Personal Finance Tips

With the real estate prices sky rocketing, mortgage loans are a boon when it comes to purchasing your dream home. You can opt for a mortgage loan as a first time home buyer, or to move up, or to refinance an old mortgage, or to access the equity blocked in the house. Whatever may be the reason, it is important to have a basic knowledge about mortgage loans and its types.

Mortgage loan refers to a loan that is secured by a mortgage on real property. Since these loans are secured, the value of the property reduces the risk factor involved. Thus mortgage loans may be available at lower interest rates as compared to other types of borrowing.

Mortgage loans are structured as long-term loans and the periodic payments for them are calculated according to time value of money. The payment is generally through Equated Monthly Installments (EMIs) paid over the term of the loan. Over the period, the principal amount borrowed, would be slowly paid off through amortization.

It is very important to choose the right type of mortgage loan, like it is important to choose the right lender. Doing a little bit of homework will help you understand what the loan officer speaks, who most of the time otherwise seems to be speaking in an alien language.

There are two basic types of amortized mortgage loans viz.

1. Fixed Rate Mortgage Loans: In fixed rate mortgages, the interest rate remains fixed for the entire term of loan. Thus they are more predictable than other types of mortgage loans. Fixed rate loans are generally up to 30, 20, 15 and 10 years. The longer the term of loan, larger is the amount of interest paid than the principle, this means larger tax deductions.

Since the interest rate remains fixed, you are saved from paying higher rates as per market fluctuations. At the same time you might loose the opportunity of borrowing at lower rates if market rates fall. If the fall in interest rate is 2 points or more, and you plan to reside in the same house for at least 18 months more, you can opt for mortgage refinancing.

2. Adjustable Rate Mortgage Loans: Also called floating rate or variable rate mortgage, these loans are popular because of the lower interest rates at the beginning. Adjustable rates are a little easier to obtain since some risk is transferred from the lender to borrower. Also lower interest rates may qualify the borrower for a larger loan amount.

In Floating rate mortgage loans interest rate is generally fixed for a period of time, after which it periodically adjusts to certain market indices. The most common market indices used are Prime Rate, London Interbank Offered Rate (LIBOR) and Treasury Index (T-bill). There is a cap on the margin that restricts the lender from charging interest rates higher than a certain point. This safeguards the interest of the borrower to a certain extent.

If you want to borrow money for your business purposes; you can opt for commercial mortgage loan. Commercial mortgage is similar to a residential mortgage, except that the collateral security given will be a commercial building or other business property and not a residential property.

All types of mortgage loans are generally non-recourse. This means that in case of default in payment, the lender can only seize the collateral security to recover the loan amount. Even if the collateral is insufficient to reimburse the loan in full, the lender has no further claim against the borrower.

Loans are helping people in each and every step of life. Education too is one sector that has now been made available to all by the loans. In this context the personal education loans are worth mentioning. It is because of the help of these loans that students of any financial status can now dream of acquiring the best education and then be successful. Any amount, that is required for higher studies and for other courses is delivered by these loans.

As these are available in two forms, you will be able to take up any one from these. It will depend on your capacity mainly, while you decide to choose one from these loans. The secured loans can be adopted by only those who pledge their valuable assets as collateral. Hence, these loans mainly are for the homeowners. However, for the unsecured loans it is not necessary for you to be a homeowner. No collateral is asked here and therefore, anyone can get it. Even the property owners too can get it if they want smaller amount for their studies. The rate of interest in both these loans differs. In the secured loans the rate of interest is low and vice versa, because it depends on the risk factor being suffered by the lender. The risk of the lender in the unsecured loans is more and therefore, the rate of interest too is higher.

These loans will help you in affording lots of things like:

o Taking admission in college
o Paying class fees and examination fees
o Making projects
o Going in excursions
o Paying for room and food
o Medical treatments
o Travel expenses
o And other miscellaneous activities

For repaying the personal education loans you will be given certain good facilities. You can pay it off six months after you finish your course or after getting employed in a job.

Life is full of risks and sometimes when we are faced with adversities; it becomes hard to bounce back into our normal shape almost immediately. This is where insurance comes in. It refers to the ability to manage risk. Well, somebody might say that, risk cannot be managed because it is not predictable, but at a close look and through non-logical eyes, risk can be managed.

Insurance is simply taking precaution against misfortunes that may hit us at any unforeseen point in time. The process of taking this cover involves two parties, known as the insurer and the insured. The two parties get into an agreement that in case of any misfortunes, the insurer will compensate the insured with some lump sum of money. For this to happen, the insured must make payments to the insurer at given intervals of time. This agreement is referred to as a policy.

Depending on the risk factor that the insurer wishes to take cover against, the rate is calculated at which the insured will be making deposits to the insurer. The deposits are known as premiums and they earn a given percentage of interest, such that the insured is actually given more than what they have paid to the insurer by the time the loss takes place.

There are many types of risk management policies that can be bought. They include health, life, car or employment risk management policies. The employment policies are mostly taken by employers on behalf of employees in case they are injured or if they incur a misfortune in their course of duty. Insurance is guided by a number of principles, all of which are key to ensuring that the contract entered by the two parties flows smoothly and without one party being unfair to the other.

If you are an entrepreneur, you should choose unsecured business loans. These offer more benefits and easier terms than traditional secured bank loans. Secured loans have rigid terms and conditions. Banks operate according to a fixed debt-equity ratio. This ratio is important to ensure the safety of the loans granted. Such inflexible terms can limit your options as an entrepreneur. Unsecured loans have no such rigidity attached with them.

Avail Various Benefits

The best feature is that you do not need to mortgage an asset against the loan. You can avail them, even if you have a poor credit rating or a bad credit history. It is not possible to take a secured loan with poor credit track, but you can always take an unsecured loan. They provide immense business opportunities. You can easily start your own venture or expand an existing one. You can purchase assets, services, machinery, and equipment without any difficulty. If you are short of working capital, then also you can take these loans and speed up the production process. Repayment is easy, for you can repay these loans when you have enough money.

Flexible Terms And Conditions

You can also take more orders and ensure the completion and delivery on time with these loans. They greatly aid in the expansion of business. The interest rate charged is higher than bank loans, but the convenience offered is unmatched. This is because of the risk factor involved in unsecured business loans. You can also modify the terms and conditions according to your convenience. Not only for business, but these loans can be a type of personal loans too. You can use them for various purposes like paying urgent school fee, repairs, home improvement, emergency medical care bills, and credit card payment among others.

Points To Consider

There are some things that you need to keep in mind before choosing an unsecured business loan:

1.Interest: Interest charged is always on the higher side, but make sure it is according to the prevalent market rates. Do not end up paying extra.
2.Grace Period: There is a grace period attached to every unsecured business loan. This varies according to the lender. It is recommended that you negotiate for a longer grace period.
3.Late Fee: If there is a delay in repayment, late fee is charged. It is important to negotiate the terms of the late fee before taking an unsecured loan.
4.Reputation: Reputation of the lender is the most important thing. Check for his past records and take the opinion of a few past customers for complete satisfaction.

Keeping these things in mind is always good. This can save you from a bad deal.

Select The Best Loan

The most important thing is to find the right loan provider. There are many companies that provide business loans, but many of them do not have good customer support and conditions. You should try to take an unsecured business loan without much trouble. Business is a very competitive field in this era. Borrowing is easy; you do not need to go for any background checks and validations too. All you need is a bank account and a valid social security number. Cash help at the time of need saves business from bankruptcy and can take it to new heights.