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Personal Loans

Normally, a personal loan is unsecured meaning there is no collateral. When you obtain a personal loan, you borrow an amount of money for a set period of time and pay interest on the outstanding principal balance. Personal loans are often acquired to make a specific purchase, such as furniture, major appliances, consolidate other high interest loans into one monthly payment (debt consolidation), home improvements, and income taxes. Most personal loans are obtained from a bank, credit union, or savings and loan, and have a fixed term. If you make the regular payment each month, you will eliminate the debt within the term of the loan. Because personal loans are unsecured, you typically need to have good credit, unless the loan is a payday loan which is secured by a post-dated check and is normally granted with out any sort of credit check.

Personal Lines of Credit

A personal line of credit is a common alternative to a personal loan. When you apply for a line of credit, the lender establishes a credit limit which is always available to you. They are used just as a credit card would be used and typically used for unexpected expenses. You can pay off the balance each month to avoid interest charges and keep the credit line open for future needs. You may borrow what you need, as you need it, in any amount, as long as your outstanding principal balance does not exceed your credit limit. If you reach your borrowing limit, you can pay down the balance and then borrow more. Personal lines of credit are usually unsecured. Typically, there is no fixed repayment period as long as you make the minimum monthly payments and interest rates are normally lower than credit card rates. If your line of credit is with a financial institution, you likely access it with a check, a debit card, or a withdrawal slip. In most cases, banking institutions will link your line of credit to your checking account (often called an overdraft line of credit). As with personal unsecured loans, credit lines are easier to obtain if you have established credit.

Article submitted by Chris Robbins, founder of Direct Lending Solutions. Visit Direct Lending Solutions for comprehensive articles and frequently asked questions about various lending options, including Personal loans and Lines of Credit for Bad Credit.

To say that every family should have a monthly budget is an understatement. The only way to control your family's finances is with a budget which keeps track of where the money comes from and where it is ultimately spent. A budget, or cash flow plan for those who don't like the B word, is a critical part of any family's secure financial future.

For most families a budget is far down the list of things that are important in the day to day happenings for most families. For most people doing a budget is another task for which they have little time to deal with. Unfortunately this is the reason so many families are having the financial troubles they are dealing with today. A budget can also be a divisive thing if it is used as a way to control the spending habits and place blame for the financial failings being experienced. For a family budget to work properly it must be used as a tool by all family members that involves financial goals and compromise to reach them.

A budget is actually not that hard to create and keep simply because it is just a list of monthly income and expenses that is kept either on a sheet of paper or on a computer equipped with budgeting software. The idea behind any budgeting process is to create a balance between income and expenses so that at the end of the month there is money left over to save, invest, and build wealth.

There is no concrete method for building a family budget because each family's financial needs are different. Some families may be saving for a new car or family vacation, while others are more intent on building savings and college funds. Most families start their budgeting process simply by writing everything down on a piece of paper but as their financial needs grow more complex they may find they need the services of a financial or investment planner.

Another thing to think about and discuss is what are your family's long term financial goals and how do these fit into and affect the monthly budget. It is important to consider not only the goals of individual family members but also the collective goals of the entire family as well. These can include such things as putting away money for a new home, saving for children's college fund, building that retirement nest egg, and probably the most important thing for any family building an emergency savings fund to protect against unforeseen financial emergencies.

The hardest part of finalizing the family budget is making sure you have all the monthly expenses written down. Missing even one or two can seriously affect your budget because at the end of the month you will have less money then originally budgeted for. Be sure to think of those surprise expenses which is particularly important if you have children. It always seems that some unforeseen expense pops up around one of the kid's school activities, or they need new glasses or braces, or something along those lines. Of course if you have an emergency fund in place you can use money from this for such things.

Setting up a proper family budget will not only help you meet your financial goals but will also save money over the long run. Not having money worries will make family life better for all concerned; it just takes a little time and patience.

To learn more about building a family budget please visit the website Household Budgets by clicking here.

If you are a homeowner in need of a home equity loan but you have not yet built up any equity in your home, don't despair. A 125 percent equity home loan may be the answer.

A 125 percent equity home loan is a second mortgage loan that allows you to borrow up to 25% more than the value of your home. For example, if your home is worth $100,000 and you owe $100,000 on the mortgage, this loan program would allow you to still borrow up to $25,000.

The 125 percent equity home loan is offered by various online lenders. Each lender has their own qualification and loan term guidelines but generally this is a credit score driven loan program. Credit score driven means that you have to have a certain credit score to qualify for the loan. In addition, your credit score usually determines the maximum loan amount you may qualify for and the maximum cash in hand you may receive. Also, some 125 percent equity home loan lenders may require seasoning on the length of time you have lived in your home. Three months is normally the minimum.

When it comes to a property appraisal, most 125 percent home equity loan lenders do not require you to obtain one. They generally will use the purchase price of your home as the value if you have lived in your residence for 12 months or less. If you have lived in your home over 12 months, a recent tax assessment, simple drive-by appraisal, or automated value model (avm) can be used. An avm is a computer generated assessment of your home's value which is based on recent home sales of comparable houses in your neighborhood.

For more information on 125% home equity loans, or to compare rates and programs of 125% home equity loan lenders visit http://www.equityloansource.com

Levetta Rivera is a successful mortgage broker and publisher of the following financial websites: http://www.equityloansource.com and http://www.militaryvaloan.com