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10 signs you need help managing your money

March 1, 2018/in Money Management /by admin

Is it time to change your money habits, talk to a credit counselor or a financial coach? We all fall behind every now and then, but if you seem to always be financially stuck – you may need a bit of outside help – and there’s no shame in that.

You have no idea where your money goes or whether your card will be accepted

It seems that your paycheck arrives on time every month, however, the respective amount of money suddenly disappears just in a couple of days and you have no idea where it went. A similar sign is if you are standing at the line in the supermarket trying to calculate the cost for all your purchases as you are not sure whether your credit card will be declined as you are already over the limit. If this has happened more than two consecutive months, then it is a sure sign you need to seek help for your finances.

Your credit card is often declined

If your credit card gets declined too often it is a sure sign that you need help with your finances. The reason might be that you are spending too much on luxury items or aren’t tracking how your small expenses add up. Either way, professional advice will do you good.

You have bad credit history and poor bank balance

If you have a bad credit history or you don’t understand what led to it then you are in trouble. The same goes if you have a poor bank balance with about $100 left in your account before payday. If it happens every month, then you should take a note that you might need some financial advice before things get worse.

You don’t save for the future

You don’t have the habit to put money aside for the future or at the very best you save only a few bucks that are left at the end of the month for that dream holiday in the summer. While this does not directly affect your current financial situation, it may turn out badly if you are faced with unexpected expenses in the future. Learning to put aside a certain amount of money every month is a good routine that you should get into in order to avoid financial trouble.

You always spend your savings on daily expenses

You have made an effort to put some money aside, however, you regularly draw from these funds in order to cover your utility bills or daily expenses. Thus, in practice, you are not saving any money for the future at all. It is a good idea to consult a financial expert how to better manage your budget so that you actually end up with cash in your bank account for future spending.

You have no clear plan for retirement

Whether you like it or not, your retirement will come, so it is better to be prepared for it. Think about your retirement and decide on a plan that will help you enjoy those years. If you have no idea or no money at all saved for this period of your life, then surely you need some financial advice how to proceed.

You don’t understand your insurance policies or have none

It is important to have insurance policies that cover both your property and yourself in case of accidents. If you have none, then you are missing an important asset. If you have insurance policies but you are not aware of their benefits, it means you may not be able to get the full coverage in case something bad happens. Talk to your agent and find out how you can get the most out of your policies and how you can fill the gaps.

You have no investments or you don’t understand them

Do you have an investment portfolio that is right for your financial goals? The chances are that you have some investment accounts established by your previous employers but if you have changed jobs way too often, you might have lost track of them. While, those accounts may not be much of an asset right now, in 20-30 years that will be another story. Consult an investment professional and get your money working for you. Managing your investments properly is one of the essential steps for getting control over your finances.

You have no clear budgeting strategy and constantly switch between different ideas

You have some financial struggles that you are aware of, however, you have no clear budgeting strategy. If you apply a different approach to curbing your budget every week or so, it will be counterproductive. Choose a strategy that will be easy to follow and stick to it a few months at least to see if it works for you. If you have problems deciding on what’s best for you, do not be afraid to ask for expert advice. Get into the habit of saying “No, this item is not on my list this month. I will see if I can include it in my budget next month”.

You take out unnecessary personal loans

If you are taking out personal loans to buy the newest gadgets or fund vacations – you’re in trouble. Taking a personal loan, regardless of its type, should be to pay a debt, cover medical expenses or other urgent costs and not for treating yourself with a luxury holiday or a new wardrobe.

Get in charge of your finances. Read money management books, talk to a credit counselor or a financial adviser, get an accountability partner or a financial coach. It’s never too late to start managing your money better. Start today!

Understanding different types of Liquid Accounts

February 26, 2018/in Money Management /by admin

If you need quick and easy access to your money, then you need a liquid account. In order to better understand liquid accounts, let’s define liquidity and liquid assets.

Liquidity determines how fast an asset can be converted into cash. If the asset can be sold quickly and with little impact on its value, then it can be defined as a liquid asset. Examples are: bank accounts, shares of stock, bonds and money market accounts.

A good example of a non-liquid asset is real estate, since it may take a few months to sell it and get the money you need. If you need urgent cash, you might be forced to sell the real estate quickly and with a significant loss.

Bank accounts are one of the most common liquid assets. There are three main types of accounts that are considered liquid assets—checking account, savings account, and money market account—since you can easily make withdrawals. Certain certificates of deposit (CDs) also give you the opportunity to withdraw money without penalty when the account is mature.

Checking account

Checking accounts are considered liquid accounts since the purpose is to keep money in it to pay bills or purchase goods. You can withdraw the money at an ATM, make online payments or write checks. In some cases, you pay a charge for using your money. Some banks limit the checks you can write each month without paying a fee. In most cases, the bank also imposes a service charge if your balance is below a given amount, often the threshold is $1,500.

Savings account

The savings account in its traditional form allows you to withdraw money at the teller window. Some banks even allow for money withdrawal at an ATM or allow online transfers. The disadvantage is that you cannot write checks. If you have a savings account, you receive some kind of interest, but it is usually quite low.

Money market account

Another type of liquid account is the money market account. Its main advantage is that it usually pays much higher interest than the savings or checking accounts. The rate may change depending on the market conditions. There is a minimum balance required for such an account to be open, usually $1,000. The specific details of money market accounts depend on the financial institution that provides them, but banks generally waive ATM fees and give free checks. The disadvantage is that there is usually a limit to the number of checks you can write monthly. There can be limitations on debit card purchases as well.

Certificates of Deposit

The certificate of deposit is not a typical liquid account. There are, generally, two types of CDs—traditional CD and liquid CD.

Traditional CD

The traditional CD is not as liquid as the above-mentioned types of accounts. The reason for that is the requirement to leave your money in the account for a given period. It can be months or years, the typical period varying between 6 months and 5 years. The benefit is that you get a much higher and fixed interest rate for the lifespan. The drawback is that you cannot withdraw the money prior to maturity without a penalty.

Liquid CD

It allows you to withdraw money before the maturity date without paying a penalty. While the overall conditions depend on the financial institution, the common rule is that you receive interest, lower than that of the traditional CD. Often there are limitations on the amount of money you can withdraw or on the frequency of withdrawals within a given period. Perhaps one of the main disadvantages of this type of accounts is the requirement of an opening balance of at least $25,000.

7 Things you can do this year to improve your credit

February 14, 2018/in Money Management /by admin

Whether you want to purchase a house or a new car, you need a good credit score to get approved and get a decent interest rate.

There are things you can do to improve your credit score. However, the process takes time because your score shows your money management habits over a several-year span. Here’s what you can do today to improve your score.

Pay bills on time

Late or missed payments are a credit score killer. One way to make sure you pay on time is to set up a monthly payment with your bank. Don’t make the mistake to schedule the payment for the day it’s due. Instead, schedule it for a day after you get paid. Otherwise, you risk running short of money when the due date comes.

Alternatively, create a calendar event on your phone. There are plenty of scheduling apps that will remind you of payment due dates. It will only take a minute or two to set it up.

Lower your credit card balances

A major factor in calculating your credit score is the ratio of how much credit you have available versus how much you are actually using. Lenders recommend you to keep a credit utilization rate of 30% or less. Pay down the balance and try to maintain the balances at 30% or less, if possible.

Pay off small balance credit cards

How many cards you have with a balance is also a part of your credit score calculation. If you happen to have quite a few cards, try to pay the ones with a small balance off. It is better to have one or two cards and use them for the major purchases. Furthermore, getting rid of small debts will give you a psychological boost to pay off bigger sums in the future.

Keep old debt on your report

As already mentioned, a report shows how you handle your debt and how financially responsible you are. There is no need to remove a debt from your report (like a car loan you paid off). Leave it on your report to show future creditors that they can trust you with your next loan. Besides, the old debt will be gone from your report in seven years.

Pay attention to your credit score

Get used to checking your credit score regularly. There you can see exactly what needs improvement. Download Credit Sesame to get payment reminders, organize your debt and even get a sample credit score (an estimate, not your exact FICO score).

Negative credit report

Understanding negative reporting is important because negative information not only stays in your report for seven years (ten for bankruptcy), but it also lowers your score. The causes are usually late payments, debt collections, judgments, charge-offs, repossession, foreclosure, tax liens, or even bankruptcy. If you want to settle a debt you cannot pay in full, make sure you understand the full terms of the “re-negotiation”. It is better to pay in a settlement than to declare bankruptcy so make sure you carefully consider all your options.

Bonus tips

There are not many ways in which one can improve their credit score. It is pretty straightforward – do not be late with your payments and the overall score will increase.

Do not take risks

One of the best things to do while trying to better a credit score is to play it safe. Two of the biggest risks for your credit score are missing payments (for which, as mentioned above, an app can help) and suddenly paying less than normally.

Don’t focus on your credit too much

If you just pay everything on time, your score will slowly but surely improve. There are no shortcuts and there is no need to stress out. Be patient and watch your credit score get better month by month.

Know the types of debt

Credit cards are probably the first thing we think of when debt is mentioned. Credit card debt is one of the most common debts, along with student loans, and medical debt. But there are many more consumer debts, like mortgage, car loan, utilities, phone bills, installment plans, services, etc. What all consumer debts share in common is the fact that they are all covered by Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. As the name implies, the act sets some limits for debt collectors and protects certain rights of consumers.

Improving your credit score takes time and persistence, but it is not impossible. The earlier you start taking action, the sooner you will be able to meet your financial goals: getting a mortgage for your dream home, purchasing the dream car or even pursuing educational growth.

10 Budgeting hacks that help you save more

February 7, 2018/in Money Management /by admin

If you have tried saving up money, you might have noticed that it is tougher than it sounds. Being part of a modern consumer society, we often find ourselves spending far more than we had planned. But with a bit of self-discipline, good organization, and our useful budgeting hacks below, you could save more.

Envision your success

Make your wish as specific as possible. Then surround yourself with it. If you want to save up for a car, the first step is to choose the specific type you want. Then print pictures of it and put them on your fridge, bathroom mirror, and on your workspace. Take a step further and set them as your phone and computer wallpaper. Make sure you are constantly reminded of what your goal is. That will help you to stay motivated and keep saving up money.

Cook at home

A lot of money is spent on food. Instead of having home cooked meals, we sometimes order food or go out to eat, which is much more expensive. In the dynamics of today’s world, few of us have the time to prepare meals at home. A solution we can offer is to cook only one day a week. Eating the same dish more than twice can be boring but you can prepare various meals and freeze them for later that week. This way you will be able to save up money and even take the food to work.

Think of the real price

When going for shopping, no matter what product or service you are about to spend your money on, first think of the real price. What we mean by that is to simply calculate how much time you have to work for the item of interest. For example, if you are looking at a dress that costs $70 and you get paid $8 per hour that would mean you have to work about 9 hours for it – an entire day and some more. Once you know how much it will cost you in terms of time, simply decide for yourself whether it is really worth it.

Grocery Shopping

Many times, we come out of the store having bought way too many things. By the time we get to use them all, we might even have to throw some away. This is mainly because we have the bad habit of grocery shopping when hungry. Besides going to the store on a full stomach, other things that can help us not waste time and money are to chew gum and wear headphones. The mint is used to counter the persuasive scents in stores. Likewise, listening to our own music blocks the one in the store usually carefully selected in order to make the customers spend more time shopping.

Use Cash

The next tip is to use cash instead of credit or debit cards. Cards are convenient because it is easier and safer to carry and use them instead of cash. The downside, however, is that one can very easily spend a larger amount of money on things that are not particularly necessary. This leads to falling off track and not reaching your financial goals. By setting a budget and carrying only necessary cash, you can stick to your budget much easier.

Sales

An important part of saving money is to figure out what your priorities are. Just because you are saving up for something doesn’t mean you have to cut all things that bring you joy. You can still go shopping and go eat out, it would just be on a budget. Sales are great because you end up buying something you want but at a lower price, of course, at the additional cost of the time, you would have waited for the item to be on sale.

Start slow

Like with everything else that requires a change in lifestyle, it is better to start slow. Take small steps by putting aside a small amount of money and then gradually increase with time.

Saving can be fun

If you get motivated by challenges, then try the 52-week money challenge. The money you deposit each week is equivalent to the week number. So, in the first week, you will put aside just $1, during week 2 – $2, week 30 -$30 and so on. At the end of the year, you should have $1378 in savings. Another fun way to save money, besides challenges would be to use tools such as SaveUp, which reward you with cash and prizes for saving money.

Avoid

“Quick” visits to the shopping center and going out with friends are usually the types of activities where we get tempted to spend money most easily. Restrict yourself from giving into these temptations too often. At the end of the day, homemade coffee is as good – if not even better – as the one you are going to spend $9 for.

Treat yourself

Just because you are saving money doesn’t mean you have to stop doing/eating/shopping for what you like. Definitely treat yourself, whenever you reach a milestone. For example, when you have saved up the first $500 for your dream car, in order to treat yourself on reaching the mile stones, you should set a “fun” fund beforehand.

Saving money is not for everyone and we know for a fact that in some cases it isn’t even an option. For the times when you need money urgently, call us at Fast Money Loan. You will have cash with no credit check in as little as 30 minutes.

Questions you need to ask yourself before buying a house

January 15, 2018/in Money Management /by admin

Becoming a homeowner is an important decision and you want to make sure you are ready. Your family situation, your job, and your financial health all dictate when it’s a good time to buy a house.

After answering the following questions, you will have a better understanding of how close you are to reaching the milestone of buying a house.

Part 1: The Idea

The first step is what we call the consideration stage. It’s when you first start figuring out what you want in a house.

What house do I want?

If you don’t know what you want, you are not ready to buy a house. The right house does not only depend on the price and location, but on your needs as well. You need to consider yard size, whether or not it has a finished basement, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and how much TLC it’s going to need.

Am I ready to stick around?

If you are not sure you can commit to staying at your new house for at least the next 5 years, you may want to think twice about purchasing a house. If you decide to sell the house in less than 3-5 years of purchasing it, it is not worth the investment now. This is because appreciation won’t catch up to the closing costs and you will be losing money.

Part 2: The Means

Here we cover the financial concerns of purchasing a house. If you are not financially prepared yet, these questions should give you the guidelines of what you should be aiming for.

Do I have the money?

Of course, you can get a mortgage, but it is best you save up and put down 20% of the selling price upfront to avoid paying private mortgage insurance.

Do I have debt?

Your debt-to-income ratio needs to be good in order to qualify for a mortgage. Together with the mortgage your debt can make up to about 36% of your gross income. If it is higher than that, it becomes extremely hard to get a mortgage. Not only that, if you have debt and a mortgage, any sudden reduction in income would make it difficult to keep up with all of your payments and maintain the house properly.

How is my credit score?

Credit score is important because it shows the mortgage lender whether you are reliable. More specifically, they will be looking at alternative credit trade lines, which would include rental history, car insurance, utilities, monthly subscription services, and cell phone bills etc. Mortgage lenders are looking for a good score in the last 12 months or more. So, the first step is to make sure you know what your credit score is.

If your credit score is good, you will have lower monthly payments. In other words, the interest on your mortgage will be lower.

Low or no credit score is not good since lenders are looking for proof that when lend the money you will be responsible and they can trust that you will pay it off. In this case, you’ll need to put off buying the house and build your credit score first.

How are my savings?

Aside from your emergency account, you need to be able to put money in a savings account. If you can put money aside it means you have good income flow as well as spending habits. In case you cannot put aside anything more than for your mortgage payment, you should postpone the purchase of a house until you have a more secure income or better spending habits.

One thing that you would need is a savings account for the down payment for the house you have chosen.

Have I taken into account all the hidden costs?

If the list price seems high wait until you add all the hidden costs. Insurance, property tax, utilities, moving costs, and renovations are just the beginning. The biggest hit perhaps, will come from the maintenance of the house. The larger the house, the bigger these costs will be.

Do I have an emergency fund?

You might be the person to plan at least 3 months ahead, but unexpected things happen anywhere, anytime. For example, if you get sick and need to pay medical expenses, which you did not take into account. There are many other things that may require you to veer from your spending plan. These are exactly the situations you need to have an emergency fund for. A good idea is to first build on your emergency fund and then proceed to purchase a house.

Bonus Question!

Is now a good time to buy a house?

Check out the market for houses at your desired location. If you are buying the home as an investment you might as well go the extra mile to make sure you are making a good purchase. The idea here is that the value of the property will rise and perhaps in 30 years you will be able to sell it and travel the world? Even if that’s the case, make sure to factor in the cost of interest payments on your mortgage, upgrades to the property and other maintenance.

In brief, buying a house is a process and it does not simply happen overnight. There is a lot to consider. You need to choose the type of the house you want. Depending on the particular house, you need to calculate how much it will cost you to pay for insurance and maintenance. You need to evaluate your current financial situation and see whether you should make it better.

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