August 17th, 2008 — Debt, Leverage, loans
Right now, the student loan industry is going through one of its worst periods in decades. New Federal regulations have forced many banks to stop offering student loans, and students are being forced to either find a direct loan or start paying back what they owe. Enrollment figures are being affected dramatically and right now, many students simply cannot afford to go to school.
This problem is extending to those that are already trying to pay on their student loans. It has become harder than ever to consolidate old student loans and the interest rates are not helping matters either. It is important to pay off your student loans as quickly as possible, especially if you want to save money over the long term. Here are some tips to help you accomplish this.
1. Try asking your family for help.
If your family is in the position to help you financially, this should be your first stop. No one really likes borrowing money from their parents, but if you can pay off all of your loans, it is worth it. You won’t have to worry about crazy interest rates and you’ll have a chance to make bigger payments on the loan. However, you’ll need to make sure that you can set up a payment plan and stick to it to avoid causing any family disputes.
2. Get a second job.
This is a tough one, especially if you are already working full time. However, it can mean the difference between paying on student loans for the next decade, or taking just a year to pay them off. For example, if you owe $98,000 on your student loans, and you get a part time job that pays an extra $1000 a week, you could pay off that loan in less than two years. There are many high paying second jobs, such as bartending, where you can easily work off that student loan in no time at all.
3. Leverage your debt.
If you don’t have the time to get a second job, you may want to consider a technique known as debt leveraging. This involves taking out a loan and making an investment. Whether it is in an interest bearing account, new business idea or stock is up to you. Just make sure that you can count on the returns. This will create a secondary stream of income that can be used to pay down your student loans in a lot less time.
4. Negotiate.
If all else fails, try negotiating with the loan company to get a lower interest rate. If you have been paying on your loan faithfully they will be much more likely to help you out. It never hurts to ask or to apply for a consolidation loan. The worse they can say is no, and you’ll still have a lot of different options out there. The important thing is that you don’t fall behind on your debts. It may take some hard work, but you’ll appreciate it once you’re free of the yoke of your student loans.
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August 5th, 2008 — Budget, Debt, Goal, Investing, Money, Personal Finance, bad debt, credit cards, good debt
Credit card debt is a global problem that has led many to the poorhouse. However, with smart management, credit card debt can actually be a good thing. Let’s look at how to have smart credit card debt that will help your finances instead of hurt it. The premise may be a little odd to some people, but there is a way that you can use your credit cards to improve your credit rating and start investing in your future.
First, it is important to realize that credit cards are not free money – this is a problem that affects many when they get their cards for the first time. They run out and run up the balance until they are completely maxed out. The secondary problem with this is that many of these same people will make only the minimum payments on those cards. Suddenly, they are in way over their heads and it could take decades to pay off that debt, depending on how much it is.
Now, let’s take a look at how to use credit cards in the smart way:
1. Never max out your card.
Set a limit for yourself and don’t use the card limit as a guide. (How A Credit Card Limit Is Determined.) You should never have a credit card balance that is greater than three months of your current salary. Less is definitely more when it comes to credit cards. Strive to have a balance of less than $100 on most of your cards. Put aside a special card for emergencies and keep a bare minimum of debt on that card to keep it open.
2. Make monthly payments higher than the minimum amount.
This is an easy way to eat away at your debt and keep your credit rating high. Making regular payments is the best way to achieve a good credit rating, but making higher payments will also help. You should also putting a charge cap on your cards, and try to never spend more than you will be paying for the payment each month.
So many of us use our credit cards for frivolous items that will only lessen in value. If you took that same amount of money and used it to invest, you would actually start seeing a return. Suddenly, your credit cards are working for you and you’ve created a secondary income stream that can reduce your reliance on your paycheck. However, you should start small with your investments and make sure that the risks are as low as possible to avoid having this plan backfire.
4. Take advantage of low interest rates.
Look for credit cards that have a very low introductory rate and then a permanent rate that is fixed and low. These cards are much more beneficial. You need to also make sure that you make those monthly payments on time, since many cards do have an interest penalty if you are late. The lower the interest rate is, the lower your total amount of debt will be. Be sure to check out these credit card reviews at Credit Karma.
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June 12th, 2008 — Bankruptcy, Debt, Personal Finance, Stocks, credit score
This really sounds like the ultimate oxymoron, but one of the best ways to get out of debt is to go a little bit further in. What’s that? First, to help this make more sense, let’s clarify – if you need to get out of bad debt, going into good debt will help you pay off those credit cards and make more money. It’s important to understand that there is a huge difference between good debt and bad debt. Going into good debt has some risks, but when managed correctly, you can end up making enough money to quit your job, pay off your bills and save for retirement.
Let’s take a look at one example of how going into good debt can get you out of bad debt. For this example, let’s say that we have a person who has $10,000 in credit card debt. They’re overextended with too many cards and paying way too much interest. It’s getting harder and harder to make those monthly minimum payments and it seems as though it will take decades to get out of this mess.
Instead of declaring bankruptcy and just giving up, let’s say that this person goes and gets a loan for $2000. Since their credit is still pretty much intact, this isn’t an issue. They take than $2000 and invest it into ten shares of a stock that sold for $200 a piece. Within the first month, the price of that stock triples. They now have $6000 and it’s only been one month. They take $2000 out of that amount to pay off the loan, and are left with $4000.
Over the next month, the stock once again goes up. That $4000 is now $8000. The person cashes out the stock, pays down their credit cards and is left with a manageable $2000 in debt. Why not pay it all off? The secret to great credit is leaving some debt that you continue to make payments on – this builds up your credit score. In two months, the person was able to go from $10000 in debt to paying off all but a small portion of it.
Compare that to getting a consolidation loan. In two months, the person would not have made a dent in what they owed. If the stock market isn’t your thing however, there are many other ways that you can use good debt as leverage to create multiple streams of income. Whether you deposit it in a high interest bank, buy a CD or purchase a rental property, a leveraged loan can help you get out of debt much faster than a consolidation loan.
The key is picking the right opportunities and managing your money. Once you’ve paid down your bad debt, keep using good debt to create more income streams. This is the secret that thousands of millionaires use every year to keep bringing in tons of cash and it will work the same for you.
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