Finance Guide

With so many different types of loans and financial packages available on the marketplace it can be quite confusing to decipher the difference between them and to work out the unique advantages and disadvantages of each. This article aims to explain what each of these loan agreements are for and how they can be used to your advantage, as by picking the wrong loan agreement for your needs could end up costing you a lot of money.

Secured Loan
A secured loan is a type of personal loan that is secured against your home or property. This means that if you fail to repay the loan then you could be in danger of loosing your house. Generally people tend to take a secured loan if they want to borrow a large amount of money, over many years (generally from 5 years up to 20 years). Secured loans tend to be unpopular as they are secured against your property, however for some people who have a less than rosy credit history, a secured loan may be the only option available to them. It is generally considered that a secured loan is a lot easier to obtain then other types of loan due to it being secured against a high value asset. If you are looking to borrow a large amount of money, for example over £25,000 then a secured loan again may be the only option open to you.

Unsecured Loan
If you are looking to borrow a large amount of money, up to £25,000 with a long term repayment plan from 5 to 10 years then you will most likely want to take out an unsecured loan agreement. The main advantage to taking out an unsecured loan is that you do not need to own a property to be able to get the loan. However this means that you will need a better credit rating to take out an unsecured loan as lenders tend to run more checks on applicants for these types of loans. You should remember that if you are a homeowner and you default on an unsecured loan agreement you could still jeopardise your home as lenders can still take you to court to reclaim outstanding money. Courts may well take your assets into consideration, including your home, which may be sold to pay off your debts.

Repayment Mortgages
When you are looking to buy a house and you need to borrow money to buy it then you will most likely be looking for a repayment mortgage, although there are other types of mortgage available that you could consider (discussed below). With a repayment mortgage once the agreement has run to the end of its term then you will have completely paid off the mortgage- this is not necessarily the case with other types of mortgage. The term ‘repayment mortgage’ covers a wide range of different types of mortgages so you should do some research into the different types of mortgage that are available as each has advantages and disadvantages associated with them.

A tracker mortgage closely follows the ‘base rate’ set by the Bank of England. This means that if interest rates go down, the mortgage repayment that you have to pay are reduced. Obviously the opposite can also happen and you may end up paying more money. A capped mortgage is similar to a tracker mortgage, but the interest rates are set somewhat higher than the Bank of England Base rate. Therefore these mortgages cost more. The advantage to these mortgages is that if the interest rate goes up a lot then there is a point at which the interest repayment rate is ‘capped’. Another type of mortgage is a ‘fixed rate mortgage’. These mortgages have a pre-determined set interest rate. The advantage of a fixed rate mortgage is that you will always know what your repayments are going to be as these mortgage payments do not follow the Bank of England base rate.

Interest Only Mortgages
In contrast to a repayment mortgage, an interest only mortgage allows you to only pay off the interest on the mortgage initially. At the end of the mortgage, you then pay off in full the rest of the loan. These mortgages were also called ‘endowment mortgages’, as you would pay the mortgage interest monthly, whilst investing money in either an endowment account or pension package. Whilst these types of mortgages used to be popular as they were considered a cheaper option many people found that when they came to repay their mortgage their investments had not lived up to expectation and a short fall of money remained owing on the mortgage. For most people a standard repayment mortgage is the preferred method of borrowing money for a property.

Bridging Loan
A bridging loan is a short-term loan that is used to ‘bridge’ between selling one home and buying another. These loans are generally used because you have run into problems in selling your home and the property that you are looking to buy is in danger of falling through due to the delay. Generally these loans should be only considered as a last resort option as it means that you end up paying off two loans at the same time- the bridging loan and your existing mortgage.

Debt Consolidation Loan
A debt consolidation loan is a loan that combines multiple loans together to consolidate your multiple outgoings into one ‘easier to manage’ loan. When you have multiple debts, such as personal loans, overdrafts and outstanding credit-card bills then there is a temptation to take out a further loan for use as a debt consolidation loan. As it can be hard to manage multiple repayments which may need to be paid at different times of the month it certainly does seem easier to use a debt consolidation loan to simplify this process. However, when you take on extra debt you are likely to end up paying more money in the long run as debt consolidation loans generally run over a longer term and may have higher interest rates than your other loan agreements. Check interest rates carefully and research debt consolidation before you decide to go down this route.

Overdraft Loan
An overdraft is a loan agreement that provides you with a buffer of money you can use on your bank account. Some overdrafts are temporary, so you will have to make up the shortfall over the loan agreement, but more often than not overdrafts tend to have an unlimited run loan agreement meaning that the extra money is always available to you. Whilst it can feel good to have a safety buffer on your bank balance in case you go overdrawn, the temptation is that you constantly live in your overdraft month on month. This means you constantly pay interest on your overdraft. Although overdrafts are a fairly cheap way to borrow money (generally), individuals are better off only using an overdraft facility on your bank balance as a last resort. When considering a debt consolidation loan you should look at your overdraft interest rate carefully as most likely it will be much lower than any other loan you are likely to take out so consolidation this loan will mean you end up paying more money.

Credit Cards
A credit card is simply a loan on a piece of plastic, allowing you to buy things on ‘credit’ as and when you choose. You will need to make monthly payments against what you buy on the credit card, however you do not have to pay off the entire balance each month, so if you are looking to pay for something over a number of months, then a credit card allows you to do this. Managing your credit card spending is important because if you cannot afford to pay off your credit-card’s balance regularly then you will end up paying a lot of interest on the money you owe. Credit cards are one of the more expensive forms of loan agreement. Individuals should ideally try to save for things that they want to buy instead of putting things on credit. However having a credit-card can offer you a safety net in case things go wrong and you need to make an emergency purchase. Such as car repairs, etc.

Payday Loan
A payday loan is a type of loan that is a short term loan that gives the borrower a small cash loan until their payday cheque arrives. These loans are generally low in value and run over a very short term, therefore have a fairly high interest rate to compensate for this. These loans are useful in case of emergencies and you do not have access to funds, however they can leave you short of cash after your pay cheque as you normally have to pay the loan back in full from your next salary. This means you might run into problems after payday, which isn’t ideal.

Cash Advance
For those who run into financial difficulties and are looking for a short term loan which runs over a short period of time, but unlike a payday loan does not have to be paid back from your next salary then a cash advance loan may be the solution. Similar to a payday loan, a cash advance loan is generally low in value, under £1000 and have a fairly high interest rate to compensate for the normally short duration that the loan runs over. These loans can be helpful if you run into financial difficulties and you do not have access to other lending means, such as credit cards or overdrafts. However unlike a payday loan you will not have to pay this loan off completely from your next salary, this allows you to budget better and pay off the loan in smaller amounts over a longer period of time.

Have you recently started your own home business, but aren’t sure how to handle the finances?  Are you nervous when it comes to business debt, budgeting for the future and balancing your gross/net figures?  Below are some helpful tips to guide you through some of the most difficult tasks of business finance. You can accurately and consistently manage your business finances without a lot of stress if you’ll implement the simple principles below.

Finance Starting Point

In order to manage your home business finances, you need a definite starting point.  This will be a summary of your entire financial assessment for your business. Note of Warning:  Often, a home business finance plan mingles with personal finances.  Try to keep these as separate as possible for tax purposes and to avoid confusion.  Even if you buy something personal with business money, write it down so you’ll be sure not to include it as a business expense.

Your Starting Point Assessment Should Include the Following:

*Most Current Gross Profits/Loss of the Business

*Most Current Net Profits/Loss of the Business (your bottom line)

*Cash on Hand

*Checking Account Balance

*Debts/Loans for the Business (include payments due and balances)

*Assets

*Advertising Funds

*Miscellaneous Items having to do with your business finances

Once you have an assessment of where you stand financially with your home business, you can move forward.  The assessment is not your budget, but it allows you to create a budget based on realistic figures.  Budgeting on a dream is not wise with a business.  You might reach your goals, but what if you don’t?  Set your goals, but only budget for those amounts when you’ve actually reached them.

Creating a Home Business Budget

Most home businesses have a tremendous advantage over larger businesses because operating expenses are normally much lower.  There’s no building rent to pay, additional utilities, etc.  If you stay at  your desk most of the day, you will save on gas, car maintenance, etc. For this reason, it’s usually easier to budget for a home business. Based on what your business has profited over recent months, or your start-up cash if your business is brand new, write down all of your business expenses that need to be paid for each month or year to get a monthly estimate. What about your salary?  The salary must be determined only after your expenses are paid.  If there’s any left, you’ll still want to keep extra cash in your business account for emergencies or unexpected slow times.  You should determine your salary on the low end at first while building your business and stick with your salary amount to maintain a steady budget. For example, if you’re able to take a $350 per week salary in a brand new home business, that’s great!  Many home business owners work a full time job while building their business and take very little (if any) salary. If you have a business checking account or some form of online account for finances, you should deposit all funds into this account and pay your salary out of the account as well as your expenses.  Checking accounts make budgeting a simple process if you keep your checkbook well balanced at all times.

Create a Budget Based on the Following Categories (more if necessary):

Some of these items will be broken down into weekly figures, some monthly and some yearly.  However, you should calculate a monthly average in order to create a general monthly budget.

*Business Expenses (include supplies, equipment, phone, etc.)

*Insurance (business and personal health insurance can be included)

*Taxes (estimated figure from your accountant based on profits)

*Debt Repayment for any business loans

*Advertising (amount will vary, but you can set a minimum or maximum amount)

*Your Salary

Once you have a list of expenses for each month, write down due dates for each, and pay bills as they come due.  Pay on time, but not too early. Your money can sit in your bank account and draw interest in many cases while waiting on due dates.

Budget with Slow Times in Mind

Just because you have tremendous profits one month, this doesn’t indicate that you can raise your salary.  Leave money in your account for those slow times.  Also, budget in advance for payments which are due yearly.  It’s much easier to save a little each month than to be surprised with a large bill later. Following the simple budgeting guide above will enable you to keep an even pace while managing your business finances.  Handle your finances with care because this is the lifeline of your home business.

Investment in stock markets is one option for the same. With the advancement in technology and thereby, in means of communication (for instance, the internet), the behavioural pattern of the stock markets can be known within an instant of time. Moreover, as the presence of the stock markets being in every country, one can see the maximum numbers of investments all over the world are made here.

Another option where you can regulate your finances is by buying stocks. It is argued that although they are the diciest and most fickle instruments for investments, they can bring tremendous returns in the long run and can even leave you resistant to the rate of inflation. By owning a particular amount of stock, one is deemed to be the owner of a certain value of a company i.e. the more stock is owned by you the more faction of the company is in your hands. The prices of the stock ca change in accordance with all the factors affecting the stock markets for instance, economic, cultural and business trends.

Often it is seen that we tend to leave the saving for college and retirement till the last minute and then certain unwilling consequences have to be borne. College planning resembles retirement planning. There are bound to be questions in one’s mind like how much one should save for such kind of expenses etc. it is recommended that where the planning for retirement should start in one’s early twenties, the planning for college should start right from the birth of the child. It is agreed by many that early planning and savings can be of huge benefits in the long run. Planning for the college will include looking for various colleges for alternatives, tuition fees and any extra expenditure that might occur at the time for sending a child to the college. Starting all this early enough will provide adequate time to the parents to look for availing loan facilities and decide their strategy accordingly. Retirement, which is inevitable, has to be planned on the similar lines as that of the college planning. Starting early and being realistic are the keys for such kind of planning. Starting early means to start soon after one has completed his or her graduation.

Step 1:

Exercise: Start with skipping and jogging and chin-ups by hanging from a rod for warming up.

Two steps of crunches or sit-ups for strengthening and toning your abdominal muscles.

Then go for Flat bench press and dumbbell flyers for the entire chest area, focusing mainly on the inner chest and followed by 2 sets of push-ups.

Work on your trapezium for the collar muscle and shoulder pressing.

For biceps the exercise to be followed is standing barbell curl.

Next you can work out on your Triceps with Single dumbbell or French press and fore forearms.

Skipping will have an effect on your legs, other wise you can go for Squats and back with lat pull down.

Step 2:

Diets are just as important as exercise, because it is the most important part of getting the body you want. You have to eat good to look good. You need protein, and you don’t need fat. Stay away from junk and fatty foods. Not all fat is bad; there is a healthy fat. This fat can be found in fish, Nuts and some oils. Have Lots of fibers such as leafy vegetables, salads and daily products.

Step 3: The results though wont come easily and they wont come very fast either, So Stay dedicated, motivated and consistent, and do all 3 steps correctly to get the desired result.

The overview personal finance software gives you is one of its main benefits. It allows you to take off the blinders and truly assess your financial situation. With this new-found view of your finances, you will be able to effect changes like never before. The old adage applies; you have to know where you are before you can get to where you want to be.

What is a Bridging Loan?

A Bridging Loan is short term funding to provide temporary financing until more permanent finance can be found. Bridging Loans are available for a whole range of financial requirements and can be on the basis of a 1st, 2nd or even 3rd charge equity release, usually provided for any legal purpose.

Examples:Â

Commercial & Residential Purchase Commercial & Residential Refinance Auction Purchases Capital Raising * Chain Breaking Refurbishment Speculative Deals Business Cash Injection Defective Property

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* Capital raising funds can be used for many reasons including holidays, overseas property investment and tax bills etc.

SecurityÂ

Residential Property Commercial Property Land (with or without planning permission in place) Real Property (such as Plant machinery)

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Bridging Loans carry a higher interest rate than standard mortgage lending and at the offer of loan stage there will be an agreed term of repayment, normally between one day and two years.

Bridging Loans are most commonly used when the financing requirement is urgent and beyond the timescales that a standard mortgage lender or bank could provide. In some cases Bridging Lenders can provide funds within 24 hours. Another common use of bridging finance would be to fund the purchase a new home prior to the existing property being sold.

CharacteristicsÂ

Bridge loans will almost certainly carry higher fees which can include:Â

Administration Fees Arrangement Fees Legal Fees Completion Fees Valuation Fees Exit Fees ** Broker Fees (normally non-disclosed)

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** A fee charged to redeem the loan, typically equivalent to one month’s interest payment.

As most bridging Loans are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority the above fees can vary substantially as they fall within no boundaries or guidelines, only competitive pricing.

ApplicationÂ

Bridging Lenders will consider loans to discharged bankrupts and clients with adverse credit such as CCJs and IVAs. They will lend to individuals as well as Businesses, Ltd Companies and tax efficient vehicles such as SPVs.

VariationsÂ

Bridging Loans are split into two main categories:

Closed Bridging FinanceÂ

At the time the funds are drawn down there is a firm exit in place to repay the loan normally within a short period of time. The most common use of Closed Bridging Finance would be the pending sale of an existing property on which contracts have been signed and exchanged/missives concluded

Open Bridging Finance

At the time the funds are drawn down there is no fixed exit or repayment method for the lenders comfort, only an agreed maximum term that the loan can run for. Seen as higher risk than closed Bridging Finance it is therefore more expensive.

Other forms of short term finance:

Mezzanine Finance

Often a combination of debt and equity stake which is typically used to finance the expansion of existing companies. To secure mezzanine finance the business would normally have to demonstrate a track record in the industry with an established reputation and product, a history of profitability and a viable expansion plan for the business (e.g. expansions, acquisitions, IPO).

Lenders

There are over 20 Primary Bridging Lenders in the UK that are able to lend their own funds and therefore set their own criteria of risk.

Private Financers

Should Bridging Lenders decline to lend, Private debt and equity financers can be sort to provide funding for the examples above. This type of finance is normally very expensive.

Specific Uses

Bridging Loans can be used as a Below Market Value (BMV) purchase instrument where the initial purchase takes place at the lower purchase price allowing a subsequent refinance application to be placed with a mainstream lender for borrowing based on the Open Market Value of the property with the purpose of releasing the difference in equity between the purchase price of the property and the higher resulting remortgage loan.

Costs

Bridging Loans typically cost between 1-2% per month. Variable rates with margins over Libor can sometimes be applied as an alternative or an addition.

Find an Independent Bridging Finance Broker to give you all the available options.