First of unsecured personal loans
At present, the interest on an unsecured personal loan is now more than 15% a year, says Bankrate.com, assuming you can get this type of loan to all in the current environment of credit starvation. And this is about your best rate of this type. Attempt to borrow against a credit card, for example, and could be a good deal more. It is obvious that personal loans can be very expensive nowadays.
In many situations, however, a personal loan can be almost inevitable for many of us. What if the car will not start and you need an expensive engine repair to get it up and running again? Or your daughter needs reinforcements? Or the washing machine is broken?
Situations like these force many Americans to resort to personal loans, including the high cost of payday loans. These loans now make up over 22% of total non-payment of mortgage loans at U.S. banks, compared to only 11% in 1998.
But before signing up for your next personal loan, consider the following alternatives –
- Consider a home loan. If you own a home with equity in it, you can probably borrow against the equity in a low interest rate and at the same time get a tax deduction. Take a look at LendingTree.com for a list of lenders.
- Sale of shares, treasury bonds, etc., can be a quick way to drum up some cash – just be sure you understand that you will have to pay taxes on profits or interest.
- What about borrowing against your cash value life insurance policy. This is an alternative to low interest if you have this kind of policy, and is the most common type.
- Try borrowing against your retirement account. Ask your employer if the benefits of this option is available. If so, is another alternative to low interest.
- Family or friends. Maybe your dad can some money on the table. Just make sure you pay it back.
- Ask your creditors – including local merchants, who can be more flexible – if they might be willing to extend their monthly payments. If so, make sure you are not getting charged extra for the privilege of paying their bills late – or if you get loaded, find out how much.
- How to ask your employer for an advance payment – assuming, of course, you have an understanding employer.
Good vs. bad debt
You need to recognize an act of personal finance: Never borrow money for consumption. That’s bad debt. Only loans for investments that will increase in value (and an increase of more than the cost of the loan). Only in the lending of money to spend, it’s a terrible idea, a royal road to bankruptcy or other financial landmines. As said Eric Tyson, in his book, personal finance for dummies:
If you spend, for example $ 2500 [you've borrowed] in Europe on holiday, the money has disappeared. Poof! You can have good memories and some Kodak moments, but they have no economic value to prove it … I’m not saying do not take a vacation. In short, take one, two, three or as many as you can pay annually. But that’s the point – what you can afford. If you need to borrow money … [then you can not afford holidays] …
And precisely the same advice applies to almost all consumers buy computers, food, clothing, yes, even a new car – anything that diminishes the economic value and eventually becomes useless. If you have to borrow to buy, you probably can not afford it. According to Tyson “The financial amount of bad debt [should] is zero.”
But this does not apply to things that “we hope to maintain and increase in value over the long term, such as real estate, education or their own business.” For these purposes, the debt is acceptable to a limit – the limit is the point at which payments causes that are no longer able to save enough to achieve their financial goals.
All that is good advice, but the fact is that sometimes you can simply not be able to increase its debt load – an emergency situation or other emergency forces you to ask for a personal loan. In such situations, what are your best options?
Personal Loan Essentials
Here are some basic things to consider if the purchase of a personal loan without collateral:
First, never borrow more than you need. Given the high interest rates in the current credit environment, you want to keep the amount to an absolute minimum.
Second, compare the terms of various lenders. Never look at just the monthly payments – consider the total cost of the loan, including hidden charges such as credit insurance or other fees. Do not skip the small print in the loan agreement. Do not assume what is being told by a loan officer is binding. It is what is written in the contract that counts.
Thirdly, try before you start your credit union to a bank. Credit unions tend to have more favorable terms than banks and are often willing to make small loans without collateral to their members.
Fourth, do not commit valuable personal assets when taking a small loan – which is hardly worth the risk. And avoid using credit cards or payday loans if possible – interest rates, especially in the latter, can be prohibitive.
Fifth, be aware that the interest you pay on unsecured personal loans is not tax deductible.
Understanding subprime loans
If you are in the category of subprime loans, things get even more complicated. As you know, subprime lending has tightened considerably in recent months (and now is almost nonexistent in the mortgage market). However, if you are employed, you can still find cash in an emergency – you just have to be willing to pay a high rate of interest for him.
But what exactly does the term “subprime” means? The definition varies by lender, but generally by a subprime FICO scores of 650 or less. Among the other criteria commonly used are: a bankruptcy in the past five years, a mortgage in the past 24 months, or a debt-to-income ratio of 50% or higher. Some ultra-conservative, even those marked as subprime lenders if you have been at an evening or two or a credit card payments over the past 12 months.
There are some important factors to take into account whether you are considered subprime, but it is necessary to make an emergency loan. One is to recognize that he is not the same for all lenders – not to have to jump to the first offer you receive. Shop around. As already mentioned, be sure to test its first credit union – and one or more banks that provide credit services subprime. Try using one of the online services that allow you to apply at several lenders simultaneously, like Lending Tree
Here are some important points for subprime borrowers to consider:
Never risk your valuable assets so that a small loan.
Avoid personal loans that involve “fantasy” terms such as balloon payments. Avoid adjustable rate loans (these have proved disastrous for thousands of subprime mortgage borrowers and can be almost as disastrous for borrowers of loans).
Always read the fine print. Make sure you understand the terms of the loan clearly. To be held in what is in the contract, no matter how much eye strain it takes to read it.
Do not allow several lenders to access your credit report at the same time. Several inquiries on your credit report within a short period of time can further reduce your credit score.
If possible avoid payday loans, also called cash advance loans, in total, except in cases of absolute necessity, and even then only used on rare occasions – never more than once a year. Phenomenal involving interest rates. Payday loan industry has flourished in a one billion U.S. dollars, but can be disastrous for its financial health.