 |
«A website where you can find the lowest interest rates on home loans with absolutely free quotes from multiple lenders» |
| • Home Equity Loan • Home Refinance Loan • Home Purchase Loan • Second Mortgage Loan • Debt Consolidation Loan | ||
|
 | |
| |
| Home Equity Loan Store :: Loans | |
|
|
|
Are Interest Rates Up, Up and Away?
Interest rates have been at their lowest levels in over 40 years. U.S. consumers have been able to purchase previously unaffordable homes, cars and other toys. Many have used cheap home equity loans to remodel, take vacations and pay off credit cards. Students have taken advantage of the rock-bottom student loan rates. But, interest rates look to be headed up. Recently, Alan Greenspan and the Federal Reserve escalated the Fed funds rate from 1% to 1.25%. So, what does that mean to you and me? The increase in rates is important if you have variable (not fixed) loans. For example, if you have adjustable rate mortgage or home equity lines of credit, the interest rates will probably go up (as well as the payments) in the next few months. Each time the Fed increases the Fed funds rate, it will roll down onto your adjustable rate loans and your payments will go up. The speed of increase and the amount of the increase will depend on what index your loan is based on - check with your lending institution for more information on that. If you have high credit card debt, the situation may be even more bleak because credit card rates remained high while other rates have been incredibly low. The Fed increases are a good excuse for your credit card company to hike your rates even higher. So, what can you do if you're looking at rates and payments going up, up and away? * Your payment increases may be fairly gradual. Depending on the economy, the Fed will continue to increase rates although they have signaled that the increases are likely to be very gradual. If the economic or political situation changes, they always have the ability to lower rates again. The Fed's rate-setting committee is scheduled to meet again Sept. 21, Nov. 10 and Dec. 14, and they may skip a rate increase at one of those meetings if inflation is subdued. * Check with your student loan lenders to see about consolidating and locking in rates. Good news: interest rates on savings are also likely to increase! So, if you have CD's coming due, check with different financial institutions before automatically rolling them over. If you have money stashed in savings accounts, the rates are probably starting to creep up. I highly recommend ING savings for the highest rates around (www.ingdirect.com). They also give great service, have no fees or hidden costs and are FDIC insured. You can also name your accounts at ING to make it easy to identify what you're saving for. * If you've been thinking about re-financing, there are still some good deals out there and there's no sense in procrastinating any longer. Contact me for some excellent resources for re-financing. * What if a new house isn't in your plans for a couple of years? When rates go up, it often cools off real estate prices and balances out the higher rates. Continue to save money in the highest interest short-term accounts you can find (no stocks or other long-term investments). Rates will probably not take huge leaps in the short term. * If you have an adjustable rate (home or home equity or car loans), you will see higher payments so call your lender to find out what the new payment is "likely" to be. They'll probably put all kinds of disclaimers out about not really knowing, but try to get a worst case scenario and then start pretending you really do have that new payment. Put the extra into a special savings account so you'll have a "slush" fund to cover if you run short one month. At the same time you are building up a cushion for the future, you'll have a good idea of whether or not you can handle the new payment. If not, now's the time to start looking at other alternatives like cutting back, increasing income or even refinancing. Remember, if you refinance your existing term to a new 30 year term, you'll have lower payments, but you'll pay a lot more for your house because of the additional interest. * Call your credit card companies and see if they are willing to lower your rates (not all are). Look for good, permanent credit card interest rates that you can transfer higher rate balances to. For example, if most of your cards are 18% or higher, find a good 12% card or lower and transfer as much as you can to that. Playing the 0% credit card shuffle is a dangerous game and can hurt your credit score. * Reduce credit card debt now! Stop using your cards and pay more than the minimums. If you pay off one card, take that payment and put it on another card. If you receive a pay increase, put it on the cards. The sooner the cards are paid off, the more flexibility you'll have! All in all, we're quite likely to enjoy reasonable interest rates for some time to come. However, make preparations now and you'll be able to handle whatever comes your way. If you need help, I'm the one to call -- 541-387-2995! Cindy S. Morus (www.phelps-creek.com) is a Certified Financial Recovery Counselor specializing in showing women and their families how to achieve financial well-being and peace of mind. She is also a Certified Credit Report Reviewer and Get Clients NOW!? licensee. Contact her at 541-387-2995 or cmorus@phelps-creek.com She is also the publisher and editor of "Financial Fitness", an internet gazette dedicated to helping people improve their financial fitness no matter what decisions were made in the past. Attention Ezine editors/Site owners: Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety in your ezine or website as long as you leave all links in place, do not alter the content and include our resource box as listed above. If you do use the material please send us a note (cmorus@phelps-creek.com) so we can take a look. Thanks.
MORE RESOURCES:
Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
What is a Cash Advance Loan? A cash advance loan is a short-term loan secured by your paycheck. It is also known as a "Payday Loan". Federal Debt Consolidation Loans For Students For American students, the U.S. Guide to Secured Personal Loans Here is a useful guide to secured personal loans. A secured personal loan is the generic term for a loan. What are Home Improvement Loans? Home improvement loans are loans specifically designed by loans companies to help you fund an essential home improvement projects.Home improvement loans provided by loans companies are secured on the value of the borrower's property. Where to Look for a Fast Homeowner Loan If you're looking for a fast homeowner loan, you might not know where to begin your search.Some banks and finance companies can take weeks to make loan decisions, and if you need a fast homeowner loan then that's time that you can't afford to spend waiting. What is a Commercial Business Loan? A commercial business loan is designed for a wide range of UK small, medium and startup business needs including the purchase, refinance, expansion of a business, development loans or any type of commercial investment.Finance is the lifeblood of a business. What is a Student Loan? Not everyone is aware of what is a student loan? Student loans, as the name implies, are available to students who require help with living costs while studying.Student loans are part of the government's financial support package for degree only students embarking on a course of higher education. What is a Bridging Loan? A bridging loan as the name implies is a loan used to "bridge" the financial gap between monies required for your new property completion prior to your existing property having been sold.A bridging loan is in simple terms a short-term mortgage that is secured against the property that you are selling, with the money that is lent being used to complete the purchase of the new property. Making Cars Accessible Through Secured Car Loans Enervated by the hectic schedule at the work place, traveling back to home in a public transport carrier seems to be a grueling task. This reasons out the transformation of cars from luxuries to necessity. The Wonders of Compound Interest Albert Einstein called compound interest "the greatest invention of all time." It has even been referred to as the "Eighth Wonder of the World. Debt Consolidation - Watch out for Payday Loans Most any large city has a number of small shops offering payday loans. They're often found in strip centers; sometimes they double as pawn shops. Loan Basics There is more than one type of loan. Depending upon your situation, you might find that what works in one circumstance does not work in another. Guide to Personal Secured Loans Here is a useful guide to personal secured loans. A personal secured loan is the generic term for a loan. What is Credit Scoring? Have you ever wondered what is credit scoring? Credit scoring is a system creditors use to help determine whether or not to give you credit.How does a creditor decide whether or not to grant you credit? Creditors use credit scoring systems to determine if you'd be a good risk for credit cards and auto loans. A Beginners Look at Secured Homeowner Loans Secured homeowner loans come in a variety of different types and amounts, and are intended for a wide variety of uses.These loans can be used for the same purposes as most personal loans? they can allow you to purchase a new car or other vehicle, pay for education expenses, make improvements or repairs to your home, or even consolidate several debts into a single low monthly payment. Short Term Solutions to Cash Flow Problems If you're in a crunch for money, either because of an unexpected emergency bill or other reasons, you may want to look into check into cash services. Available online, check into cash services follow a three tiered process:First, you send them a check. Motorcycle Loans For Military With Bad Credit Motorcycle loans for military with bad credit aren't hard to come by. In fact when you start your search for the lender you will find more then an ample supply of companies just waiting for your business. Cash Advance Payday Loans The ads are on the radio, television, the Internet, even in the mail. They refer to payday loans - which come at a very high price. Online Payday Loans Offer Quick or Instant Approval For a Fast Cash Loan Online payday loans companies offer quick approval with their online application process. Once you have entered your personal information and source of income, you can be approved for a payday loan in as little as five minutes, and a cash advance can be deposited in your checking account the next day. About Personal Loans What are personal loans? They are unsecured loans that a borrower obtains for various purposes. This type of loan is often used to consolidate outstanding debt into one monthly payment, but it can be used for other things such as paying for a wedding, a vacation, or something similar.
|
