loan work is essential to your financial well being.
Cheap Home Loans
Simply put, the “cheapest” home loan or mortgage is the one that costs you the least over the term of the loan taking into account interest rates, fees and penalties. If you are looking for a cheap home loan deal, here are some tips that could save you time and money:
Dont assume that your trusty bank of 20 years is going to give you the best deal today because they offered you a great deal the last time you needed a home loan. Today, there are a lot more home loan options than there used to be.
There are hundreds of home loan products available and shopping around could save you tens of thousands of dollars. The Internet has made comparing home loans fast and easy. With todays online mortgage comparison tools, it is possible to identify a list of potentially suitable home loans in a few minutes. Comparing home loans with the aid of these advanced tools is the smart and convenient way to find you ideal home loan.
Nowadays, prospective borrowers are bombarded with marketing claims of “discounted” or “low” rates. Often these so called “discount rates” may only be introductory offers or come with other fees and conditions in the fine print. It is important to look beyond the headline rates and see what you are actually getting. A good comparison tool could help you see beyond the hype and hidden costs.
Consider your particular circumstances carefully. One home loan product may be ideal for one borrower but may not be the best option for another. The terms and features specific to each loan product could make a huge difference to their cost over the term of the loan.
One way to reduce accrued interest is to make biweekly repayments rather than monthly repayments. An even better way to reduce interest is to take advantage of the offset feature offered by many lenders. Offset facilities allow you to deposit your spending money into a linked account, whereby the balance is subtracted (offset) from the home loan principal. This is especially beneficial if you have significant amounts of money coming into your accounts on a regular basis.
Redraw facilities, if used effectively, could also save you a great deal of money over the term of your mortgage. Every time you receive a lump sum of money or have any money left over, you could deposit it into your mortgage account, reducing the principal and therefore the interest. Then, when you need money for an emergency or unexpected expense, many good home loan products will let you take it out again without fees. Parking additional money in your home loan is better than putting it into high interest accounts, which usually pay a lower rate of interest than the interest charged on home loans.
Conversely, even small penalties and fees can compound and be extremely costly over the term of the loan. Beware of fees and penalties such as monthly recurring fees, late payment penalties and redraw fees.
On a final note, beware of costly “exit fees” that may apply for several years after you take out a mortgage. Special introductory rates often come with severe penalties in the event that you pay off of the mortgage within a few years, and this could be a considerable burden if you are forced to sell your home.