How to Prepare for Refinancing Your Home Mortgage

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With mortgage rates still at near record low levels, if you purchased a home or refinanced a few years ago when rates were significantly higher, you may be inclined to try to refinance that mortgage. Refinancing can certainly make sense when rates are low, but it isn’t a slam dunk and it may not even […]

The Bad News About Tax Refund Anticipation Loans

A Tax Refund Anticipation Loan (RAL) is a type of loan that many tax preparation companies offer, which is essentially an advance on your expected tax refund.  A RAL loan can be approved in a manner of minutes and the money accessible within a day or two. Since these loans are secured by your tax […]

Should You Pay Off Your Auto Loan Early?

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Carrying debt is always a drain on the finances, so many people look to pay off their loans early. When you’re talking about credit cards or other high-interest revolving debt this is certainly true. But when you’re talking about a lower interest installment loan the benefits may be far less than you anticipated. The reason […]

Payday Loans – Ripping You Off One Fee at a Time

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Payday Loans Can Cost You Thousands Payday loans go by a variety of names: payday loans, cash advance loans, check advance loans, post-dated check loans, or deferred deposit check loans. They sound harmless, because in most cases you’re just borrowing money to get you through to pay day, but under the surface they are one […]

What to Do When You Are Turned Down for a Mortgage

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If you are interested in buying real estate but had your application for a home loan rejected, you have options. Plenty of them. Of course you can ask the lending institution why they put the kibosh on your application but they won’t likely tell you the complete story because they are afraid you’ll sue them. […]

Obama’s New Student Loan Relief Plan – How Much Will It Help?

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Will You See Any Relief? Today, the President reveals some changes to existing student loan provisions that were put forth in recent years. The aim is to ease the burden that many recent graduates face: substantial student loan debt, high monthly payments, and little income. Obviously, student loan debt is a major problem in this […]

Should You Co-Sign a Loan?

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Let’s say you are approached by a friend or relative asking you to co-sign a loan. Obviously, they assume that they will make good on their loan, pay it in full, and you will never have to worry about it. Being the nice person that you are, you are likely to oblige. But wait! Before […]

The 7 Biggest Money Problems Most People Have

These Money Problems Can Prevent You From Building Wealth Building wealth is a part of the American Dream. We’re told that through hard work and seizing opportunities we can lead successful, healthy, and wealthy lives. But building wealth isn’t important just for the sake of having money. In fact, it’s almost a requirement these days […]

What You Need to Know Before Co-Signing a Loan

Have you ever been asked to co-sign a loan? Maybe a friend, relative, or family member is having trouble getting a loan and they need someone else to co-sign. Or maybe you are a parent with a teenager who is trying to get a credit card and can’t because of the new credit card rules […]

6 Things You Need to Know Before Buying Your Next Car

Buying a Car? Make Sure You Follow These Tips The days of being a clueless consumer walking into a dealership and letting the car salesmen explain all of the features of the new models are over. Today, you have the internet on your side. You can learn anything you’d ever want to about any car […]