Friday, October 28, 2011

Fiscal Friday

HappyFiscal Friday!

Okay, it's not a real holiday, but it is a financial tip. If you have debts looming over your head, it's better to know what's coming your way than to avoid it, so for your fiscal Friday tip this week, call your most pressing creditor, if you have one, and open a dialog with them.

You might not hear the answers you want, more than likely you won't, but at least you will know where you stand. Don't promise to pay money you don't and won't have, but do let them know, calmly, that you are not trying to stiff them, you just don't have it.

Some of them wil be nice, and some will be nasty and pushy. Brace yourself before the call, and know how much, if anything, you will be able to pay them and when.

If this does not offer any solace, try a credit counseling service, but check out their better business bureau ratings before you commit or sign anything, because some of them are scams and will leave you in a worse situation than you were in when you started.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Private Bad Credit Loans and Lenders

Author: Minnisha DeGrate

The Internet is the best and the fastest way to find private bad credit lenders. It also offers opportunity for those who are unable to get loans from private lenders or other financial institutions of bad credit.
There are certain bad credit lenders that specialize in high risk loans , financially troubled people, and grant them loans at certain amounts with the corresponding terms and conditions. Financial institutions are always looking for creative ways of getting people approved for bad credit auto loans. Not to worry many bad credit lenders are still willing to give you the loan you need.

Direct Bad Credit Lenders

Direct lenders are, as the name implies, banks and other lending institutions that lend money directly to the consumer. As part of our business, we have helped many of our customers raise their credit scores and reestablish their car credit by financing a vehicle with a bad credit auto loan.
So, if you have bad credit and are looking to borrow some money or obtain new credit, you should consider using private bad credit loans lenders.

Dealing With Bad Credit Loans Lenders

Even when dealing with bad credit loans lenders, the transaction is a serious one and both sides need to respect the other which means paying back each and every cent as agreed to. The best type of loan agreement to enter into is one that doesn't charge large penalties should the loan be paid off early.

Bad Credit Interest Rates

But beware of such gimmicks as there are several other genuine bad credit lenders who will offer you much better loans. There are some lenders who charge an interest rate as high as 26%. The interest rates are higher but many times are not as high as some of the traditional banks that offered these types of loans in the past. With bad credit lenders there are usually no fees to apply. The only fee attached is the cost of pulling credit and this can be usually a $7 fee or so is what we typically see.

Comparing Private Loan Lenders

Private Bad Credit Loans Lenders have The Power to say YES. It is our sincere honor to be at your service, guiding you to experienced bad credit private lenders who are willing to work with YOU. These are specially established financial institutions, which provide financial assistance to people who find it difficult to get a loan through regular channels.

Bad credit lenders are institutions or organizations that are able to give loans to people in need. If you are in need of a bad credit loan, you can try consulting a bank.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/private-bad-credit-loans-and-lenders-4833020.html

About the Author

If you would like to learn more about how to fix your credit score. Please visit Minnisha's website that entails more information on how to learn more aboutbad credit loans lenders.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

How to Consolidate Student Loans - Federal Versus Private Loan Consolidation

Author: Mary Cala

Student loan consolidation can be used by student or parent borrowers to combine their multiple education loans into one loan with one monthly payment. As any student can take either federal or private student loans, he or she can also take a federal or private consolidation loan to make the education debt more manageable.

Both federal and private student loans offer significant benefits, but federal loans offer borrowers many benefits that don't come with private loans; for instance: low fixed interest rates, income-based repayment plans, loan forgiveness and deferment options. While some private lenders may offer them too, it usually is associated with some strings attached.

For those reasons, every borrower should always exhaust federal student loans options before considering a private loan. The same advice applies to consolidating student loans - always look at federal consolidation loan first and only if you don't qualify for a federal loan of it is not the right choice for any reason, and then seek a private consolidation loan.

It is important to remember that a federal student consolidation loan can't include any private loan. Moreover, if you consolidate your federal student loan into a private consolidation loan, you will lose your federal borrower benefits mentioned above (unless you private lender tries hard to get your business and includes them in the offer).

There are important differences between federal and private student loan consolidation.

First of all, with federal student loan consolidation, you will have a fixed interest rate, while private student loan consolidations are credit-based, which means that your consolidation loan rate will not be locked - it will be variable. So, while you will not have to go through credit check in order to apply for a federal consolidation loan, you will need it to secure a private consolidation loan.

Student loan consolidation rates are determined differently for federal and private consolidations. The interest rates for federal loans are set according to a formula established by federal statue. It's a fixed rate, based on the weighted average of the interest rates on each of your loans at the time you consolidate, rounded up to the nearest 1/8th of a percent and capped at 8.25%.

As private student loans are not funded by the federal government, they are subject to the terms determined by each individual lender (bank, credit union, other financial institution) and the market competition. In private student consolidation loans a borrower's credit is the primary factor in the variable interest rate offered to the borrower. As the base for setting the consolidation loan interest rate, the private lenders most often use the Prime rate or the 3-month LIBOR Rate, to which they add a margin. That margin varies from lender to lender and is applied according to the borrower's credit rating.

With regards to the interest rate on the consolidation loan, it's typical for both federal and private consolidation loan to include 0.25% rate reduction for automated debit payments.

Repayment of federal student consolidation loans begins within 60 days of the disbursement of the loan, with the payback term ranging from 10 to 30 years, depending on the amount of education debt being repaid and on other debts owned, as well as on the repayment option chosen by the borrower. Private student consolidation loans can also have repayment terms of up to 30 years, although they have fewer repayment options. Usually, repayment begins 30 days from the time your private student consolidation loan is funded.

While the most important factors looked at when deciding about how to consolidate student loans are the interest rates, borrower benefits and the terms of repayment, there are also other significant factors, such as: fees or cost to consolidate, prepayment penalties, loan amount limits, customer service, etc.

There are no fees or application costs whatsoever for processing and providing a federal student consolidation loan. It's against the law to ask for advance (up-front) fees for arranging a federal education loan or consolidating federal education loans. However, some federal education loans (e.g. the Stafford and PLUS Loans) may require some fees, but they are always deducted from the disbursement check. On the other hand, private lenders may charge fees for application and processing private consolidation loans. Some private lenders charge fees as high as 4% of the principal you owe.

Federal consolidation loan programs don't require a minimum balance to consolidate student loans; some private lenders require a minimum balance before they consider a borrower's application for consolidation. That amount varies from lender to lender, but usually is between $5,000-$7,500 in US-issued private education loans.

With both federal private consolidations, there are no penalties for prepayment - all payments in excess of scheduled payments will go directly to principal and that will help to repay your consolidation loan faster.

The application process for consolidation of private student loans differs from the federal consolidation. Sometimes applications for private consolidation loans may be easier to complete (often done online or over the phone). However, it's worth remembering that federal loans usually have lower interest rates, borrower benefits and better repayment terms than private student loans. Moreover, federal applications for both original loans and consolidation loans require FAFSA, so with the federal consolidation, your application is already partly completed.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/debt-consolidation-articles/how-to-consolidate-student-loans-federal-versus-private-loan-consolidation-655082.html
About the Author

Mary Cala is the Author and Leading Expert on how to consolidate student loans and she blogs about student loan consolidation. If you'd like to learn about how to consolidate student loans, go to Mary Cala's blog - Consolidation Dept - where she provides tips on consolidating student loans and getting financial aid.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Student Loan Consolidation! Why?

Author: Student Loan Consolidation

Why Student Loan Consolidation? Due to the rising cost of higher education, a large number of students have been forced to finance their education by getting student or education loans. While student loans are easy to get and come with the cheapest rates of interest, paying them off is not so easy for the vast majority of students who find themselves facing mountains of student loan debt.

People generally find it tough to pay back student loans because the loan installments are not calculated keeping in mind other types of student loan debt. Most students also accumulate a number of other loans like huge credit card bills and car loan, which also require financing upon graduation. The best way of getting out of this kind of debt trap is to go in for student loan consolidation. A student loan consolidation program can be a lifesaver for a student and can totally turnaround a negative student loan debt situation to one of good fortune.

There is no logical reason not to seek out student loan consolidation. By finding a student loan consolidation program that meets their personal student loan debt needs, students can avoid defaulting on payments which will leave a permanent red mark on life long credit history. This would make it difficult to get any kind of financing when necessary in the future. On the other hand, by undertaking student loan consolidation, there is the opportunity to easily reduce student loan debt or in some cases eliminate the student loan debt while obviously at the same time streamlining finances and budget. Most student loan consolidation programs also offer credit counseling, which will help you in managing your finances wisely in the future.

The student loan consolidation company pays off all of the student loan debt. This means that the student loan consolidation program payment will be the only payment obligation and can be paid off in easy monthly installments. Students have the option to pay back student loan consolidation charges over a period ten to thirty years. With student loan consolidation, student loan debt has been reduced or eliminated with future obligations becoming due at a time when more earning power is likely. To apply online for student loan consolidation where student loan debt lenders compete and where students can lower their monthly student loan debt payment up to 70 %, students visit: Studentdebtconsolidationprograms.com

Student loan consolidation programs are presented with the goal of reducing student loan debt with students in mind.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/student-loan-consolidation-why-1809901.html
About the Author

Student Loan Consolidation http://www.studentloanconsolidationcalc.com

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Flexi-budget - Planning for uncertain times

Author: Ash Mehta

During these uncertain times, companies need to maintain the discipline of good planning and budgeting, but how can you plan and budget when the goalposts keep moving? Orchard Growth Partners is rolling out a flexible planning and budgeting methodology which allows companies to prepare flexible and layered budgets. To find out more about Orchard’s approach to flexible budgeting contact us at http://www.orchardgrowth.com/.

Entrepreneurs are tired of all the gloom

Everyone’s back from holiday, the beachwear has been packed away for another season and thoughts are starting to turn again to business.

Many of the entrepreneurs we work with have had enough of all the gloom over the last twelve months. They didn’t set up their businesses to manage the cutting of costs. Entrepreneurs set up businesses to bring their ideas to life and grow them further, and that’s want they want to return to now.

Having said that good entrepreneurs will have used the last year to adapt their business models to the challenging times as well as to make their organisations leaner, fitter and better run.

This time last year the climate of uncertainty was such that many SMEs simply didn’t bother to preparing plans or budgets as they didn’t know what assumptions to use. Was the banking crisis just going to affect the

City or would the problems seep across the country? It was only when the Woolworths name disappeared from the High Street that people began to accept that the collapse of Lehmans and HBOS would affect them and their businesses too.

So, many companies have been working without detailed plans and budgets and there’s a danger that some companies will not get back into the discipline of a proper planning and budgeting process.

Is it any easier to budget this year than last?

Well, some people would say not much easier and we have sympathy with that view. However, going a second year without a proper budget just sounds too risky. Therefore, we’re recommending that our clients prepare flexible budgets, in a format which can be readily adjusted to cater for changing circumstances.

There is uncertainty. Companies may not know, for example, when they will appoint a new sales person. In which month should the costs be budgeted? When should they expect revenues to increase from that appointment? When will they open the new office they postponed last year? When will they launch the new product that’s been in development?

Budgets always have assumptions – that’s their strength and their failing. However, if you use budgets properly to monitor performance then how can you hold the management team accountable when there are such big unknowns?

Flexible budgeting

Orchard Growth Partners is rolling out a flexible budgeting methodology which allows companies to prepare flexible and layered budgets. The approach budgets for your business in layers eg. a layer for the ongoing business (split into departments if appropriate), followed by layers of new activities eg. new locations, new headcount, new product launches. Companies can then include or exclude these new activities. For example, what happens if your company decides not to launch that new product? What does it mean for 2010 revenues and profits? Companies can also compare different courses of action and decide which components of growth to include in their final budget.

Once the budget is agreed, Orchard can assist in rolling the budget forward every month, to produce forecasts and adjusting and amending the budget as appropriate. The last thing an entrepreneur wants to hear in their business is “You can’t do that – it’s not in the budget!” This phrase is guaranteed to cause maximum frustration to anybody involved in trying to grow a business. For businesses in this situation, it’s time to throw off the rigidity of traditional budgeting and embrace the concept of flexible planning.

Business moves fast and budgets rarely keep up

It is a sad fact of life but a budget is more than likely to be out of date virtually the moment it is completed. Business today moves very quickly and it is vitally important for any business, big or small, that its planning processes are flexible enough to move with it. Therefore every new opportunity or setback should be used to review business plans and reset business goals. Maybe that salesman will land a long sought-after contract.

Perhaps that merely promising product can become a key product with some marketing. Therefore, the business owner should examine the options, recheck any constraints that might exist and use the opportunity to prepare a new forecast to refocus your business priorities. By doing this, the new forecast may actually end up exceeding the original budget.

The secret is to combine a budget with a series of regularly updated rolling forecasts that replace the often backward looking comparisons with budget, and focus on the requirement to know where the business is going rather than where it has already been.

Remember – budgets and business plans are designed to help the business – don’t become a slave to them!

To find out more about Orchard’s approach to flexible budgeting contact us at http://www.orchardgrowth.com/.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/strategic-planning-articles/flexibudget-planning-for-uncertain-times-1397272.html

About the Author

Ash qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG London, and has worked in finance and commercial roles for Eli Lilly, and Parexel International, a NASDAQ-quoted services company. He has also been Finance Director and Stategy Director of growth companies both Full-listed and AIM-listed, including Ultrasis plc and Raft International plc.

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Financial Help for Single Mothers - Single Moms Going Back to School Get Free Grants and Scholarships

Author: Lindsy Emery

Where does a single mother go to search for financial help? She works five to six days per week, but her income is barely enough to get by. She needs financial help to pay her rent and utilities, buy groceries, and pay for a babysitter. What a challenge it is for a single mother to balance the demands of work and caring for a young, three-year-old boy. She must work to put food on the table, but she needs someone to care for her son while she is gone. This single mother needs financial help just so that she can go to work. It is situations like these that at times prevent single mothers from being able to work. They are concerned about who will care for their child if they go to work. They need financial support to be able to afford child care.

Single mothers in these predicaments have difficulty maintaining the status quo, let alone having financial resources to attend college. With a college degree, this single mother would have better opportunities for higher paying jobs. In turn, having a higher paying job would provide her the financial stability to raise her son and maintain the household. In order to attend college, though, single mothers need financial help to enable them to pay for school and living expenses. A single mother may search for financial help through scholarship/grant programs offered through various websites. Governmental assistance is often available to single mothers. The single mother must put in the time and effort to research the sources available to her.
She must complete the Fafsa application in order to be eligible for financial help from the government. She may also seek out financial help from community organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary clubs, and churches.

Various colleges offer scholarships to single mothers in financial need so that they may pursue a degree. It is a large sacrifice for a single mother to dedicate her time to pursuing a degree as this may take time away from caring for her child and work. In some cases, pursuing a college degree may make it nearly impossible to work at all. Single mothers may need complete financial help to support her living expenses and those of her young child.

Receiving financial help in the form of grants and scholarships is of great importance to the single mother, who otherwise would not be able to attend college. Many scholarships are based on one's ethnic background. For minority populations, this is particularly helpful to single mothers in need of financial help.

With financial help, a single mother may be able to attend college part-time and continue working to support herself and her child. At times, financial help in the form of scholarships and grants may be enough that the single mother can dedicate all her time to attending college and caring for her children.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/college-and-university-articles/financial-help-for-single-mothers-single-moms-going-back-to-school-get-free-grants-and-scholarships-2613252.html

About the Author

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Sunday, June 12, 2011

Student Loan Consolidation! Why?

Author: Student Loan Consolidation

Why Student Loan Consolidation? Due to the rising cost of higher education, a large number of students have been forced to finance their education by getting student or education loans. While student loans are easy to get and come with the cheapest rates of interest, paying them off is not so easy for the vast majority of students who find themselves facing mountains of student loan debt.

People generally find it tough to pay back student loans because the loan installments are not calculated keeping in mind other types of student loan debt. Most students also accumulate a number of other loans like huge credit card bills and car loan, which also require financing upon graduation. The best way of getting out of this kind of debt trap is to go in for student loan consolidation. A student loan consolidation program can be a lifesaver for a student and can totally turnaround a negative student loan debt situation to one of good fortune.

There is no logical reason not to seek out student loan consolidation. By finding a student loan consolidation program that meets their personal student loan debt needs, students can avoid defaulting on payments which will leave a permanent red mark on life long credit history. This would make it difficult to get any kind of financing when necessary in the future. On the other hand, by undertaking student loan consolidation, there is the opportunity to easily reduce student loan debt or in some cases eliminate the student loan debt while obviously at the same time streamlining finances and budget. Most student loan consolidation programs also offer credit counseling, which will help you in managing your finances wisely in the future.

The student loan consolidation company pays off all of the student loan debt. This means that the student loan consolidation program payment will be the only payment obligation and can be paid off in easy monthly installments. Students have the option to pay back student loan consolidation charges over a period ten to thirty years. With student loan consolidation, student loan debt has been reduced or eliminated with future obligations becoming due at a time when more earning power is likely. To apply online for student loan consolidation where student loan debt lenders compete and where students can lower their monthly student loan debt payment up to 70 %, students visit: Studentdebtconsolidationprograms.com

Student loan consolidation programs are presented with the goal of reducing student loan debt with students in mind.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/loans-articles/student-loan-consolidation-why-1809901.html
About the Author

Student Loan Consolidation http://www.studentloanconsolidationcalc.com