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Small Personal Loans – These Low Interest, Unsecured Loans Can Save You Money

What is a small personal loan? It is a loan very often thought of as a pay-day loan, those outrageously high-interest loans than tie you over until your next paycheck. But for many people, it is an unsecured loan or line of credit under $10,000 to be used in place of credit cards for a variety of reasons.

Why are these loans hard to get? The problem most people have with unsecured loans is that they have poor credit which disqualifies them from obtaining this type of loan. With poor or no credit, most lenders want some form of collateral in case you default on the loan. But for those with good credit, there are a number of lenders that offer small, personal credit loans at interest rates well below that of most credit cards.

How can this type of loan save you money? It can be used to:

  • Consolidate debt at a lower interest rate
  • Make a major purchase with an extended payment plan at favorable interest rates
  • Pay for unexpected expenditures over time at interest rates better than credit cards
  • Have a safety net in case of an emergency

The interest rate on a small personal loan can be as low as 5.9%, a rate well below that of most credit cards. Thus, consolidating credit card debt with a small personal loan could save you hundreds of dollars.

Energy improvements to your home, like new windows or an energy-efficient furnace, are costly, but can save you thousands of dollars over the years. If you don’t have enough equity in your home to qualify for a second mortgage or home equity line of credit, an unsecured personal loan may be the next best thing to allow you to make these improvements now rather than later.

Nearly everyone from time to time is faced with emergency expenditures. Dental bills that aren’t covered by insurance, an unexpected trip to cover a family crisis, an auto repair bill that runs into thousands of dollars — all are unexpected incidents that aren’t in the family budget. A small personal loan can help ease the financial burden of these expenses.

Where can you get a small personal loan? The first place to look for this loan is your current bank, savings and loan or credit union. Although having an account with the institution doesn’t always mean success in securing the loan, it’s the best place to start. In addition, there are a number of online lenders that offer these loans at excellent interest rates.

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The One Thing You Need For Success In Business

When you’re in business, it doesn’t matter if you’re self-employed, or working for a huge organization. The only thing that matters is your success. You can’t buy success, or wait around for someone else to plunk it down on you. And of course, no amount of flattery can lead you up the ladder of success. It’s a known fact – you have to work for success. And here the most important tip for your success in business, which you can use to become more successful in your chosen line of work:

Make Your Work, Your Passion

Find out which aspects of your work triggers your passion, because having this passion will motivate you to go on, even when you face difficult times.

Now there are a few people who work for money. Money is an important part of your life, I understand. Some might even say money can motivate you to work harder. But without your passion, you simply can’t go on with just the prospect of earning more money. Your passion can ignite your drive to work better, thus leading you to more success.

Having said that, there are still some people who are doing their jobs, only because they’re qualified but not really passionate about what they do. I mean, think about the number of times you’ve heard about someone popular who’s doing something completely opposite to their educational qualifications.

Take Tom Cruise for example. He actually enrolled in a Franciscan seminary to study for priesthood at the age of 14. But fortunately for all Tom Cruise fans, he found his passion in acting, and the rest is history.

Yes, Tom Cruise found his passion quite early in his life. I understand some people can take longer to find their passion. But the fact remains, you can only be successful at something you are passionate about.

If you’re not satisfied with your line of work, or feel you are destined for something different, it’s never too late to find your passion. An experienced image consultant can work wit you to help you discover hidden talents, uncover your passion, and help you on your way to success.

Try it! After all, what do you have to lose? In fact, you’ll be able to understand yourself much better, once you figure out what makes you happy in your professional life.

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5 Things You Must Do If You Need Help With Credit Card Debt

The best free debt advice you’ll ever get!

I’ve decided to create a list to take the confusion away for those looking for help with their credit card debt.

The top 5 things you MUST do to get out of debt faster.

1. CALL YOUR CREDITORS

While this may seem incredibly obvious, I am constantly surprised at how many people haven’t taken the time to call up their creditors and tell them about their situation. The number one thing you want to ask is, “Based on my payment history, am I eligible for a better interest rate?”

As my mom used to say, “The squeaky wheel, gets the oil.” You may be eligible for a better interest rate, and often all you have to do is ask. It doesn’t hurt to try! If your creditor says yes, GREAT! If not, all you lost was a phone call.

2. DO A BUDGET

By far this is the most overlooked AND most important step of getting help. Most peopl avoid doing this because they often don’t want to see their situation on paper, and/or they think they don’t have the time. GIVE ME A BREAK! You don’t have time not to do this…the quicker you get a hold of your finances the sooner you stop working just to pay your credit cards. MAKE the time. Their are all kinds of free budget worksheets online, and I hvae one included in the Free Debt Workbook on my site. DO THIS STEP!

3. PUT TOGETHER A LIST

Once you’ve gotten an idea of where your money is going, and how much you are currently spending on your debts, you needs to put together a list of WHO you owe and EXACTLY HOW MUCH you owe them. You can’t get out of debt if you don’t know where you are starting.

4. RESEARCH YOUR OPTIONS

There is a lot of confusion as to what debt programs are out there, and which is best for your situation. For most people their are only 2 options.

One option is Consumer Credit Counseling, which is often mistakenly called debt consolidation.

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Consumer Credit Counseling and Debt Management Plans

Consumer credit counseling was once a program people looked into when they thought bankruptcy might be their only option. In fact, it was and is still required that anyone who does declare bankruptcy complete a counseling course prior to being given the go ahead by the courts. As a side note to consumer credit counseling, it is found that many people can resolve their debt problems though a debt management plan instead. This type debt relief program has helped hundreds of thousands toward a future of debt elimination.

The reason that debt management ends up being so much more successful than other forms of counseling is because the outstanding credit card debt is actually lessened though the restructuring of those outstanding loans. This is done through negotiations with creditors, who become convinced that the consumer is likely to declare bankruptcy, in which case they might receive nothing at all toward what is due them. There is an incentive for them to agree to new amounts, and there’s certainly incentive on the part of the consumer with this type of credit debt help.

Debt management programs do have certain qualifications that a person must meet before they can be accepted into a program. Unlike debt settlement, which is for those in the most dire circumstances, this type debt advice is for those with have a job or a steady stream of income. It is for those who have met with unfortunate circumstances like a salary cut, major medical bills or other unforeseen things that have effected their income and budgeting. It is not for those who simply could never keep to a budget. This is a credit card debt solution that one has to work hard at, but one that has the end goal of eliminating debt.

It takes a good debt manager to give the consumer the right type help with credit card debt relief. It’s all about helping to establish a good discipline for saving money, for then negotiating with creditors and for keeping the consumer informed and aware of progress. By choosing a good debt management office, the consumer is informed of what they have to do, about debt relief tax, and about how and when their creditors are paid off. Most can complete – depending on the amount of outstanding credit loans – a program within three to five years.

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Low Interest Business Loans

Regardless of the state of the economy, all entrepreneurs, either new at their trade or old hats in business, when seeking financing, tend to get caught up in haggling over the lowest possible interest rate that they can achieve.

Who can blame them? Cost savings – especially while we are still experiencing recession like economic symptoms – may be the key to their business’s survival and their personal financial future.

But, sometimes, merely basing a financing decision on just its cost (its interest rate in this case) alone can be even more detrimental. All business decisions should be taken in the whole – with both benefits and costs consider simultaneously – especially with business loans.

Let me explain: In today’s market, any offer of a business loan – regardless of its costs – should not be taken lightly given the fact that these business transactions are hard to come by. Thinking that this interest rate is too high and that a better one will come along tomorrow may just be destructive thinking as nothing may come along tomorrow – especially in this continued sluggish economy and all lenders being overly cautious.

Further, if the business owner’s decision hinges so much on the rate of the loan, then maybe a business loan is not something the business truly needs at this time or may be a decision that just spirals the business further along an unhealthy path.

Example: Let’s take a simple but common business loan situation. A $100,000 loan for 5 years with monthly payments at 8% interest. This loan would require monthly payments of $2,028 for the next 60 months. Now, let’s say the interest rate was 12% instead of 8%. This would result in a monthly payment of $2,225 – nearly $200 per month higher. A significant increase – nearly 10% higher with the larger interest rate.

This is what most business owners, when seeking outside capital tend to get caught up in – the lower rate means more savings for the business and thus a better decision.

But, what happens if the current lender will not lower the rate from 12% to 8%? Or, if another, lower rate loan / lender does not come along? Is it still a good business decision?

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