[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.17.08 under finance
I don’t understand why people bother shopping for car refinancing lenders by going from office to office, dealer to dealer when they can just go online! If you do it all over the web you have a lot more benefits. First of all you usually pay a lower APR because you wont have the dealer trying to take advantage of you in person and scam his way into a higher number. You will save a lot of time from driving all around town. Online, your approval will only take 1 hour during business hours and you won’t have to pay any extra hidden fees, like an application fee because it will all be electronic. The biggest benefit is that you get your check shipped overnight to you so you will receive it tomorrow.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.10.08 under finance
After reading a very thought provoking article at http://money.cnn.com discussing personal finance do’s and don’ts, I started thinking about interest I’ve paid over the years. Imagine how much more money you would have if you had never paid a dime in interest, with the possible exception of that paid on your mortgage? The next thing I thought was, I’m going to hold on to the cash I could waste on interest payments for the rest of my life. From now on, I’m opting to earn interest with personal finance practices instead of paying it.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.03.08 under finance
’ve been reading articles by financial experts at sites like http://money.cnn.com, and one thing they emphasize again and again is, you have to have financial goals. I really didn’t have any until recently, and now I only have a few, but as I am learning more about managing money I’m developing more and more goals. I don’t like to dwell on the past, but I sometimes wonder why I never had any financial goals, and why a lot of other people don’t, either. I think the reason is because people don’t understand much about financial planning.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 04.02.08 under finance
Did you know that many lenders calculate the APR wrong on your loan because there is no accurate way to compute an APR for an adjustable loan? Be aware that APRs also do not account for early payoffs. The annual percentage rate (APR) of your loan is found by doing a complex calculation of the interest rate and all of the other related lender fees divided by the loan’s terms. So instead of asking your lender to give you the APR of your adjustable loan, find out what the adjustment frequency is and find out what the maximum annual adjustment can be. Learn the index and margin too in order to get a better idea of what you will be paying.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 03.22.08 under finance
It may seem obvious to a lot of people, but I never realized just how crucial it is to own a residence when you retire. An article I read at http://money.cnn.com pointed out why it is so important. Once you no longer have a paycheck, affording rent or mortgage payments will be a huge financial burden. I have not refinanced my home or borrowed against its equity, and now I know I will avoid doing so at all costs, regardless of the temptations. This seems like the very least I can do as part of retirement planning.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 03.12.08 under finance
If you take a look at personal finance recommendations by financial experts at http://money.cnn.com, one thing they always emphasize is the importance of a Roth IRA. Why is this so important? You can do research on the details, but there are two main benefits to Roth IRAs. One is, compounded interest will heavily reward you over time for making the maximum contribution. The second benefit is the tax-free status of your earnings. Solely by starting a Roth IRA early on and contributing the maximum amount you can, you could accumulate a million dollars over the course of your lifetime.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 03.03.08 under finance
How many personal or household items do you own that you are paying interest on? Now try to think about how many of them were really essential purchases. If you are honest, probably very few if any items you own were so necessary, they justify wasting your money on interest payments. Few people can distinguish between items they truly need and that are truly important, and those they could wait to buy until they had the cash. If you want to face the facts about how much financing non-essential items is costing you, check out some personal finance articles at http://money.cnn.com
[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.25.08 under finance
I recently read an article at http://money.cnn.com that pointed out how unwise it is to take vacations you cannot entirely afford. That means, pay for up front – with cash. Charging anything during a vacation that you cannot pay for in full will detract from your enjoyment of the trip. Plus you’ll pay heavily for financing airline tickets or hotel costs with credit cards. If you need to get away but you’re short on cash, pick a less costly destination or opt for a shorter stay, but don’t blow your personal financial budget on a vacation.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.15.08 under finance
Very, very few of us know anyone that has won a lifetime of financial security at the Casino or the racetrack. I have been doing a lot of research on financial planning lately at http://money.cnn.com, mostly just to try to prepare for a few months of recession-style living. I was thinking how much effort and discipline and how much time it takes to truly manage your money effectively – and how quickly and easily cash can be lost through gambling. I don’t see how it could possibly be fun to detract from your financial security by throwing away even one dime at a casino.
[ No Comments ] Posted on 02.05.08 under finance
Do you presently have an auto loan, or did you pay to finance your vehicle? Do you realize how much financing your vehicle has cost you in the long run? You can figure it out pretty easily, and I guarantee you’re going to be surprised at the amount. Not only have you probably paid thousands of dollars in interest, you have also lost out on the gains you could have earned by investing that money. It pays to consider your financial decisions carefully. Find out more about smart financial management strategies at http://money.cnn.com.