It's one thing to learn about money, but what about scams and safety and technology? When do you learn how to deal with the kinds of problems you'll encounter in your real life? Each year, more than 8,000 high school students participate in the LifesmartsCompetition, which covers all of these areas and more.
A home buyer wonders about the limits of a good faith mortgage estimate. Ilyce points out several good online resources to help the buyer select the right mortgage without a good faith estimate. Good fait estimates are usually provided after you apply for a loan.
A homeowner is approached about consolidating debt and making bi-weekly payments on their mortgage, but the plan comes with a higher interest rate. You can do your own bi-weekly mortgage by making one extra monthly payment per year. On a standard 30-year mortgage, you'll cut your mortgage term by about 7 years simply by making that one extra payment.
A home seller refuses to pay for any repairs and did not accept an inspection contingency on the offer. It is the seller's choice to accept an inspection contingency or pay for any repairs in order to sell their home. If they refuse an inspection contingency, a buyer's option may be to buy the house "as is."
A couple disagrees on how to save for there children's college education. Should they save for college using traditional methods such as CDs and stocks or the income from their rental properties? If the rental properties are an investment strategy that's working for them, it's worth sticking with.
Since the mid-1800s, life insurance companies have been predicting that Americans will die by the age of 100, or at least that's the age where the mortality tables stopped. But according to the census, there are more than 50,000 centenarians in the United States and life insurance companies aren't expecting us to die anytime soon. How does this affect you and your life insurance?
Often new construction companies and builders partner with a lender. The only way to figure out if they are offering the best deal is to shop around to other lenders. Do your homework and research what the best lenders in your area are offering. Then, you can go to the builder's lender and negotiate the best deal possible.
A small business owner wonders how to handle the start up costs that are currently on two low interest credit cards. The answer depends on how you set up your business and if the debt is personally guaranteed. If the debt is personal, and you've personally guaranteed it on your own credit cards, then you may want to refinance your mortgage to move the debt to something that would have a more manageable interest rate over a longer period of time.
First time home buyers look for property with the hopes of using a no down payment loan. No down payment loans will typically have a higher interest rate than traditional fixed-rate mortgage. No down payments loans have been found to have higher rates of foreclosure and late payments. The buyers should talk to several top lenders about rates and other borrowing options.
