Christmas Loan - Myth Revealed

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Secured Personal Loans 101
Here is a useful guide to secured personal loans. A secured personal loan is the generic term for a loan. A secured personal loan is when you take out a loan that is secured on your property.

A secured personal loan is secured against your home to act as security to the lender for the money you have borrowed. A secured personal loan is often referred to as a homeowner loan.

S... Read loans article



Auto Title Loans - How Vulnerable Consumers Are Targeted
It's Monday and you're desperate. You don't get paid until Friday and you have to pay your electric bill by tomorrow or your electricity will be shut off. Your credit is bad and you can't get a loan or borrow money from your friends or family. What do you do?

If you own your own automobile you can easily obtain an Auto Title Loan from many lenders nationwide.

Lenders who offe... Read loans article



Christmas Loan - Myth Revealed
If you think Harry Potter was going to be the most imaginative marketing plot this Christmas, think again. Each Christmas as consumers look at their finances and investigate the different sources of funding to cover their Christmas shopping, loan companies and credit card providers polish up their marketing tactics and customer service skills.

No doubt some of you will see an advertisement for a Christmas loan over the next few months. Unfortunately for you it's not provided by a jollyvaceous (curvy and happy) bearded man in a red, furry suit. It's more likely to be a cunning marketing initiative by a loans company, designed to exploit consumer cash concerns over Christmas.

If you need credit over Christmas - you will probably fare better with a credit card, but if you have to take out a loan, you'd be better to search for a standard personal loan, on a secured or unsecured basis. There are plenty of sites which offer price comparison services for credit cards and loans. The most popular ones include moneynet, moneysupermarket and lowermybills, but if you really want the best deal - why not visit them all and cross-reference the fairest deal.

When searching for a credit card - there are several things you need to consider. Firstly, you may wish to transfer existing debt from your old credit card, by taking advantage of an introductory interest free period on a new credit card. Despite the apparent 0% interest rate on all balance transfers - do ensure that you are genuinely being charged no interest and that once the interest free period is over - you're not going to be hit by an unusually high APR (Annual Percentage Rate) - the interest rate. Also look out for additional charges and hidden fees on the credit card and make sure you have set up your account for minimum repayments.

Credit cards offer you greater flexibility in your repayments than personal loans, though credit cards may be sold with higher rates of interest. You can pay off the balance on your credit card early without a charge and as long as you track what you're buying on plastic and set up minimum repayments, you're likely to manage the debt effectively. However, do bear in mind that late repayments and fines may affect your credit history, so don't assume that just because you can't see the debt that it isn't there.

Personal loans can be a suitable credit solution - if you need to make the repayments over a longer period. However, you need to be a realistic about the total repayments - firstly that you can afford them and secondly - that you're prepared to make all of them. For example, if you decide half way through the term of the loan that you could actually afford to pay it off in full, you should be aware that there will probably be an early repayment charge which may bring the amount to the same as the total number of repayments.

Credit is for life, not just for Christmas; what you pile on to plastic in December may lead to a significant financial hangover in January. The best thing you can do is plan your shopping in advance, shop around (including online) and stick to your list of what you intend to buy - no impulse purchases!

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Resources

Price comparison research for loans

Personal loan consumer guide

About Rachel:

Rachel writes for the personal finance blog Cashzilla - a mighty personalfinanosaurus living in the hills around Edinburgh.

Cashzilla - mighty personalfinanosaurus

Contact details:

Rachel Lane

E-mail: rachel@positiveinterest.com

Phone: 0131 561 2251

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Direct Loans Primer

Direct loans are convenient, flexible and simple. A Direct loan is a loan by a lender to a customer without the use of a third party. This type of loan enables the lender to have greater discretion in the distribution of loans. Typically the lender is the U.S. Department of Education rather than a bank or financial institution. The federal government provides four types of direct loan financing.

These direct loans vary in criteria and repayment schedules:

- The Federal Direct Subsidized Stafford/Ford Loan is a direct loan, which means you do not pay the interest on the loan while you are school at least part-time. This particular type of Direct loan is based on the student financial need in accord with federal regulations.

- The Federal Direct Unsubsidized Stafford/Ford Loan is a direct loan the government charges you interest while you are in school. The student does not need to be in extreme financial need to receive this type of loan.

- The Federal Direct PLUS loan is a direct loan designed for parents without an adverse financial history who wish to borrow money for their dependent student. In order for a student to be dependent he or she may not be 24 years or older, a graduate or professional student, someone with legal dependents, an orphan or a ward of the court. Parents of independent students are not eligible to apply for this type of loan.

- The Federal Direct Consolidation loan is a consolidation of one or more federal loans combined into a direct loan. A single monthly payment is made to the U.S. Department of Education. It is to the student's advantage to consolidate, due to lower interest rates.

Direct loans give you the simplicity of having one contact for concerns with your financial assistance. You are able to have access to your Direct loan information on-line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. You are given the flexibility to choose your repayment options and are able to change your schedule as your needs change.

Check out the direct loans blogger at http://directloans.blogspot.com He reviews direct loans and interprets complicated financial data into simple to understand language.


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Christmas Loan - Myth Revealed
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