Showing posts with label Personal Finance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Personal Finance. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Three Ways to Get Out of Debt

Seal of the United States bankruptcy court. Ch...Image via Wikipedia
By Chris Blanchet

This seems like a timely and helpful article for most people... Ways to get out of debt!


You might have heard that there are a million ways to make money. Likewise, there are probably just as many ways to get out of debt, but when it comes to achieving that goal honestly and effectively, your options are reduced. Here, we will explore three of the best ways to get out of debt without having to resort to debt avoidance techniques like bankruptcy or fraud (yikes). The first two will probably not come as much of a surprise, but the last one will certainly help expedite your efforts.

Analyze How Funds are Spent
Arguably one of the most well-known ways to get out of debt consists of writing up a budget and analyzing how funds are spent each month. The objective is to reduce these expenses and use the saved funds to repay debt. It does not matter whether you save $10 or $1000 every month, if the extra funds are paid toward debt, you have found one of the easiest ways to get out of debt. The problem is that this method often involves some form of sacrifice and can often be so aggressive that people easily give up or "fall off the wagon."

Looking at Increasing Income
When it comes to popular ways to get out of debt, looking at increasing income is definitely in the top three. This is because it is relatively easy to do in some cases. To earn more income, debtors can either take on a new job at a high rate of pay or they can get a second job. Ideally, the extra funds earned are paid toward debt. What makes this option a little more difficult, particularly at times like these, is that getting a new job offer could require updated skills or knowledge, and in some cases can mean extended travel. These expenses are often offset by the higher earnings.
Reduce Expenses & Increase Income
A final recommendation incorporates both. This means reducing expenses, say by 20%, as well as increasing income, say by 5%. For people who spend even $500 on expenses every month, this means reducing those expenditures by $100. As well, it means increasing income by a simple $125 per month. Both objectives are clearly simple to achieve, but the end result is an extra $2,700 per year being allocated toward debt repayment. Alone, they may not seem significant and even on a monthly basis it might not seem very effective, but over the course of a year, the impact against your debt is rather astounding. Now, imagine if you could further reduce expenses by another 10% or if you could improve income by 10% instead of 5%. The end result would be even more impressive.

Hopefully, these three popular ways to get out of debt have given you some inspiration and insight into how easily you can work your way out of debt. Clearly, these are not top-secret tactics. In fact, they are easily executable and once you put such tactics into practice you may even uncover other ways to get out of debt. The point is that taking action should come first and if any of these three methods can help, then please go ahead and get started today.




Chris has more than 16 years of experience in the financial services industry, having helped thousands of clients fix their personal finances. As the author of the Help Fix My Finances e-book, he contributes Debt Consolidation Opinions at Debt Consolidation Opinions.com and maintains a debt-free blog at HowToRepayDebt.com.



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http://EzineArticles.com/?Three-Ways-to-Get-Out-of-Debt&id=2594475


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Tuesday, February 10, 2009

5 Ways to Spend the Proceeds of Your Home Equity Loan

PASADENA, CA - JULY 14:  Reflections are seen ...Image by Getty Images via Daylife



About Home Equity Loans


I have been thinking about the ease with which most home owners can get a home equity loan, whether it be by a revolving Line Of Credit type of loan or a Fixed Home Equity Loan. The ease with which these may be obtained can be deceptive to many people and the "easy credit" can very soon be easily gone.


Yes even now, if you have owned your home for a little while, you can quite easily get a home equity loan which you can put to many numerous and various purposes.


This apparent ease of credit against the value of your home can attractive while interest rates are low. But at some time in the future the interest rates will go up and then it becomes a matter of some concern.


Here is an article that reflects my opinion of the best (and the worst) uses to put a home equity loan to, if you can get one


5 Ways to Spend the Proceeds of Your Home Equity Loan



By Andy Denton

Once you receive your one-time lump sum from your home equity loan, you may run the risk of being in more debt once you mismanage the cash in your hands. Worse, you may be paying only the interest but missing out on the payments for the principal. That’s why it is important to use your money in expenses that will give a good return. Here are some suggestions:


Spend on: Home Remodeling


Don’t Think About: Vacation


By the time home values have rebounded and you decide your house to place in the market, your home’s appraised value can increase with the recent improvement. That’s aside from being able to use the remodeling or extension for years; you’re money hasn’t gone down the drain at all. It’s not much of a priority these days to spend so much for something that’s temporary like vacations. Resist booking your trip to Miami and spend your cash wisely.


Spend on: College Tuition Fees


Don’t Think About: Debt Consolidation


Unless you are 100 percent sure that your reformed spending habits will cause an absolute turnaround in your credit card bill, never make the mistake of bundling your debts in the hopes of averting higher interest in your balances. Besides, you can never secure an even lower interest rate in the first place. On the other hand, spending it on your daughter who’s away in college is a wiser investment. The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business currently costs $97,165 for tuition and fees while a Harvard University diploma costs $101,660.


Spend on: Another Property


Don’t Think About: Presents during holidays, etc.


You can eliminate the costs of private insurance on your next property purchase that is, if your purpose of obtaining a loan is for another investment. Other savings that may come from buying another property include possible lower interest rate and tax deductions. One bad habit of those who avail of home equity loans is that they use a portion of the amount to buy their families with presents. There’s an immediate need in American families to spend for things, mostly unnecessary, just to celebrate the holidays. In the end, they end up using a large part or the entire loan to these gifts instead of spending the proceeds wisely.


Spend on: Retirement Programs


Don’t Think About: Cars


Just because you’ve received a hefty amount from your lender doesn’t mean you’ll be using that as downpayment for an SUV or a slick sedan. Unless there is a pressing need for it, you may consider a second-hand unit. Today’s low gasoline prices are forecasted to bounce back and you may sell the car in a few months. Instead, why not think about financial security by the time you’re 65? Starting early with your contributions will obviously give you higher amounts of benefit.


Spend on: Small Business


Don’t Think About: Lavish celebrations


Sure, you’re wedding day should be memorable but more couples have found innovative solutions to hold receptions in practical ways. Good planners use their savings and not the money from their home equity loan. During downbeat economic conditions like today, laid off workers are growing interested on starting small businesses whether they be the mom-and-pop type or marketing the products online. Because the business is still in its infancy, there is little risk from suffering huge losses. It’s more fulfilling to watch your garaged-based shop develop into a medium enterprise rather than a video of a single night’s party.





Andy Denton of http://www.Realty.com




Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andy_Denton
http://EzineArticles.com/?5-Ways-to-Spend-the-Proceeds-of-Your-Home-Equity-Loan&id=1976591




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