Personal Finance Tips

When you are a student or have no credit history it may be a daunting task to figure out where to begin. Here a few pointers to help you establish credit and get your first credit card.

*Have a checking or savings account with a steady sum of money in it for at least 6 months.

*Your parents could help, buy asking for additional credit cards in your name. The parent does not have to actually give you the card. I found this out with my son-when he went to college, and applied for student loans he had established some credit with Sears card. I do not know which other cards this will work with.

*Try to get a department store card. I do not recommend using store cards because interest rates are high. For the purpose of establishing credit, you could get a store card, put a couple of purchases on them and pay them off. If you do not purchase anything with it, credit card companies can not recognize weather you pay responsibly.

* Employment history is a factor that is considered by most Credit Card Companies. You should have the same job for 6 months or longer. The longer the better.

* Utility bills, and cell phone bills on some occasions can some times help in determining your Credit worthiness.

Okay, above I have outlined what you need to do in order to establish credit in order to get a real unsecured credit card. But you may want to jump start the system and get a secure credit card.

* A secure card is often secured with money- more like a bank account.

* Some secure cards require a security deposit. If you do not pay, they take the deposit.

* Other secure cards only allow you to use them at certain stores.

* In most cases Secure Credit cards for no credit will require you to deposit your credit line on top of the security deposit. Say deposit $500 for a $500 credit line.

* There are also annual fees associated with secure credit cards for no credit.

* Before signing up for that secure credit card be sure to read the “Terms of Service”, that should be somewhere on the application. It is very important that you understand all of the fees associated with a secure credit card.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of February, 12.5 million people are unemployed in the United States, which the unemployment rate is up to about 11 percent. It has been no secret that the economy is in a recession and people are hurting all over the country and in every business sector.

If you are one of the unfortunate victims of this economy and find yourself without a job, you may be wondering how in the world you’re going to provide for yourself, much less your family. Because, not only are people losing jobs, there aren’t enough jobs to go around. Sure, you may be collecting unemployment and, in certain states, laws have been created to extend these benefits, but that monthly check may not be enough for you to handle even basic living expenses.

If at any time during your unemployment you find yourself short on funds, you may have some extra cash sitting out in your driveway. No, you do not have to sell your car to get the cash; you can apply for cash car title loans. If you already own your vehicle and have a clear title, meaning you don’t have any outstanding loans against your car, you may qualify for some extra cash. Car title loans allow you to access the equity in your vehicle for emergency situations just like this.

Once you are approved and get the cash, car title loans allow you to spend the money on whatever you need. In the case of unemployment, you might need help making the mortgage payment this month or just getting the utility bills paid. Whatever bills, the small unemployment checks are not covering, a car title loan can help cover.

Some lenders offer lower competitive rates and allow you can take out a larger amount than their competition allow, so be sure to research all of your potential lenders before you apply. The lender determines the current value of the car and, based on your application and credit report, it loans a percentage of this value. Some states have a minimum amount so verify this when you apply.

By giving you emergency cash, car title loans can help you protect your credit in tight times. If you fail to pay your bills, be it credit card, mortgage or utilities, it gets reported to the credit bureau. Bad credit can keep you from getting a job, buying a house or renting an apartment.

Just make sure that you fully understand the terms and conditions of the loans and that you will be able to pay the required minimum monthly payment on the loan. So only take what you can afford to pay back. Since the current value of the car is used as collateral for this type of loan, if you fail to make payments, the lender has the right to repossess the car and sell if to recoup their loss. You cannot afford to loose your car; you will need it to get to job interviews and to a job soon!