Filed Under Car Loans | Leave a Comment
When you bought your own car, you might not have found the best financing deal. You could have taken out your car financing through a car dealer at an interest rate that is possibly higher than other financers. This could be one of the reasons why you are currently paying way too much your current car loan. If your credit has not been in tip-top shape, you could be paying a higher interest rate as penalty. If so, then it’s high time you looked into refinancing.
Car loan refinancing is fast and easy. Once your car loan refinancing application has been approved, your current loan will be paid off by the new car finance company. You will be making payments at a lower interest rate than you have been previously paying. You’ll be surprised at how much you will be saving on car loan refinancing. Your savings could amount to hundreds, even thousands of dollars over the course of the loan, depending on how much your new interest rate is charged on your car loan refinancing deals.
Car loan refinancing may be a very promising way of saving you money but most people have not thought of refinancing their cars. You can say that car loan refinancing works in the same way as home refinance. In car loan refinancing, you pay off your current car loan with a refinancing car loan. This time the loan comes from a different lender with a lower annual percentage rate, making your monthly car loan payments much less with interest rates that have dropped, while allowing you to pay off the balance of your car loan in a shorter span of time. Car loan refinancing has become a very popular trend because of the dropping interest rates. Use the money you save through your car loan refinancing to pay off credit card debt or accelerate your car loan payoff.
This is exactly the reason why people with bad credit who are paying a high APR need to apply for a car loan refinancing with low APR. Most bad credit borrowers can indeed refinance to a lower APR but many don’t think to try because they were “programmed” or duped by the dealer into thinking they are stuck at the higher APR they have imposed.
It’s very important to have a car loan refinancing early, because with car loans, the interest is mostly paid in the earlier payments. The earlier your car loan refinancing is approved, the more money you save. If you wait until the 4th year to refinance your car loan, your savings will be a lot less.
How much is the ideal APR for a car loan refinancing? If you didn’t get 0% to 3% APR car loan from a dealer or bank, you should consider a car loan refinancing. Even if you got a decent APR auto loan, consider having a car loan refinancing. Most online car loan refinancing sites have a car loan calculator. You’ll be surprised at how much money you can save just by lowering your interest rate. Refinance your car loan today!
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Filed Under Auto Leasing | Leave a Comment
Understanding how to calculate your monthly lease payment makes it easier for you to make an informed decision. Yet, most of us shy away from the “complicated” math on our lease contract, leaving it up to the dealer to do the payment formula.
Actually, it’s not that difficult! Once you understand all the figures involved in calculating your monthly payments, everything else falls into place. These key figures are:
MSRP (short for Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price): This is the list price of the vehicle or the window sticker price.
Money Factor: This determines the interest rate on your lease. Insist on your dealer to disclose this rate before entering into a lease.
Lease Term: The number of months the dealer rents the vehicle.
Residual Value: The value of the vehicle at the end of the lease. Again, you can get this figure from the dealer.
Now, let us calculate a sample lease payment based on a vehicle with an MSRP (sticker price) value of $25,000 and a money factor of 0.0034 (this is usually quoted as 3.4%). The scheduled-lease is over 3 years and the estimated residual percentage is 55%.
The first step is to calculate the residual value of the car. You multiply the MSRP by the residual percentage:
$20,000 X .55 = $11,000.
The car will be worth $13,750 at the end of the lease, so you’ll be using:
$20,000 – $11,000 = $9,000
This amount of $9,000 will be used over a 36 month lease period giving us a monthly payment of:
$9,000 / 36 = $250.
This is the first part of the monthly payment, called the monthly depreciation charge.
The second part of the monthly payment, called the money factor payment, factors the interest charge. It is calculated by adding the MSRP figure to the residual value and multiplying this by the money factor:
($20,000 + $11,000) * 0.0034 = $105.4
Finally, we get the approximate monthly payment by adding the two figures
together:
$250 + $105.4 = $355.4
To recapitulate, the sample formula looks like this:
1- Monthly Depreciation Charge:
MSRP X Depreciation Percentage = Residual Value
MSRP – Residual Value = Depreciation over lease term
Depreciation over lease term / lease term (number of months in the lease) = monthly depreciation charge
2- Monthly factor money charge
(MSRP + Residual value) X Money factor = money factor payment
3- Sample Monthly Payment:
depreciation charge + money factor payment = monthly payment
Keep in mind that this is a simplified calculation that does not take into account taxes, fees, rebates or any other incentives. The calculation gives you a ballpark figure or a rough idea of what your lease payments for the vehicle in question should be.
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Filed Under Auto Leasing | Leave a Comment
Despite aggressive low-interest financing, cash-back offers and other purchasing incentives offered by leading auto-makers to buyers, leasing numbers keep increasing steadily over the years. Leasing is not only an attractive financial proposition to most auto-consumers, but also a lifestyle and preference choice.
Benefit Number 1: Keeping up with the latest trends
Leasing is sometimes more of a personal and lifestyle choice than a financial one. Many people are not comfortable with the idea of owning a vehicle over a long period of time. They’d rather keep up with the latest trends of the industry and drive the latest models every two to three years.
Leasing a car gives you the convenience of having the latest technology and safety innovation, such as an electronic stability system, DVD entertainment systems and advanced stereo equipment. If you are willing to forego ownership for the latest set of wheels, than leasing is your best option.
Benefit Number 2: Purchasing Flexibility
Leasing also offers purchasing flexibility: it allows you to defer the purchasing decision while using the car. You don’t have to haggle with your mechanic over repair expenses, deal with hefty maintenance bills or worry about a depreciating asset. Provided you can keep the vehicle in good condition and stay within the contracted mileage allowance, you’re effectively getting a test drive for the length of your lease. At the end of your lease, you can purchase the vehicle or simply turn in the keys and walk away. No questions asked.
Benefit Number 3: Cash Flow
Leasing offers many short-term benefits. It reduces your initial cash outlay as you do not have to pay the large down payment required for car ownership. You only pay for the depreciation on the car - only the part you will use during your lease, not the entire vehicle. This results in lower monthly payments and frees even more cash. This cash can be put to use more intelligently elsewhere than the questionable investment of owning a depreciating asset. If you are self-employed or use your car for your job, then you can write off your leasing payment as a business expense.
Benefit Number 4: Negotiating Leverage
Although it may seem a little unorthodox in this industry, almost everything about leasing is negotiable. If you know all the fees involved, you can lower your monthly payments, negotiate the purchase price of the vehicle at the end of the lease and contract additional miles on top of your mileage limit. You can also do some shopping around and compare deals from different auto-insurers to get the cheapest GAP insurance for your lease.
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Filed Under Cash Advance | Leave a Comment
Financial problems may seem to be overwhelming, but everyone has times when they thought that there was no way that they could make it without extra cash, but have somehow managed to squeak by anyway. Keeping those times in mind can help you to make it through other financial problems as well.
If you are thinking of getting a cash advance merely because you can, rethink your decision. Cash advances are something that can get you into severe financial problems if you cannot repay the loan as the company directs you to do.
Although getting money quick and easy may seem wonderful, keep in mind that you need to be able to make the payments as scheduled. If you don’t, you will cause yourself to fall into even greater financial difficulties that may be impossible to get out of. It is not worth it to put your family into financial difficulties or the situation where they have to watch the repo man come and ask for your belongings. If you cannot make the payments, then rethink the cash advance. It may be better to just hang on until your payday, rather than take the chance with your financial future.
Make the decision wisely about cash advances. It can be a life changing decision if not handled wisely, so be sure that you read the fine print before signing any contract. You will be glad you did.
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Filed Under Cash Advance | Leave a Comment
Many loan companies allow their customers to borrow around $1000 if you pay it back according to their payment schedule. You need to know, however, that you will end up repaying the cash advance company a lot more than you borrowed because of the high interest that is added to the cash advance.
A few of the cash advance companies do not loan out large amounts of money like this, however, and they stay with loans up to around $500. However, there are times that you may need a larger amount so don’t depend upon a certain cash advance company to loan you as much money as you need. You could end up being disappointed.
Many people see a cash advance loan as their last resort because they have no other options for getting a loan. Many people say that cash advances should only be used if you are borrowing a small amount of money that the normal loan channels will not help you with. Many of the loan companies cannot loan less than $1000, but cash advance companies may see your $1000 loan as a large loan and add on a large interest rate as well.
If you can find a loan company that will loan you $1000 then that is the best decision. This is because the loan company will most likely charge you a much lower interest rate than the cash advance company will, which will make the terms of your loan easier to meet.
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Filed Under Day Trading | Leave a Comment
Many first time investors think that they should invest all of their savings. This isn’t necessarily true. To determine how much money you should invest, you must first determine how much you actually can afford to invest, and what your financial goals are.
First, let’s take a look at how much money you can currently afford to invest. Do you have savings that you can use? If so, great! However, you don’t want to cut yourself short when you tie your money up in an investment. What were your savings originally for?
It is important to keep three to six months of living expenses in a readily accessible savings account – don’t invest that money! Don’t invest any money that you may need to lay your hands on in a hurry in the future.
So, begin by determining how much of your savings should remain in your savings account, and how much can be used for investments. Unless you have funds from another source, such as an inheritance that you’ve recently received, this will probably be all that you currently have to invest.
Next, determine how much you can add to your investments in the future. If you are employed, you will continue to receive an income, and you can plan to use a portion of that income to build your investment portfolio over time. Speak with a qualified financial planner to set up a budget and determine how much of your future income you will be able to invest.
With the help of a financial planner, you can be sure that you are not investing more than you should – or less than you should in order to reach your investment goals.
For many types of investments, a certain initial investment amount will be required. Hopefully, you’ve done your research, and you have found an investment that will prove to be sound. If this is the case, you probably already know what the required initial investment is.
If the money that you have available for investments does not meet the required initial investment, you may have to look at other investments. Never borrow money to invest, and never use money that you have not set aside for investing!
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Filed Under Day Trading | Leave a Comment
Depending on the type of investing that you plan to do, you may need to hire a broker to handle your investments for you. Brokers work for brokerage houses and have the ability to buy and sell stock on the stock exchange. You may wonder if you really need a broker. The answer is yes. If you intend to buy or sell stocks on the stock exchange, you must have a broker.
Stockbrokers are required to pass two different tests in order to obtain their license. These tests are very difficult, and most brokers have a background in business or finance, with a Bachelors or Masters Degree.
It is very important to understand the difference between a broker and a stock market analyst. An analyst literally analyzes the stock market, and predicts what it will or will not do, or how specific stocks will perform. A stock broker is only there to follow your instructions to either buy or sell stock… not to analyze stocks.
Brokers earn their money from commissions on sales in most cases. When you instruct your broker to buy or sell a stock, they earn a set percentage of the transaction. Many brokers charge a flat ‘per transaction’ fee.
There are two types of brokers: Full service brokers and discount brokers. Full service brokers can usually offer more types of investments, may provide you with investment advice, and is usually paid in commissions.
Discount brokers typically do not offer any advice and do no research – they just do as you ask them to do, without all of the bells and whistles.
So, the biggest decision you must make when it come to brokers is whether you want a full service broker or a discount broker.
If you are new to investing, you may need to go with a full service broker to ensure that you are making wise investments. They can offer you the skill that you lack at this point. However, if you are already knowledgeable about the stock market, all you really need is a discount broker to make your trades for you.
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Filed Under Credit Cards | Leave a Comment
‘Credit card debt consolidation’ is a phrase that you must have come across many times. There are hundreds of sites with advice on credit card debt consolidation. Every now and then your favourite newspaper will also contain an article or advise on credit card debt consolidation. TV channels host discussions on credit card debt consolidation. Moreover, there are numerous consultants and companies that provide professional advice on credit card debt consolidation. So what is this “Credit card debt consolidation” that everyone is talking about? Why is it such an important topic?
“Credit card debt consolidation” refers to consolidation of the debt on various credit cards into a single credit card (or a couple of credit cards). Generally, you move from a higher APR credit card to a lower APR one. You might ask ‘why?’ If you look into how the vicious circle of credit card debt works, you will immediately understand the logic behind that. Credit card debt grows in 2 ways. One is due to addition of new debt on account of fresh spends on your credit card and the second is due to addition of interest charges to the existing credit card debt. The first one is due to your use of credit card but the second one is due to interest charges which are calculated on the basis of the interest rate or the APR applicable to your credit card. So a lower APR rate means that your credit card debt will grow at a slower pace and hence switching over to a card with lower APR makes perfect sense.
The process of credit card debt consolidation is also referred to as balance transfer process (you transfer the balance or debt from one credit card to another).The credit card debt consolidation (or balance transfer) offers are made even more attractive by the credit card suppliers by associating various benefits with them. The simple logic behind offering these benefits is the fact that such a customer would be defecting from one of their competitors. The biggest benefit offered by these credit card suppliers is 0% interest on balance transfers (or credit card debt consolidation). This 0% APR is generally applicable for a short period of time i.e. 3-6 months, after which the standard APR is applicable. Other credit card debt consolidation offers include things like interest free purchase for a short period, reward points, etc. These credit card debt consolidation offers make the exercise of credit card debt consolidation even more logical and meaningful.
Credit card debt consolidation seems to be a good way of tackling the problem of credit card debt and that is the reason why there is so much of discussion on the topic of Credit card debt consolidation.
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Filed Under Cash Advance | Leave a Comment
There is a social problem called “cash advances dependence” that is being caused by the quick and easy way that people can get money from cash advances. Some people are in denial about the fact that they are becoming too dependent on the cash advances and have created a financial trap for themselves which they don’t even realize. The first thing that you need to do if you are in this situation is to admit that you have a problem and that you need to solve it.
It is very simple to get cash advances and many people get cash advances even when they do not have a financial emergency, which is what cash advances were intended for. People are using the cash advance to do almost anything, including purchasing a car or going on vacation. This is not financially wise and is going against what the cash advance industry was begun for.
Many people are becoming addicted to cash advance loans because it is so easy to get credit. In fact, people can borrow money from more than one company. This can have serious financial consequences, including debt that you cannot handle or even bankruptcy. This addiction is becoming a social problem, rather than a private problem.
The best thing that you can do for yourself and your family is to get out of debt as fast as possible. You need to ask for help from a trusted financial advisor or from a consumer credit counselor, as they will be able to give you advice concerning your debt. Counselors can also help you to set up a budget or spending plan to help you break the addiction to cash advances so that you can live on the money that you earn.
The cash advance industry does not deserve the blame for your financial situation. If used correctly, the cash advance industry has its special niche in society.
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Filed Under Car Loans | Leave a Comment
Thinking of applying for an fixed auto loan or car loan? You should start requesting for your credit report as soon as possible. All creditors, commercial banks, finance companies and even unconventional loan sources where you apply for an fixed auto loan will definitely look for your credit report. Even if you are a potentially good fixed auto loan mortgagee who pays his bills on time, you should ensure that all the information in your credit report is up-to-date and accurate.
If you want your fixed auto loan to be approved at once, make sure that your credit file does not contain inaccuracies. Such inaccuracies could affect your credit rating and could possibly result to the disapproval of your fixed auto loan application. This is the reason why reviewing your credit report before even applying for an fixed auto loan will save you time and money.
When applying for an fixed auto loan, your lender may use a different standard in rating your credit merit from other lenders. Because of this, you should read your own credit report and try to understand how your credit file could be interpreted. This could give you a chance to improve your credit merit from the lender’s point of view, thus, improve your chances of having your fixed auto loan approved.
When applying for an fixed auto loan, here are the things that you need to check on your credit report:
Clerical errors are very common and they could include payments that have not been credited, late payments or even data from somebody else’s credit file with a similar name as yours. The bad news is they could very well affect your fixed auto loan application. Now even before your fixed auto loan lender can see your credit file with such errors, you can decide if you want to argue any inaccuracy you might find - and fast, before it ruins your chances of having your fixed auto loan application approved.
When applying for an fixed auto loan, you might want to close any unused credit accounts you might have in your credit report. This will make your credit score more attractive to a potential fixed auto loan lender when you reduce the revolving charge accounts which are classified as active on your credit report. Your fixed auto loan lender might view too much revolving debt as a minus factor when you are considering a car loan application.
Should you have stopped using any or some of your credit accounts, it will be better if you choose to close such account/s. Have a notation that the account was closed at your request, or else, your fixed auto loan lender might think the creditor closed the account for other reasons.
If you manage your credit cards well, your chances for an approved fixed auto loan will get improve, even to lenders who enforce stricter guidelines for applications. Otherwise, your ability to get an fixed auto loan could be compromised.
Between 30-day and 60-day late payments, fixed auto loan lenders could overlook several 30-day delays. You can explain your situation and hold on to your good credit. However, a 60-day late payment could be a turn-off to your fixed auto loan lender.
Your fixed auto loan lender would be interested in your credit report for the previous two years. Try to maintain a clean credit report by paying on time and checking it regularly to find out if your payments are properly credited.
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Filed Under Auto Leasing | Leave a Comment
Car-leasing has been lauded as a more attractive alternative to buying, offering in the process the flexibility to drive a new car for less. The reality, however, is that leasing is an option that is fraught with many pitfalls for the average customer. Leasing regulation does not require as much disclosure as buying a vehicle. This has given rise to many leasing scams that trick the customer into believing they are into a good deal when, in effect, all he is getting is a rough deal on the dealer’s terms.
Here we look at some of these common scams and how to avoid them
Artificially low interest rates:
Some dealers quote a lower interest rate when in reality it’s much higher. They do this by either purposefully quoting the money factor as the interest rate or calculating the loan without amortizing some closing fees, like the security deposit, into the loan lease. Take the money factor for example: this is typically expressed as a four decimal digit, something like 0.004. Some dealers quote this as a 4% interest rate when in fact you need to multiply it by 24 to get a rough idea of the interest rate on your loan. In this example, the interest rate is a much higher 9.6% than the “quoted” rate of 4%.
Make sure you crunch the numbers and understand the formula they use to calculate their interest rate. Look out for any fees not factored into the calculation. If you are not satisfied, do not enter into the lease agreement.
Terminate your lease early for a low penalty
This is an all-time leasing scam. You ask your dealer how much you will pay if you want to terminate your lease and he tells you: “You want to get out early? Sure thing, you only pay an early termination fee of $300”. What he is quoting is only the small administrative penalty of early termination, there is a much stiffer penalty called early termination fee and this runs into thousands of dollars.
Do not confuse the early termination administrative penalty with the termination fee. Read the small print carefully and know exactly how much you will get charged should you terminate your lease before its scheduled end.
Pay for an extended warranty you don’t need
This is another shell game to inflate the dealer’s profit at your expense. The dealer slides an extended-warranty into the deal whilst it’s already factored into the monthly payments, or he tricks you into buying a 36-month warranty on a 24-month lease.
You do not have to pay extra money for a warranty already built into your payments or for one that goes well beyond your lease term.
They might slip an extended warranty in. Don’t be fooled, the warranty is already factored in.
No security deposit
Any dealer who advertises a $0 security deposit is not telling you the whole story. A security deposit is always factored in the lease under the provision for disposition fees.
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Filed Under Auto Leasing | Leave a Comment
When leasing a car, it’s easier to stick with the same company for your auto insurance. What you don’t know, however, is that you may end up paying too much for your coverage and it’s better to look elsewhere for lower rates.
When you lease, the vehicle that you will drive belongs to the leasing company. They want to make sure that their investment is covered in the event the vehicle gets damaged, totalled or stolen. They typically want to get covered for the difference between what your auto-insurer pays and your outstanding leasing obligations at the time of the accident or damage. This is called GAP, short for Guaranteed Auto Protection, and is usually included in the leasing contract.
If your leasing company is called BMW Financial Services, Chrysler Financial or any other finance division of an automaker, then chances are your GAP insurance will be offered by the same lease company.
You are under no obligation to accept GAP insurance included as part of your lease agreement. Why pay an insurance premium if you could get the same coverage for a lower price?
Invest some time shopping by comparing quotes from other insurance companies, including your existing one. Ask for discounts that you already qualify for and adjust your coverage accordingly.
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