What are personal loans?
A personal loan is a single payout lent by a financial institution to an individual borrower. Specific terms, such as the amount of money to be lent and the interest rate, are agreed upon in advance by both parties. The borrower has a certain amount of time within which to repay the loan. Regular payments, including interest, are made until the loan is repaid. Personal loans are typically sought for one-time expenses, such as a vacation, study or the purchase of a major item such as a car. Unexpected emergency expenses are another reason that people take out personal loans.
Why is it important to compare personal loans?
When handled responsibly and repaid on time, personal loans can be a highly beneficial financial tool. It can even boost your credit rating. The key to doing it right is to start by finding the best deal available. Personal loans vary widely from lender to lender, and even the same lender will offer differing terms depending on the type of loan you take out or the amount of money you borrow. Only by taking the time to compare personal loans will you know if you are making the best decision.
Interest rates are obviously an enormously important factor to take into consideration. One of the first comparisons you should perform is to weigh the pros and cons of fixed rate loans versus variable rate loans. A fixed rate personal loan means that your interest rate remains the same over the life of your loan. You and the lender agree upon this rate in advance, and it will not fluctuate, no matter what happens with the market. A variable interest rate, as the name implies, is a loan with an interest rate that can go up or down, depending on the interest rate set by the Reserve Bank.
A fixed rate loan offers you predictability and the ability to create a budget. A variable interest rate loan, on the other hand, may wind up saving you a considerable amount of money. It’s a trade-off, and each potential borrower must decide for themselves whether a fixed rate or variable rate is the wisest choice.
Chances are you already know approximately how much you need to borrow and what your ideal repayment period would be. You will likely find a number of lenders that can accommodate your needs, but it is unlikely that the terms of their loans will be exactly the same. In addition to interest rates, you should compare added costs such as loan fees, default penalties and minimum monthly payments.
Where can I compare personal loans?
A financial product comparison site is a great resource for would-be borrowers who want to compare personal loans. There is no need to visit dozens of websites and try to keep track of an overwhelming amount of information. You don’t have to wade through pages of sales pitches, either. The essential details about each loan are presented in a straightforward manner that allows you to make direct, side-by-side comparisons.
By: Scot Jamieson
Posts Tagged ‘Fixed Rate Loan’
Home Loans & Refinancing, Borrower Beware!
April 24th, 2010
Mortgages…if you are planning to purchase or refinance your home you should be very careful about the home loan you select. There are many gimmick loans on the market today like “interest only loans” and “negative amortization loans” which help people buy over priced property by the skin of their teeth. Having been a loan officer for a number of years in the past, I have often wondered why people just don’t stick to the traditional “30-year mortgage” and buy (or refinance) what they can afford. If you plan on buying or refinancing a home consider the following… In my mind, a 30-year fixed rate loan is better than a 15-fixed rate loan and here’s why… you have a lower monthly payment with a 30-year loan than a 15-year loan. What if something happens to your income?
Sure, you can pay a 15-year mortgage off faster but you have a higher house payment strapped to your back and if ANYTHING causes a reduction in your income you may find yourself hard pressed to make the house payment. Few people realize that you can pay off a 30-year loan in about 15-years by making 1 or 2 “principal only payments” on a 30-year loan each year. The key is that you decide whether you can afford to make those additional principal payments rather than being obligated to higher monthly payments under a 15-year loan. You may pay a slightly higher rate on a 30-year loan but the comfort level and flexibility of a 30-year loan may be worth it. Adjustable rate loans (ARM’S) are risky business and tend to “adjust up” over time. They say “whatever goes up must come down” and with interest rate you can pretty much bet that “whatever goes down must go up”. Here are a few tips for people who are planning on buying or refinancing a home:
1. Thinking about refinancing? You typically want to see a 2% improvement from your current interest rate and the proposed “new rate”. When you add up the costs of refinancing as well as the time and hassle associated with the process, you may find a refinancing doesn’t make a lot of economic sense with a spread lower then 2%.
2. Find your break-even point by taking the total costs of refinancing (divided by) the projected monthly savings under the new rate. Doing so will tell you how many months it will take to get your money back!
3. How long you plan to own the property is important. Rule of thumb: If you plan on owning the property for less then 5 years, a refinancing may or may not make sense. Only you and the numbers can tell!
A “Discount point” is 1% of the amount of money you are borrowing and is paid to a lender to secure a lower interest rate on a mortgage. Many people want to pay “points” to get a lower rate. But, are you really getting a lower rate? When you pay discount points you are basically pre-paying the lender interest 15 or 30 years in advance! You are handing over “real dollars” for an intangible “interest rate” that will result in a lower monthly payment…the more important question is will you live in the property for 15 or 30 years? If not, why prepay the interest? Hint: Zero point home loans often make the most sense.
Another cool tip if you have equity in your home and need to purchase a large ticket item like a car… it may make sense to refinance the house and roll the car purchase up in the new mortgage. In this way you spread the cost of your car over the life of the loan, avoid the high interest car loan with whatever tax advantages you may have resulting from your mortgage deductions.
Copyright © 2006
James W. Hart, IV
All Rights reserved
By: Jim Hart
When Should I Refinance My Adjustable Loan?
April 18th, 2010
I wish I would have never taken out this adjustable loan. What do I do now?
For the past several years so many people have taken out adjustable loans only to later realize that at some point, when the loan adjusts, that their monthly payment might be higher than they can really afford. Furthermore, many of these adjustable loans included a prepayment penalty. Such a penalty forces the borrower to pay a large fee to close out a loan, whether you refinance or sell.
Therefore the first step in deciding whether to refinance is to find out exactly what type of loan you have. Call your lender at the number provided on the mortgage statement and find out if your loan is in fact fixed or adjustable. If they tell you it is fixed be sure to ask, “for how long is it fixed?” If they say 5 years or less, you really have an adjustable loan. Most adjustable loans were packaged in 2, 3 or 5 year increments. Only if they tell you that your loan is the same rate for 15 years, 20 or 30 years do you have a true fixed rate loan.
The next step is to then find out if you have a prepayment penalty and just how much extra it will cost to actually refinance out of your present loan program. Some prepayment penalties will be equal to 6 months of mortgage payments. Others are for a percentage of the outstanding loan amount, (i.e. 1% or 2% etc).
Finally you need to find out when your prepayment penalty is going to expire. For example many adjustable mortgages have a fixed rate for 2 years and then will adjust. After 2 years your prepayment penalty should also expire. Hopefully this is the case so you can move forward and take advantage of the great refinance rates that are presently available.
However, if your loan is to adjust after 2 years but your prepay penalty won’t expire for 3 years then you are in an unfortunate position because odds are your monthly payment is going higher and in the mean time you will be stuck paying a prepayment penalty if you choose to refinance and if you do not refinance because of the penalty, than you are stuck with one more year of higher monthly payments.
Fortunately most reputable lenders and loan officers set up their client’s adjustable loans to adjust after 2 or 3 years. If your loan was fixed for 2 years the penalty would end after 2 years, and if your loan was to adjust after 3 years the penalty would end after 3 years.
So be proactive and find out exactly what type of loan you have and you will be well on your way to knowing whether it is a good time to refinance or not.
Good Luck and Happy Hunting.
By: Allen Sayble