Zero Percent Interest Credit Cards – Applying For A Low

11 October 2010

Zero Percent Interest Credit Cards – Applying For A Low Introductory Rate Card

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There are various credit card offers available. If you are an extensive credit card user, you are likely familiar with the different types of offers and rewards. One widely publicized credit card is the zero percent interest cards. Although these particular credit cards have several perks, they also have certain advantages and disadvantages.

Types of Zero Percent Interest Credit Cards

When applying for a zero percent interest credit card, it is important to know which charges qualify for zero percent. For example, if applying for a balance transfer with zero percent, the low introductory rate only applies to the dollar amount transferred from another credit card. On the other hand, some zero percent interest cards apply to new purchases.

How Zero Percent Interest Credit Cards Work

Zero percent interest credit cards are just like other credit cards, the only difference is that these cards come without the high interest. Zero percent cards are not permanent. Most credit companies offer the introductory rate for 12 – 15 months. During this period, all monthly payments are applied toward reducing the principle balance.

Applying for a zero percent interest credit card has several advantages. However, these cards also come with certain pitfalls. For example, if obtaining a credit card with a low introductory rate, timely payments are extremely important.

Some credit card companies allow a few mistakes. On the other hand, credit card companies offering zero percent will not tolerate irresponsible credit users. For example, if payments are a day late, the credit card company may revoke the introductory rate period and charge a much higher rate.

Benefits of Zero Percent Interest Cards

If hoping to consolidate and reduce credit card debt, zero percent interest credit cards can help. Because interest is not applied for the first 12 – 15 months, you can easily combine all credit card balances onto one card, and dramatically reduce the balance. Moreover, zero percent interest cards are perfect for financing home improvement projects or taking a vacation. To avoid paying a higher interest on purchases, the key is paying off the credit card before the introductory rate period ends.

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Why Use Low Interest Rate Credit Cards?

07 October 2010

Before considering applying for a low interest rate credit card you should be aware that it is necessary to have a good credit history before you will qualify. You can get your credit report for free you can find out in advance where your credit history stands. This way you will know if it needs any type of repair before you apply for a low interest rate credit card.

A credit report is also useful in detecting any errors or fraudulent charges caused by identity theft. Keeping this in mind, build up a solid good credit history and then apply for a low interest rate credit card as soon as you can keeping a high stand to make major purchases or start a business at some point in your life.

Sometimes, people ignore how to build good credit when it is as easy as paying attention to your overall monthly expenses. Following just a few easy steps, you can make your finances easy to manage, first knowing what accounts are shown on your credit report and then requesting a copy of your credit report.

Take control of your expenses is not that hard and getting your credit report at least once a year allows you to detect irregularities affecting your credit reputation. Check your credit report carefully making sure the information is accurate and contact the National Consumer Credit Bureau to fix any wrong information.

Pay your bills timely even if you do not pay the entire monthly balance, but making prompt minimum payments. Avoiding go over your credit limit is a good practice even if your credit card company allows you a margin beyond your approved credit, because when the time to apply for a low interest rate credit card comes this will reflect a poor ability of handling your finances.

All credit card companies will take a look at your credit history before approval so build a good one in advance to improve your eligibility, particularly for those good credit card deals. In fact, clean up and improve your credit history should be top priority before applying for any type of credit. Request your credit card report to find errors or any inaccurate reference to late payments or non-authorized payments as well as other debt-related issues. Most of the time, some of those negative items can be eliminated by yourself without the need to pay companies promising to repair your credit.

Cancel all those credit cards you are not using. If your application for a low interest rate credit card (you can find quite a few at http://www.0aprmall.com) is denied, you will receive a denial letter where the credit bureau used is listed which gave you the poor rating. There are 3 major credit report companies in the United States and if one of them have a bad credit report and the others do not, you may always contact this company and work with them to fix your report before re-applying.

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What You Should Know About Interest Rates

03 October 2010

For all people shop around for the best rate, there are few who have taken the time to sit down and add it all up. After all, why would you bother? The answer is that understanding just how interest rates work can help you see how important small differences in rates and payment amounts can be.

Interest Rates are Compound.

It is important to remember that what you owe is compounded – that means you pay interest on the interest you owe from the month before. That means that if you’re paying 2% per month in interest, you’re not paying 24% per year – you’re actually paying 26.82%. Charging interest monthly instead of yearly is a trick to make it feel like you are paying a very low price for your borrowing.

A Thought Experiment.

Here’s a question: would you rather have $1 million, or $10,000 in a savings account earning 20% per year in compound interest?

Well, let’s see how that $10,000 would grow. After 10 years: $61,917. 20 years: $383,375. 30 years: $2,373,763. 40 years: $91,004,381. 50 years: $563,475,143.

So after fifty years, you’d have over $500 million?! Well, not so fast. Of course, you have to take inflation into account – if we say inflation is 5%, then that money would have the buying power that $10,732,859 does today. Still, that’s not a bad return on your investment of $10,000, is it?

That’s the power of compound interest, and the way the credit card companies make their money (it’s also the way pensions work, and the reason the prices of things seem to rise massively as you get older). Be very, very afraid of compound interest. Or, of course, you could start saving, and be very glad of it

Compound Interest Adds Up.

Let’s work through an example on a more real kind of scale. Let’s say you have an average unpaid balance of $1,000 on a card at 15% APR.

You will owe $150 in interest for the first year you borrow. However, this amount is then added onto the balance, and interest is charged on that. The second year, you’d owe another $172.50, for a total of $1322.50. It goes on, with totals like this: $1,520.88, $1,749, $2,011.35.

After just five years at 15%, you’d owe double what you borrowed. And after 10 years, you’d owe four times what you borrowed! Bet you weren’t expecting that. If you let something like that carry on for long enough, you’ll end up paying back that credit card for years afterwards, paying back what you borrowed many times over and still not clearing the debt. Most people don’t work this out, and feel that the payments must simply be their fault for spending too much money to begin with.

One Percent of Difference.

One more thing. You might think there’s not that much difference between a card that charges 15% APR and one that charges 12% APR. Let’s see the difference the lower rate would make to that $1,000 borrowed for five years. Remember, after five years at 15%, you owed $2,011.35.

At 12%: $1120, $1254.40, $1404.93, $1573.52 $1762.34 after five years. So you’ve saved $249.01 from that 3% difference in APR – in other words, you’ve paid almost 25% less interest.

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What to Look Out for in Low Interest Rate Credit

30 September 2010

What to Look Out for in Low Interest Rate Credit Cards

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When looking for low interest rate credit cards, there are many factors you need to take into consideration in order to ensure you are really getting a great deal. Many people do not realize that low interest credit cards may not really be as low as they think they are. In fact, these supposedly cheap credit cards may be costing your more than you think.

Finance Charge Calculations

So, you think you have found a great credit card with a low interest rate, right? Well, this might be true, but it may not be as cheap as you think it is. Be sure to read the fine print on the credit card and learn more about how the finance charges are calculated. The traditional method for determining finance charges is the Average Daily Balance method. This method best when it comes to saving you money. The Two Cycles Average Daily Balance method, however, can become quite costly if you carry a balance on your card from month to month. And, since you are looking for low interest credit cards, you most likely intend to carry a balance.

With the Two Cycles Average Daily Balance method, finance charges are determined two times during your billing cycle rather than just once. Therefore, you are actually accumulating finance charges twice in your billing cycle. So, while the APR may be low, your finance charges are not because you are paying twice.

Pay Attention to the Grace Period

The grace period is how long you have to pay back what you have borrowed from the credit card before finance charges start adding up. Therefore, the longer the grace period, the less finance charges you have to pay. When looking at low interest rate credit cards, be sure to find out how long your grace period is before you have to start paying. Twenty-day grace periods are the most common. So, if you find a credit card with a low interest rate that provides a grace period for this long, or longer, then you have probably found a good card. If the grace period is shorter than this, continue your search until you find one with an acceptable grace period. Obviously, a low interest rate doesn’t do you a lot of good if the finance charges begin piling up from the instant you make a purchase!

Consider Annual Fees

Some low interest rate credit cards have annual fees. This is the credit card company’s way of compensating for the low interest rate it provides. For the most part, paying annual fees to receive a low interest credit card is not worth it to the cardholder. Shop around some more and see if you can find some cheap credit cards with the same APR that do not include an annual fee. Chances are, you will be able to find one that doesn’t make you pay to be a cardholder.

If you cannot find a low interest credit card with the same low interest rate, then you might want to take a closer look at the card charging an annual fee. In this case, you will have to weigh the annual fee payment against your potential interest rate savings. If the annual fee and interest rates are both low enough, then it might be worth your while to apply for the card. Be sure to provide yourself with an honest assessment of your spending habits and how much money you will be able to send to the credit card each month in order to pay off your debt. The last thing you want to do is just give your money away to a credit card company in the form of an annual fee if it doesn’t ultimately benefit you financially.

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What Do Interest Rate Hikes Mean For Your Mortgage?

26 September 2010

If you’ve picked up a newspaper or caught the news recently, you’ve probably encountered a story about mortgage rates and the Federal Reserve banking system. Like many borrowers, you might wonder how the Fed determines interest rates and how – in the event of a rate hike – your personal finances could be affected. Here’s a quick overview:

Banks, credit unions, and other lending institutions borrow money from Fed banks. Since they borrow these funds on a short-term basis, the institutions are charged at a discount rate that is set by the Federal Reserve Board. This discount rate has a direct effect on the “Prime Interest Rate,” the rate banks charge their top-rated commercial customers for short-term loans.

The Fed’s board of directors meets each month to set financial policy, adjust interest rates, and provide an economic forecast for the future. Since June 2006, the Fed has raised interest rates several times, a move designed to stabilize the economy that could translate to tighter cash-flow in your household. If you are juggling a mortgage, a home equity loan, and any amount of credit card debt or personal loans, this is probably a good time to assess the potential damage and, if necessary, refinance your existing mortgage.

Fixed-rate Mortgages

True, a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage may not be the most revolutionary option, but, in many cases, it is the smartest one. While the introductory rate on an adjustable-rate mortgage will probably be lower, payments on a fixed-rate mortgage won’t fluctuate, even if the Fed decides to increase the discount rate. For borrowers who want stability and are not planning to move within 5 – 7 years, the fixed-rate mortgage makes sense.

Adjustable-rate Mortgages

The chief advantage of an adjustable-rate mortgage or ARM is that the initial interest rate may be lower than that of a fixed-rate mortgage. However, the fact that your rate is adjustable means that you will likely see higher rates and bigger monthly payments, somewhere down the road. Some ARMs adjust on a monthly basis, but most adjust every 6 – 12 months, using a financial formula based on economic factors like federal interest rates.

Hybrid ARM

Many borrowers opt for the hybrid ARM, a mortgage that typically carries a low fixed rate for a set period of time (common hybrids are 1/1, 5/1, and 7/1), and thereafter has an adjustment interval of one year. Those annual adjustments are tied to federal rates. If you planning to live in your home for just a few years, the low introductory rates on a hybrid ARM might be a good bet, but beware the rate fluctuations to come.

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We Cant Handle Interest Higher Rates

24 September 2010

MacroMaven Stephanie Pomboy reflecting on interest rates a few years backed quipped that the US economy could no longer handle higher interest rates in a way that mirrors what Jack Nicholson shouted to Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men that he couldnt handle the truth.

Jack Nicholerson (Col. Jessup): You want answers?
Tom Cruise (Kaffee): I think I’m entitled.
Jack Nicholson (Col. Jessup): You want answers?
Tom Cruise (Kaffee): I want the truth!
Jack Nicholerson (Col. Jessup): You can’t handle the truth!

Son, we live in a world that has walls and those walls need to be guarded by men with guns. Whos gonna do it? You? I have neither the time nor inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide and then questions the manner in which I provide it. I would rather you just said thank you, and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest that you pick up a weapon and stand at post.

Colonel Jessups responsibility to provide for our essential freedoms is not unlike the Federal Reserves mandate to create jobs and foster economic growth. And right now, that apparently requires the Fed to cut rates aggressively to guard the walls of economic growth from crumbling down.

To curb or otherwise fight the rising walls of inflationary pressures in our economy, the Fed had steadily raised short term rates to 5.25% by mid 2006. However, the 50 bps cut on Sept 17 was a loud and clear message from the Fed to the financial markets on Sept 17 with their 50 basis point rate cut is that we cant handle higher rates. So, let the wall of inflationary pressure rage on for the time being.

The Bernanke Feds 50 bps rate cut implies that the Feds team of Macroeconomic and Quantitative analysts (MAQS) analysts who have been busily studying a series of what-if scenarios for the US economy over the past few weeks must not have liked what they saw.

The MAQS team under the Bernanke Fed was created to ensure they do not embark on a series of excessive rate cuts during instances of stress on the financial system. The Bernanke Fed feels in hindsight that Greenspans third rate cuts in 1998 as well as the aggressive easing in 2001-2003 were a bit excessive and that the Fed [actually] overpaid for risks that the turned out to be less severe.

San Francisco President Janet Yellen noted that a good example of the Fed overypaying in the past followed the aftermath of the Russian debt default in 1998. Many forecasters predicted a sharp economic slowdown as a result but growth turned out to be robust. The third cut in November 1998 occurred when GDP growth in Q4 1998 came in at 6.2%.

The what-if scenarios that the Feds team of analysts have been working on, a.k.a. Alt Sims or alternative simulations, adjust for such things as higher financing rates a sharp decline in home prices or a sharp acceleration in mortgage foreclosures to catch a glimpse of possible future outcomes by leaving rates unchanged or relatively unchanged. The scenarios under a relatively unchanged interest rate environment must have been downright ugly.

In seeking just the right amount of rate cuts that will be required for this credit crisis, the Fed certainly felt 25 bps would certainly be far too little. This too underscores the Feds grave concern for the US economy in a way which also mirrors the Feds sudden and grave concern for the US economy that emerged in January 2001.

On January 3rd 2001, the Fed surprised the financial markets with an interbank meeting 50 bps rate cut. They followed that with another 50 bps rate cut on Jan 31 2001, then 50 more bps on March 20 2001, May 15 2001, and Sept 17 2001. They cut 200 bps inside five months and 250 bps inside the first nine months of 2001.

That forever damned the US dollar. It took awhile for the dollar to succumb to the Feds aggressive rate cutting, but in the end, it finally caved in by triple topping between Oct 2000 and Jan 2002. Peak valuations for the dollar at that time ranged from 119-122. Six years later, and the dollar is now worth only one-third of what it was when we began this decade.

Whether the Fed Funds rate plunges 200 bps or more over the next three quarters is unknowable. The sooner they begin cutting only 25 bps at each FOMC meeting the better.

There is a almost unshakeable faith in the Feds ability to navigate their way through financial turmoils with a policies of monetary accommodation. And equity markets tend to do extremely well during these Fed cycles of monetary accommodation. That is why they say on Wall Street Dont Fight the Fed.

The only time in recent history that equity markets did not fare well during a Fed cycle of accommodation was in 2001. In that year, the SP 500 fell 22% from the second 50 bps rate cut on Jan 31 2001 by March 22 2001. While I do not expect a similar outcome for equities, as the economic backdrops are entirely different, we must still be cognizant that the Fed is not infallible. There is always the possibility that they have fallen behind the curve in responding to the current financial crisis, but as yet there is no such indication that is the case.

John Bougearel
Event-Driven Investment Research

www.financialfuturesandequitymarketanalysis.com/

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Using Points To Cut Your Interest Rate

21 September 2010

The general mantra in the real estate world is you want to avoid paying points when obtaining a mortgage. As with most assumptions, this is not always true.

Using Points To Cut Your Interest Rate

When discussing mortgages, it is important to understand what points are. Points are essentially an upfront cost you pay a lender in exchange for getting the loan in question. The better your financial profile credit score, wages, down payment amount the fewer points you have to pay, if any. That being said, you may actually want to demand points in certain situations.

Points and interest rates have a unique relationship in mortgages. Generally, the more points you pay, the lower your interest rate. This is not always the case in bad credit situations, but it is a generally accepted fact for most bowers. You can use this relationship to your advantage.

Regardless of how many points you pay on a loan, the cost will never remotely approach the amount of interest you pay over the life of the loan. If you intend to live in the property in question for a long time, you should make an almighty effort to cut your interest rate as low as possible. This is where you will save the most money. This is also where points come in.

If you are cash rich when you buy the property, you can buy down your interest rate by agreeing to pay the lender a significant number of points. The key is to find out from the lender how much they will reduce the interest rate per point paid. You want this in writing! Once you have it, use a mortgage calculator to see how much money the various lower interest rates will save you over time. Also, see how much you monthly payment is reduced. Once you have the numbers, compare them to the total cost of paying additional points and make your decision.

Contrary to popular opinion and marketing ads, points do not represent the evil side of the mortgage industry. Use them wisely and you can save hundreds of thousands of dollars over the life of a loan.

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Understanding What Are Interest Rates And How They Work

17 September 2010

One form of interest familiar to most of us is on our credit card purchases. We are charged a monthly interest rate on our unpaid balances. If you spend $100, you will be charged interest each month for the portion of the original loan remaining. If you pay $20 on the loan in the first month, you will reduce the loan to $80. The next month, however, you will have to repay $80 plus the monthly interest.

The Federal Reserve Bank sets the interest rates. These are raised when the economy is heating up. This has the affect of decreasing consumer spending by adding greater interest to financed purchases. When the economy begins to slow down, interest rates may be lowered by the Federal Reserve Bank to increase consumer spending. With lowered rates, consumers tend to use their credit cards more often and finance more purchases of major appliances and cars.

Interest rates vary. You may have a fixed rate of interest. This where the lender sets the rate of interest when the loan is made. The rate never changes over the length of the loan. If you borrow, $100, you agree to repay $100 plus interest, 10% for example, over a fixed period of time. The total amount of the loan would then be $100 plus 10% interest or $110.

There are also variable interest rates. Here you agree to repay a loan, but the interest rate is subject to change and the amount of interest is calculated on the monthly balance. If you borrow the same $100, you will owe $100 the first month. You pay $10. In the next month you will owe the remaining amount of the bill, $90, plus the interest for that month, 10% for example. In effect, you will now owe $99, despite the fact that you have paid $10 against your loan. If you repeat your payment of $10 the following month, you will now owe $89 plus 10% or $97.9. You can see that after paying $20 on your loan, you have only lowered the amount by $2.10. This is why you should not keep high balances in variable rate accounts.

The lender sets the rates for your loan. This is because he/she sees you as a risk. Interest rates depend on your credit history. If you have good credit, the interest may be lowered. If you have bad credit, then the risk is greater and your interest rate is going to be higher. Lenders can quickly learn your credit history by looking at your credit report.

The length of the loan affects your interest. Financial institutions are likely to offer you lower interest rates if you obtain a loan with a longer repayment time. Instead of repaying your $100 plus 10% over one year ($110), the bank might give you an interest rate of 8% over two years, costing you $116. While $6 interest may not seem like much, you can imagine what the interest would be if the loan was for $1,000 or $100,000.

There is also interest paid on investments. One of the most common forms of investment is a savings account. Here interest is calculated on the amount of money you invest and how long you leave it untouched. If, instead of borrowing $100, you put it into a savings account and left it there for one year, you will have $100 plus the banks interest rate. If the bank paid 5% interest, you would have $105 at the end of the year. If you left the money in the bank for another year, you would have $105 plus 5% interest or $110.25. The more money you place into a savings account, the greater the amount of interest the bank will have to pay you.

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Understanding How Interest Rates Work

14 September 2010

Interest rates are a complex subject. In some cases you will want them to be high, in others you’ll want them to be as low as possible. But, what they are is not something that you or I can change. It is determined on many things especially on the way the economy is moving. So, how much you will pay for that car or the home you wanted and how much you will make on your savings accounts is determined by interest rates and factors that you can not control.

But, there are many ways in which you can do well with interest rates. One of the most important things that the average consumer can do to lower interest rates that will effect them is to simply shop around. There are many deals to be had when it comes to these rates. You should consider looking not only at your bank and those in your area but also (and especially) at the banks and lending institutions on the web. You can truly save money by shopping around.

It also helps considerably to get a low interest rate if you have good credit. While this is not something that you can instantly fix, it is something worth working for. Improving credit by lowering debt and making payments on time helps to increase your credit worthiness. This is very important when it comes to banks and lending institutions in determining whether or not you are a good risk to take.

But, how are interest rates set? For the most part, the determination of what the rates are has a lot to do with what the Federal Reserve says it should be. This determination is based on many things but one of the largest is the economy. Should the economy be doing well, interest rates tend to go up to help increase profitability and allow your savings dollar to do more. Likewise, when the economy is doing poorly, it is necessary for the interest rates to fall slightly to help encourage people to open new businesses and purchase more homes. This will then strengthen the economy in the long run.

Being smart about interest rates is essential to living a profitable life.

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To Get The Best Rates Of Interest On Used Car

10 September 2010

To Get The Best Rates Of Interest On Used Car Loans Go With A Specialist Website

Just as with any type of loan the chances of you getting the loan and how much the interest rate will be is determined by your credit status. If you have a great credit rating then you will have the luxury of being able to pick and choose from the best interest rates. However if your credit rating is poor then the rates of interest will be higher and you might even have to consider going for a bad credit loan. However, whichever type of used car loans you need if you go with a specialist website you will get the best deal possible for your circumstances.

While a specialist car finance website will do all the hard work on your behalf you do have to do a little work yourself in order for them to be able to search for your loan. The biggest factor you will have to decide is of course how much you want to borrow and the terms you want to take the loan over. Of course all cars depreciate over time and you have to take this into account when deciding how long to take the car loan over, of course how much you can afford to repay each month will also determine this. The longer the period you take used car loans over then the more interest it will accumulate while the repayments will be lower. On the other hand if you can afford to repay a little more each month then you can cut down the total amount you will pay.

Although a specialist will find you the best deals it is then down to you to choose the right one for your circumstances, this is when it does help if you know a little about the ins and outs of used car loans and understand the terms and conditions of the loan. While all the quotes a specialist will find for you will be the cheapest that can be found they will differ and also the terms and conditions of the loan can vary which can include any extra costs that you could have to pay including any early repayment charges.

Never be tempted to rush into choosing between used car loans, the chances are that if you rush into it blindly and take on a loan just on face value without looking over the small print and terms and conditions that you will miss vital information and then be stuck with something that could end up costing more than you had budgeted for.

Always bear in mind that along with used car loans and taking on the responsibility of a car not only will you have to find the money each month to repay the loan but also additional costs that come with the car, of course you will have to insure the car, tax and test your car and pay out to keep the car on the road along with buying fuel. There is a lot more to buying a car than just taking on a loan and you have to make sure that you can afford to take on the responsibility of a car and the loan repayments that go with it.

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