budgeting

Posts Tagged ‘budgeting’

Getting Out Of Payday Loan Debt–For Good

Sunday, April 18th, 2010

Are you having a hard time getting out of payday loan debt? Are you stressed out trying to make ends meet while paying back a payday loan? Numerous consumers take advantage of the convenience of payday loans without actually understanding how they are financed. In turn, they find themselves struggling in deeper debt than where they started.

Payday loans, which historically service those who do not qualify for a traditional loan or those who need money faster than a traditional loan can be processed, are meant to be short term lending solutions. The interest rate structure used by payday lending companies is meant to discourage people from using their services as a long term financial crutch.

Those who find themselves in trouble, do so because they do not understand how the process works. It is naive to assume, just because this is a loan, that the interest rates will resemble those at your neighborhood bank or credit union. Payday loans often have interest rates that soar into the triple digits–which can add up to a large amount if carried over a long period.

How do you put an end to cycle once it’s started?

If at all possible, you should refrain from extending your loan. Payday loan companies make money off of extension fees–which typically run $90 on a $300 loan. These fees are not applied to the principle. When the loan becomes due, you will still owe the original amount borrowed plus finance charges.

Second, if you can not pay off the entire loan when it is due, pay down as much as you can. With interest rates in the triple digits, paying $10 extra per pay cycle can and will make a difference fast. You may have to ask to make this arrangement.

Whatever you do, do not take a second loan to pay off the initial loan. It will just put you deeper in debt. It is better to pay down the first loan as much as possible–even if it means paying off the principle in small increments. Most companies will find a way to work with you if they know you are having trouble making your payments.

Need help getting out of payday loan debt? Let me show you how you can.

Are Pawnbrokers Out to Exploit the Poor?

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Think of a pawnbroker and you may drift into fantasies of dark London times, Dickensian back alleys infested with rats and unseemly characters lurking around every corner. It may seem a very Victorian image, but to what extent do pawnbrokers exploit the poor even now?

It is not at all difficult to get a loan from a pawnbroker, providing you have suitable collateral as security. In times like these, we are all strapped for cash and whether you want to find decent items are good prices, or whether you need to make a quick penny or two, a pawnbroker can prove to be a very useful business. The best part is, there is next to no waiting.

However, you need to remember that, when it comes to using a pawn shop, the amount of interest they charge on these loans is much higher than a bank would charge. So really, this type of financing should only be used for a short period of time, for example, if you find yourself without some money until your next pay cheque arrives.

The National Pawnbrokers Association (the NPA) is an association that abides by strict rules and guidelines and will not exploit. As a company that is over 100 years old, not only do they safeguard the interests of over 900 members, but they take into consideration the interests of their customers, too.

Those who do become members of the NPA are provided with an operations manual along with a code of conduct manual to which they must adhere at all times. Plus, as pawnbroking is in fact part of the credit industry just like other financial institutes, banks and lenders adhere to the regulations set out in the Consumer Credit Act of 1974.

In order for someone to run a pawnbroking business, they must obtain a license from the OFT (Office of Fair Trading) in the U.K. If they fail to get this then they are committing a criminal offence and as a result, this could lead them to either being fined or sent to prison.

Just as with other forms of providing credit or lending money, this Act requires that the arrangements for such loans should be set out in a certain way. Also, before the loan is approved and after it has been approved then certain information must be provided to us. All these legislations and regulations help to ensure that pawnbrokers are not out to exploit us.

Pawnbroking business Uncles Money offers loans against cars and other motor vehicles.