Bankruptcy New

By Leopoldo Pennington

 About half of all students nationwide will take out a student loan during their college years. That leaves a lot of debt floating around out there, but it’s for a good cause. Student loans have become a fact of life for many of us, especially since education is getting harder to afford. So, if you decide that a student loan is what you need to get through school, take a moment to consider what you want in a lender.

The right lender can make your loan repayment a fairly painless process. A bad one can mean one big financial headache. All federal student loans must offer the same interest rates and fees. Some lenders offer extra incentives to repay your loans in a timely manner, such as prompt payment discounts. These can be earned by setting up automatic monthly payments through your bank account, or by making your successive monthly payments on time - typically for 12 to 48 months. Students who go the auto-debit route have a higher repayment success rate, but should always make sure they have enough money in their account to cover the bank draft. One missed or late payment is enough to disqualify students from these discounts.

All student loans are not created equal. Federal Stafford loans are some of the cheapest you can find, and the repayment terms are flexible as well. There are limits to how much you can borrow, though. If you need more money, you can ask your family to consider a PLUS loan. They, too, are relatively inexpensive, but parents are held responsible for repayment if the student defaults, just as they would be if they co-signed for a private education loan. Private loans are among the most expensive student loans available. They tend to have higher interest rates, but students can borrow more money with them. (That’s not always a good thing!) Finally, credit card debt should be an option of last resort. It’s expensive, especially if you carry a monthly balance, and it can haunt your credit report for a long time. Go for a Stafford loan first. If you truly need to more, then carefully check out the other options before committing yourself.

Customer service is another area where some lenders clearly excel over others. The federal government can make lenders adhere to interest rate guidelines, but it can’t make them pleasant to deal with. To make sure you choose a good one, pay a visit to your school’s financial aid office. They usually have the scoop on problem lenders. While you’re there, ask them if they have a preferred lender list. This can help narrow down your choices. Ask questions. Does the lender have online repayment options? Do they combine payments of Federal and private loans? Is their customer service available by phone, toll-free and 24 hours? These are things to consider before selecting a lender.

Also, be aware that lenders can sell your loan to third parties once the loan hits repayment status. These third parties will then service your loan, which means you won’t be dealing with the bank or group that issued the loan. This can be good or bad. If you’d rather deal with the same group throughout your repayment process, look around for lenders that offer life-of-the-loan servicing.

Shopping around for a student loan is a lot like shopping for a car or a credit card. The terms and the service make all the difference. You don’t want to end up owing much more than you thought you would, or having to deal with discourteous loan servicers. Look for lenders who have a good reputation for communicating well, taking care of their borrowers, and making the repayment process as convenient as possible.

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Maximize the Benefits of Using A Credit Card in Your Small Business

By Pasquale Bright

 The use of credit cards in small businesses is gaining popularity. An industry study conducted by a research group reports that more than two-thirds of small businesses are making use of credit cards to cover expenses. However, only two-fifths of these credit card using businesses employ business credit cards.

Since these small business owners are already using credit cards to provide financing for their businesses, they should consider converting to business credit cards instead. With prudent usage and wise management, the small business credit card could be an effective business tool to help small business owners “grow” their businesses.

Among other things, a business credit card allows you to separate business transactions from personal charges, thus avoiding potential problems in managing your funds and preparing your tax reports. A business credit card also conveys the message to third parties who take an interest in your financial transactions, such as the IRS and creditors, that you are managing your business and its financial accounts in a professional manner.

A significant benefit of having a business credit card is the year-end statement summary that business credit card issuers provide to their cardholders. This detailed listing helps you to itemize and classify your business expenses.

The small business credit card is a good way of building your business credit. By being judicious in the management of your business credit card accounts, you will strengthen your credit standing. This will be an important factor when you need additional financing for growth or expansion purposes.

The responsible management and sensible use of your business credit card cannot be overemphasized. Some ways of achieving this include:

Make use of your local bank. There is much to be said in favor of engaging with your existing bank when you need to apply for a small business credit card - especially if the difference is not overly significant between your banker and the other card issuers’ offerings. Your existing relationship will make the card approval process easier. It will also help with your other financing transactions.

Avoid missed or late payments. You should be judicious about making your monthly payments on your business credit card in a timely manner. Failure to make payment by due date, leaves you vulnerable to higher interest, costly fees and a blemish on your credit record.

Capitalize on grace periods. Business credit cards give you a 21-day grace period before you need to pay your purchases. You can maximize this to improve your cash flow.

Pay your bill online. Most of the business credit card companies accept payments online. Their websites are secure, which means that that your online transactions will not be compromised. This will save time and avoid the extra costs normally incurred when making use of other modes of payment. It also ensures that your payments will not be subject to delays.

Limit having multiple cards. There is some advantage to having a couple of business credit cards. If you sign up for too many cards though, your credit scores will suffer. It may also make management of your accounts more difficult.

Given the salient benefits of using a business credit card as opposed to using a personal credit card, converting to a business card will be an astute move. Your business credit card is a worthwhile business enabler for as long as this credit line is dealt with responsibly and in a circumspect manner.

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Don’t Waste More Money With Your Debt Settlements: Do It Yourself Instead!

By Leopoldo Pennington

 Many people find themselves owning much more money than they can realistically afford to pay back. If you can relate to this situation, then it’s highly likely that you’ve researched your options and have decided that negotiating with your creditors for reduced settlements on your credit card balances may be the best solution to become debt-free.

Now that you’ve made the decision to attempt negotiating with your creditors you’re probably left wondering what steps to take and whether or not you need to have a debt settlement firm to do the negotiating on your behalf. Well, that depends; some people can successfully negotiate reduced settlements with their creditors, while others simply feel too intimidated when they face any type of controversy. My experience has shown that approximately fifty percent of the people with whom I talk are willing and able to negotiate on their own.

If you can remain calm and, at the very least, sound confident, during the stress, badgering, harassment and several phone calls from your various creditors, and you’re patient enough to take the time to become educated about the process of debt settlement, there’s no reason you can’t negotiate on your own.

If you’re going to go it alone, it’s important to understand that the debt settlement process can take several months, and during this time your creditors won’t stop badgering you, and trying to convince you to enter into a re-payment arrangement. But remember, you decided to negotiate with your creditors due to the fact that you simply could no longer afford to make your monthly payments. Even if your creditors are willing to reduce your monthly payments and/or interest, you’ll still be faced with many monthly payments over a period of several years. So, during the course of your discussions with creditors, stand your ground and insist that you simply cannot commit to a long term payment agreement.

If you need convincing to remain on solid ground when talking with your creditors, think very carefully for a moment about the “make-up” of the credit industry. If you’ve made your payments on time every single month for the last several years and suddenly faced a hardship, your creditors simply wouldn’t care. You could call and write to these companies, begging for a break on your interest or payments and they won’t budge. Only once you become delinquent will they finally offer you a reduced interest rate or payments. This fact alone should help you stand your ground and insist that you absolutely will not agree to their new payment terms. They weren’t willing to help you after you reached out, begging for assistance, and this unwillingness by creditors to cooperate has led many people down the path to bankruptcy.

After several months and numerous discussions with your creditors you’ll eventually reach a mutually agreeable negotiated settlement. Prior to releasing funds to your creditor, you’ll want to obtain a settlement letter, which clearly states the settlement arrangements that have been verbally agreed upon. This is very important; remember, if it’s not in writing it doesn’t exist, so until you have a settlement letter with a settlement amount, a deadline and the correct account number, don’t pay a dime.

Successful debt settlement requires knowledge and education. Take your time and take advantage of the many resources that are available. Even if you find that it’s necessary to spend a few hundred dollars to buy materials that will inform and educate you, you’ll end up being several thousand dollars ahead. Your decision to become debt-free is one you will not regret.

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