home equity loans

Debt consolidation loan is simply a type of loan obtained to pay off multiple loans. The good thing about this debt management tool is, it helps lower interest rates and allows you the freedom to pay a monthly lump sum instead of multiple payments. Put differently, a debt consolidation loan lets you rearrange your numerous [...]

Everyone knows that healthy personal finances requires debt reduction. However, paying down debt can become discouraging when you have a great deal of it, from a variety of sources. Paying a little bit extra every month on each of your debts doesn’t seem to make a dent, thanks to high interest charges. Instead, you can [...]

The other day, I wrote about getting cash through reverse mortgages.  Today, I want to explore refinancing to access money locked up in your home equity. I think it’s a good idea to learn about these options in face of the economic crisis and record high unemployment rate.  You never know when your home equity [...]

Reverse mortgages are one way senior homeowners who are 62 years and older may be able to tap the home equity.  A reverse mortgage gives the homeowner money they need without having to leave the house and without having to repay the loan until the owner dies, the home is sold, or the house is [...]

Debt consolidation companies often give you a fantastic pitch that promises to help you lower your monthly payments and eliminate debt.  All you have to do is work with them, combine all your debt obligations into one low monthly payment, and save tons of money.  Is it really that fantastic, or just a fantasy?
Personally, I [...]

When saving money for college education, you should be aware of your Expected Family Contribution (EFC). EFC is how much money your family is expected to contribute to your college education — the lower your EFC, the more financial aid you will receive.
A Brief Note From Plonkee
One of the great things about not having children [...]

Last Friday, I received a question from one of my readers. He asked that I respond publicly so that others may pitch in with their opinions. However, I took it a step further and passed his question to a few blogger friends and I’ve included their answers here as well.
I am an avid reader of [...]

A friend at work is thinking about borrowing from his 401k plan to fund his business start-up. He mentioned it to me and I told him that it’s a terrible idea to borrow from 401k. It may sound appealing at first — i.e., fast loan application, easy to qualify, and you pay the interest to [...]

Before I started this blog, I did not really have a good financial goal. Actually, my financial goal was similar to 99.9% of other Americans…I wanted to be rich. But what is rich? In “Are you wealthy? Here’s a test,” I defined wealthy as: “…when income from my assets can cover all my family living [...]