Archive for January, 2008

If you’ve payed attention to any financial news lately then you’ve probably heard the phrases mortgage crisis, or sub-prime crisis. It’s because a lot of people took out loans that we’re right for them and then investors bought and sold those loans who couldn’t back what they bought and sold. Had people done research and known how all those mortgage loans out there would effect them they might not have brought the US, and world economy, into this mortgage crisis.

So the moral of the story is do your research when you’re looking for a cheap mortgage such as looking through the great information at Thrifty Mortgages. You can find tons of useful information on loans, what are the different mortgages, what mortgage would be right from you and best of all, the forms that you fill out with some key information that helps you find the proper mortgage for your situation.

Like the one that helps you remortgage. If you’re in an ARM right now, or just want to take advantage of the great rates you can use the search functions to find great remortgage rates that suit your needs and keep you out of the poor house or part of the mortgage crisis that’s going on. Remortgages can be a great solution. Just make sure you know what you’re getting into and make sure it fits your mortgage needs.

Finally, one of the things that you might not know existed that a lot of people are in need of is a company that will remortgage with poor credit ratings from their borrower. You might have gotten yourself into on of those adjustable mortgages a few years back, gotten into some financial trouble over those years, and now find yourself with poor credit and a need to refinance into a good mortgage before you rate turns sky high. This finder will search tons of mortgages and find the best one for you’re scenario.

We restate again, if you’re in a bind with your mortgage, don’t go after the first one you see. Learn from this lesson and get a mortgage that suits your needs and possibly situations that might arise.

With the Feds lowering interest rates, that could spell relief for some borrowers, especially if they do what most investment gurus are expecting again next month, lower the key interest rates once again.

So with low rates, what does that mean for you. It means finding the right lender who won’t put you in the poor house as some mortgage lenders have done over the past few years. You need to weed through the good and the bad to find the right loans and site like Thrifty Scot can help you out.

They can help you find a cheap loan with their loans finder. You input the amount of money you’d like borrow, the purpose, the repayment period and the all important “are you a homeowner” question and out pops several places where you can get the cheapest loan for your situation. They also list all lenders in their database on one page so you can go through and read all of the information on the different loans and find the cheapest for yourself.

Speaking of being a homeowner. Whether you’re in the UK or in the US you’re probably feeling a little bit of the mortgage crisis reaching your neighborhood. If you bought in the last 3 years, chances are you might even be feeling it yourself with a ARM loan that is set to reset in the next year or two. Thrifty Scot has over 500 homeowner loans that you can search through from tons of lenders to help you make the switch from that horrible adjustable rate mortgage loan to one that can actually keep you out of the poor house. They also have a few tips and suggestions that I think everyone should read to avoid becoming part of the next mortgage crisis.

Lastly, if you’re looking to buy something nice for yourself that isn’t a home or a car, you may need to get a personal loan (better than most credit cards and usually through your bank.) This site has a section to allow you to compare personal loans to see which one will give you the best rate. These purchases could be a diamond ring, a new TV, that pool to keep you cool in the summer, or maybe even a vacation that you can go on now and pay off later by taking out a personal loan.

No matter where you borrow money just make sure that you’ve done your research at a site such as Thrifty Scot. Use the search features and find a loan that fits your needs.

Finding a good place to put your money these days is becoming tougher and tougher. If you want to increase your wealth, and eventually finance your wealth by letting just your money build you need to find a good place to but that money. Stocks can be good for a portion of your money but you need to find a medium that gives you safe, consistent returns so you can weather a storm like the one that’s going on in the stock market right now.

That’s why when I’m told about new sites that help consumers find places to put their money I try and share them with our readers. Sites like this one offering bank reviews can be truly helpful when looking for the right bank to put your money. Obviously you want a bank that can give you the greatest return but sometimes those banks are hard to find or come with stipulations. That’s why finding a site that offers reviews on many different banks, all in one place can be very very valuable.

You can find a good savings account, that you can access easily, gives you a good return and keeps your money safe.

Also a good idea for your money is not just a regular old savings account, but instead a money market account. Although these accounts aren’t as safe as a regular account, they have shown to be nearly as safe over the entire history of their existence. (But that does come with a warning) Companies like paypal are offering to keep your money in a money market account to earn you money while it sits their waiting for the next ebay gem. This may be a good option to get a higher rate than a savings with a little more risk (but still quite low). You can check money market rates on the site as well.

Overall, you need to diversify your money and savings and money market accounts are just one way to do that. Look around and visit sites like this one to help you decide which account is the right one for you.

Gas prices are shooting through the roof. Oil started the year out by going over $100 a barrel and gas prices around the country showed it. In Hawaii, gas is toping $3.40 - $3.60 a gallon, along with most of the west coast seeing these same high average gas prices.

This is forcing a lot of people to abandon their gas guzzling SUV’s for car pools, public transportation, and even biking. For those of you who traveling long distances to commute to work, these prices can seriously hurt your monthly budget. Trying to create wealth with a such a high cost is going to be tough. However, there are things you can do to lower the price you pay for gasoline.

One of the best ways, besides those three already mentioned, is to find a gas credit card that can give you either a discount on your gas fill ups right away or give you cash back at the end of every month or year. There are a lot of these cards out there and some offer even more benefits that just gas.

Like these gas cards that offer you cash back on gas station fill ups as well as money back on all your autmotive needs. Some offer as much as 6% on eligible purchases and some offer 0% APR on purchase and balance transfers. So if you’re frugal about your money you can use the gas money you would have spent, put it in a savings account and earn a little extra cash in the process.

Make sure, like all credit cars offering you something big, that you find one with no annual fee, and try to only use it for gas purchases. Don’t go crazy and put everything you can on the card. Only use it for purchases that can save you money. Then pay off the credit card right away.

Most of you out there who are either in college or went to college have probably walked past one of these. A table or booth setup with someone wanting to give you a free t-shirt, or sun glasses, or gift certificate if you’d only fill out a few forms. Sure, seems harmless. Three weeks later you get a mailbox full of envelopes all with shiny new credit cards. Thus starts your world of credit card use.

The problem is most student credit cards have horrible rates and can even charge you crazy fees. The second you activate one of those cards you’ll get charged crazy fees and you won’t have even used the card once for your own purchases.

That’s why when I was told about this site which lists specific credit cards for students I thought it would be a good idea to share it with our readers. The key to good cards for students is ones that have low credit limits so you don’t go spending too much, low to no APR (some offer 0% APR to begin with), and absolutely no fees. This site lists a bunch.

Also you want to be careful of cards that call you every other day trying to get you to sign up for programs that charge directly to your card or companies that try and get you to sign up for 20 other cards at the same time. That’s why the sites, student credit card reviews section is great to read about what each credit card has to offer and what the companies are like.

The best thing you can do when getting into the world of credit card use is to know about who your credit card company is. Don’t think all credit card companies are the same. If you want to create wealth for yourself, credit can be a great thing, but don’t let it cause you tons of headaches.