Posts Tagged :

interest rates

What is a personal loan?

A personal loan is a monetary loan you can get from a credit provider such as a bank, credit union or online lender – usually for a specific life purpose like renovating your home, paying for a holiday or consolidating several smaller loans. Lenders approve personal loans by evaluating your creditworthiness. When you enter into a contract for a personal loan, you typically receive money in a lump sum and agree to repay the lender back the money in regular…

read more
Is a secured personal loan right for you?

A secured personal loan is a personal loan in which you offer up an asset as collateral, essentially guaranteeing you’ll pay the loan off. If you don’t pay, the lender can take possession of that asset (in this case, known as the security) and sell it off to recoup their money. The most common type of secured personal loan is a car loan, where the car you’re buying is also the asset that secures the loan. Why take out secured…

read more
How to compare credit cards the right way

Comparing credit cards the right way can be rewarding, because there’s a credit card that can cater to almost every lifestyle and financial need. When you compare, you’ll be looking at everything from interest rates, to reward programs to promotional offers to fees. Compare credit cards by type of card Since you probably already know that closing your accounts too often can hurt your credit score, we hope you’ll keep your card for some time. That’s why it’s important to…

read more
Debt consolidation loan vs. balance transfer credit card – which one to choose?

When you consolidate your debt, you are essentially taking out one large loan and using that money to pay off two or more smaller debts. The two major ways you can do this is by applying for a balance transfer (BT) credit card or taking out a debt consolidation loan. This guide explores why you’d want to consolidate debt in the first place and then looks at your two options to help you determine which one is right for you.…

read more
How to compare home loans

Want a more efficient and effective way to compare home loans? Just follow these steps: 1) Identify the non-negotiable features you need. Google those features and shortlist the banks that offer them. Forget about the others, as there’s no reason to spend time of offers that don’t suit your needs. Case Study A 10% home loan deposit is below the 20% threshold for most loans. Kath googled the feature low-deposit home loans and saved the links to all relevant home…

read more
Home loan fees you may encounter

Most home loans come with their share of fees. Don’t fret over the length of this list, as you probably won’t be subject to all of them. You may even be able to convince your lender to nix a few. It’s also not an exhaustive list as every lender has its own fee schedule. Important Make sure you understand your lender’s specific fee schedule as it can differ from lender to lender. Without further delay… your list of the most…

read more
How your credit score affects the interest rates you pay: Welcome to the brave new world of risk-based pricing

Watch out! Your credit score could soon affect the interest rate you pay. That’s good if you’re a “unicorn” with a credit score from 801 to 1,000, and not bad if you’re a “thoroughbred” with a score of 601 to 800. If, however, you’re a credit “donkey” at the very bottom of the credit score pile, a credit pony at 201 to 400, or a farm horse from 401 to 600 you could well pay more. Why “donkeys” pay more…

read more
House with stacks of coins
Why we don’t refinance our home loans (and why you should)

Most Australians stick with the major banks when they have a home loan, even though switching to a non-major lender could take years off their mortgage and save them tens of thousands of dollars. Home buyers cite a range of reasons why they don’t take advantage of better rates. These include dislike of paperwork, the perceived costs of refinancing, the effort of changing direct debits and the imagined inconvenience of dealing with more than one financial institution. But these concerns…

read more