Archive for October, 2008

The money is there. Should you borrow it?

Saturday, October 4th, 2008

As if you had the choice! Well, let’s take you through the arguments and you can make a better decision. There are two basic possibilities: Situation 1. The worst. Your monthly net wage/salary hasn’t changed for the last year or so but everything has gone up in price. It’s not just the gas, it’s all the essentials you can’t do without. You’re slowly arriving at the point where money in does not match money out. Borrowing any money through the instant payday loansystem is going to work out very expensive. You should take an axe to your costs and overheads. It may be hard, but reducing your outgoings is a better solution than borrowing because you are never going to have enough slack in your income to repay what you borrow. Perhaps you can add more to your income by working overtime or getting a second job. Frankly, anything is better than a payday loan in this situation. Situation 2. The best. Let’s say you’ve been unlucky. Your car got in an accident or there are hospital bills. This type of expense can push even the best laid financial plans out the window. Now you’re looking at a big hole. You tried to negotiate instalments for paying off the bill but the creditor is unsympathetic - wants the whole amount in one hit. If you do this, you’re going to be left with other bills due before the end of the month. No matter how you juggle between accounts, you’re going to come up short. In this type of situation, a fast cash advance is about your only alternative. This is a real crisis. The question is how quickly you can put the wheel back onto your financial wagon. Let’s say the shortfall is $400. What’s the slack in your budgets? How many months will it take you to make up the “lost” $400? The problem is that payday loans are not really designed for this. You would be better finding someone to lend you the $400 over, say, six months and you repay it without getting into trouble. If you cannot borrow this amount from anyone else, be very disciplined through the payday loan system. Take $400 the first month, repay and then reduce each subsequent month’s borrowing by $66. This will bridge the gap at the lowest possible cost.

Payday lenders are sharks in sheep’s clothing

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

The market for loans from one pay day to the next has been around for centuries. If you’re lucky, your employer will give you an advance on your pay if you run short. Otherwise you’re scratching around to find someway to bridge you to the next check or bank transfer. The problem is more manageable for those with higher incomes and better credit scores. Banks and credit card companies have been more accommodating. Except, as the credit crunch begins to bite a little harder, even middle class borrowers are finding their borrowing limits cut back. That forces more people to look at an instant payday loan if an emergency hits. This is a better alternative than the sharks because states regulate finance companies, limiting the amount they can lend and capping the interest rates. So licensed lenders are better to deal with but, because interests, fees and charges can mount up rapidly, you still need to be very careful how you manage your borrowing. The problem is the psychology of the transaction. If you borrow $100, it does not sound too bad to pay back $115 on your payday. Except, when you work out the annual percentage rate, it can be more than 300%! The real cost bites when you either borrow the same amount for two weeks each month. Those $15 are mounting up fast. It’s no better if you show willing and beg the company to roll over the debt from one payday to the next. Once you’re in the hole, repeating the loan or rolling it over is just digging you in deeper. There is only one benefit from repeating a fast cash advance. Every time you borrow and repay, your credit score improves. Even though you’re repairing your credit score, the best strategy is only to use a payday advance loanas a last resort. Then only use sites like this to find a lender. There are some criminals out there who want to steal your money. They upload websites and offer a loan asking you to pay an upfront fee, i.e. they take your money and fail to give you the loan. Only proper licensed and verified lenders are reached through this site. If you search through Google, never deal with a company unless you can verify it’s legitimate. Never give out your bank account details unless you’re sure you’re safe.