One of Uncle Sam’s greatest gifts to the American student is the Federal student loan program which makes it possible for millions of young Americans to pursue higher education. But Federal student loans may not always cover tuition and expenses 100%. That’s why so many parents and students turn to private student loans to fill in the gap.Private student loans — not just for tuition!All the talk these days is about the higher costs of college tuition. But what often gets overlooked are all of the other college expenses that can make going to college more financially crushing.However, that may not be a problem for you since most private loans can cover virtually all college expenses, including: o Room and board o Off-campus housing o Registration fees o Text books o Laptop/Internet access o Travel expenses to get to and from classesHow can you qualify for a private loan?Because private loans are made by private institutions such as a bank or other private lending institution, your ability to get a loan will be based on merit, specifically good credit, essentially, a high enough credit score. The availability of a co-signer with good credit is even better from the lender’s perspective because taking into account a co-signer’s good credit, your combined probability of repaying the loan is higher. So, the lender can be more likely to approve you for a private loan.If you think about it, most consumer loans require collateral, such as a house or a car. If a borrower doesn’t repay the loan, then lender can repossess your property, so it can sell it to recoup the money it had loaned out.In the case of education loans, there really is no collateral; i.e., how can a lender repossess your education? It can’t. That’s why lenders rely on a good credit record, since that is a strong indicator that you and/or your co-signer have a proven track record of repaying on your credit cards or other loans in a timely and responsible manner.Co-signers with good credit can help you qualify for a private loan, lower your borrowing costs and improve your own credit score!Because private loans are based on merit, the rate you receive is based on your credit history and income. If you don’t have one or the other or both, having a creditworthy co-signer can be invaluable. In fact, a co-signer with good credit can help you obtain a private loan with a lower interest rate, saving you a ton of money over the life of the loan.Another added benefit of a creditworthy co-signer is “guilt by association but in a good way.” This means that the timely, responsible repayment of your private loan under a co-signer arrangement will be a positive way to build up your own credit record.Take advantage of private loan benefitsOf course the primary purpose of obtaining a student loan is to help you obtain a sound education so you can realize your career aspirations. And using credit wisely is important. That’s why you’re encouraged to seek out as much Federal student aid, grants and scholarships first before applying for a private loan.Private loan application process — get pre-approved in minutes if you qualify!However, once you determine that a private student loan can be a viable alternative funding source to cover your education finance gap, you could be pre-approved for a private loan within minutes of applying! Many times the application process is very simple and can, with most lenders, even be handled over the phone or online.Longer pre-payment terms and no pre-payment penalties can help you better manage your cash flow after collegeWhen it comes to paying back your private loans, many lenders give you up to 20 or 25 years to do so. The absence of pre-payment penalties means that as long as you make your minimum monthly payment, you can pay off your loans as fast or as slow as you want within your repayment term.Interest rate discounts can help lower your cost of private loan borrowing even more!Many private loan lenders would like to have your business. So be sure to shop around, and make sure to ask each lender about these and other private loan “borrower benefits” such as:o An interest rate discount for automatic payment from a savings or checking accounto An interest rate discount for simply making on-time payments.o Little or no origination fees, if you or your co-signer has good creditWho is eligible for a Private Loan?Keep in mind that each private loan lender has certain eligibility requirements. For most private student loans, you must meet the following criteria:- Must be creditworthy applicant or have a creditworthy co-borrower- Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. permanent resident, or international student with a qualified U.S. citizen or U.S. Permanent Resident co-signer- Must be within age of majority by your state of residence (typically 18 years of age)- May be a full time, half time, or less than half time (including continuing education) studentTypes of Private loansWhat’s great about private loans is that many lenders have a variety of loans that is tailored to fit your specific course of study. The loan name, minimum and maximum loan amounts, and the loan repayment terms are all tailored around the typical needs of the course of study you have chosen to pursue.Undergraduate Private Loans – Just as the name implies, apply for an undergraduate private loan if you’re a college undergraduate, or are attending a career, technical, and trade school in the U.S., at least half-time. Continuing Education Private Loans – This private loan is right for you if you are completing a degree, a certification program or taking classes to further your career or for personal development. A continuing education private loan is available to you if you attend an eligible school at least part-time (less than half-time). Graduate/Professional Private loan – If you have decided to pursue an advanced degree at participating colleges and universities, and planning to attend at least half-time, then this private loan can get you the funds you need to achieve your educational goals. K-12 Education Private loan – If you are a parents or other adult sponsor (relative or friend) of children who attend participating non-public elementary schools, many lenders provide these loans to help cover the expenses. Most lenders provide K-12 education private loans for students who attend private, religious, preparatory, and military or special education schools.Need more money to pay for college? Private loans are here for you!Now that you’ve learned about an alternative way to pay for your college-related expenses, don’t let anything hold you back from pursuing the dreams of success you want. A great education is a wonderful thing and nothing should ever stand in your way of achieving your goals.As you start or continue your education, the availability of private loans offers you an option to fund your education when you don’t know where else to turn for the money you need.
High Risk Loans – 8 Things You Should Know About High Risk Loans
Every day, more people are losing their jobs and finding themselves in tough financial times. If you have ever been among these unlucky people, you may have damaged your credit rating and feel like you may not be able to get a loan. While it may be tough to find them, loans exist that are designed for people in just this situation. While it is sad that so many are struggling, it means that there is more demand for high risk personal loans, especially unsecured personal loans, and these loans are more available to people who might not have qualified for loans in the past. Bearing this in mind, here are the 8 things you should know about high risk loans:1. Payday Loans are ExpensiveYou probably already know that payday loans should really only be a last resort. Unless you are absolutely sure you can repay them in full, they will typically cost you far more than they are worth. When extended for a full year, a $100 payday loan can have almost an 800% APR. That is astronomical compared to the rates that banks and even credit cards charge.2. Payday Loans are Easy To GetYou are a grown-up, and only you can decide if it makes sense to get a payday loan. If you decide to apply for a payday loan, you will usually need to bring your ID, proof of income, a bank statement, and the date of your next pay day at a minimum. Some places also require you to have a certain level of income before they will give you a pay day loan. The good news about pay day loans is that you can get them the same or next day in most cases and there is typically no credit check, so your credit doesn’t have to be good to qualify for one.3. Payday Loans do not Improve Credit ScoresYou would think that a loan paid off in a timely fashion would help you build your credit. This is not always the case. Since these loans are not usually reported to the major credit bureaus, they do not have a bearing on your credit score.4. You Can Get a Loan OnlineOne of the best places to find a high risk personal loan is online, and you can get an online loan from the comfort of your home. If you have a poor credit rating, it can be embarrassing to apply for a loan in person only to be turned down. Going online for your application, ensures that you do not have to put yourself in this position. Online Loans usually have low limits on the amount of money you can borrow, which might prevent you from taking on more than you can handle financially.5. Tax Return Loans are AvailableKnown as Return Anticipation Loans (RALs), these loans are extended based on the anticipated amount of your tax return. Basically, they are cash advances with interest rates ranging from about 50% to over 500% APR. Keep in mind that if you file your taxes early, you can generally have your return within 8-10 days if you file electronically and use direct deposit. This is almost always a better option than a Return Anticipation Loan, but it is good to know that they exist.6. Your Car Can be Used as CollateralKnown as Car Title Loans, these are secured loans that use the title of your car as collateral. Often, the loan is for less than the car itself is worth, so it is essential that you are able to pay back the loan because the lender can take possession of your car if you are unable to pay in a timely manner. You are going to need your car, right? So, be very careful if you decide to go this route. The one positive is that secured loans such as this often have lower interest rates than payday loans.7. There are High Risk Loan StoresYou can sometimes qualify for high risk personal loans of thousands of dollars or more if you go to one of the personal loan stores that are available in some states. With the credit crunch in the United States, there are fewer of these stores than there used to be, but a few still exist. High risk personal loan stores specialize in giving loans to people with bad credit. These are not pay day loans that you pay back in a couple of weeks. These are genuine, non-collateral, unsecured personal loans that you pay back over several years. Sometimes, you can get a lump sum loan, and other times you may qualify for a line of credit where you free up more money to spend as you pay off your loan(it’s like revolving credit). The interest rate is typically high, but you have longer to pay it off, and it looks good on your credit report to have a higher loan awarded to you. These will probably take some work to find, but may be one of your best options.8. Lenders Take a Risk, TooBecause these types of loans are really high risk to lenders, the fees and interest rates are typically higher for online unsecured personal loan options than they are for traditional loans. As such, you will probably have to pay more just to acquire one. Keep in mind that these are high risk personal loans to individuals whose credit doesn’t warrant better terms, but better terms are often available to those with better credit scores or some sort of collateral.Other Things to Keep in Mind About High Risk Personal LoansOne more thing that may make the process of searching for a high risk personal loan simpler is to search in your state first. The regulations for high risk loans are different in many locations and lenders may be more apt to loan to people located closer to them. Having said that, there are many financial products online and available anytime, and it will just take a little of your time and patience for you to find the right one.Once you’ve decided which option is best, make sure that you do some research first and compare the interest rates of each lender. This will keep you from taking a loan that could cost you more money than you realized it would.
Internet Marketing for Small Business – The Vital Truth
As a small business owner it’s our natural tendency to approach everything with a hint of skepticism. There are so many ‘next big things’ that it’s oftentimes difficult to distinguish between a passing trend and a legitimate evergreen marketing strategy for a small business.Skepticism or no, I’m willing to bet that by now you’ve started seriously eyeing Internet marketing for small business as a viable addition to your advertising repertoire; you’re starting to realize that this is something worth jumping on.Let’s face it – Your competitors are doing it, so you should do it too lest you unknowingly give up a foothold in your niche.Wait Just a Minute – What is Internet Marketing, Exactly?Before we go any further I think it’s worth taking some time to clarify exactly what we’re referring to when we say ‘Internet Marketing’. If you’ve done any research at all on the topic of small business online marketing, you’ve probably seen a wide array of terms thrown about. It can be very confusing to learn anything at all about Internet marketing with a seemingly endless amount of ideas out there… How are you supposed to know what’s what? Well, below I’d like to briefly go over a few of the most common terms and methods that you should concern yourself with:#1. Small Business Search Engine Optimization (SEO)Small business search engine optimization refers to getting your business’ virtual property listed on the first page of search engine results (most commonly in Google) for a select group of keyword phrases. Whether it’s a Google Places page, a YouTube video, a Facebook page or even your own website, the goal is to position yourself so that local searchers see YOU before your competition.It sounds complicated, but that’s why we’re here. The results of a successful SEO campaign can be enormous.#2. Small Business Email Marketing / List BuildingSmall business email marketing is without a doubt one of the most powerful forms of lead generation out there. Imagine having the power to reach your loyal customers any time day or night with your newest and greatest promotions? Imagine being able to send your customers coupons, newsletters and other interesting content so that you’re constantly in contact with them, remotely building your brand in their mind’s eye? I’m sure with a little imagination you can start to see the possibilities… Email marketing is one of the most viable long-term marketing strategies for small business owners to consider. Your customers aren’t going to stop using email anytime soon, and the ability to stay in frequent contact with a customer even if they’re not visiting your actual place of business is too good to pass up. If you take nothing else away from this article, at least learn more about small business email marketing.#3. Social Media Marketing for Local BusinessesThis is the newest and greatest trend in the world of Internet Marketing for small businesses. Facebook alone has over 800 Million users worldwide, and most users spend a minimum of 6 hours per month on this website. As Facebook grows it’s an increasing amount of time YOU could be using to further your business. Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites are going to be some of the greatest marketing mediums of 2012 because they give you the ability to keep up with interested customers on a daily basis through websites that they’re spending lots of time on anyways. Why not take advantage of this opportunity?#4. Pay-Per-Click Advertising for Direct MarketingThe next time you’re searching for something in Google I want you to pay attention to the right side of the screen. You should notice a few small ads that are separate from the search results. These are actually paid advertisements from Google’s AdWords program, and they’re a crucial aspect of small business online marketing.The pay per click advertising (PPC) works is a simple 3 step process:
• Write a small ad for your business
• Pick keywords or locales to target
• Pay per click for traffic directly to your business’ websitePretty easy, right?This is a great way to start off your Internet marketing campaign because with Pay Per Click you get exactly the results you pay for. Want to give 100 new customers the chance to fall in love with your business? Pay for 100 clicks to your website… Done. I’m sure you can see the value in this kind of cost-per-lead advertising. Through proper lead generation and analytics you can have yourself quite a profitable campaign that runs virtually on autopilot.And hey, want to really explode your customer base? Why not use PPC advertising to drive targeted traffic to your email newsletter so you can stay in contact with your new potential customers?Why Internet Marketing for Small Businesses is a Good InvestmentWhat holds back most small business online marketing campaigns that the business owners fail at marketing automation.We’ve all learned this lesson: When you try to do everything yourself you inevitably fall behind in the areas you’re best at, and don’t get far enough in the areas you’re good at. The result is that your business slows down, and you don’t see as much revenue as you should / could. If time is money, then you can’t afford to spend an increasing amount of time on something that someone else could be doing faster.That’s why when approaching Internet marketing for small business I recommend enlisting the assistance of a trained professional.Time and time again we’ve seen a much greater ROI when the business owner focuses on running an outstanding business, while the Internet marketers do what they do best – Capture the interest of potential customers. Whether you decide to pursue small business search engine optimization to bolster the rankings of your website or social media marketing to get the word out through Facebook / Twitter, you can rest assured that you’ll see better results from someone who’s done it before.Internet marketing for small business doesn’t have to be time consuming, and it’s certainly doesn’t have to be expensive. In fact, an Internet Marketing campaign can be relatively cheap when compared with other marketing strategies for small businesses! As a small business owner you’d be giving up a lot if you limited yourself to offline marketing only, so I urge you to consider the techniques and methods outlined in this article. I’m sure you can find an Internet Marketing company or service provider who would be more than willing to help you with these internet marketing services so you can start finding new potential customers on autopilot. What are you waiting for?