Financial concerns to be aware of when traveling abroad!

Traveling to a different country raises financial concerns that don’t apply when traveling domestically. Here are some things to keep in mind if you’re planning a trip abroad:

Tracking exchange rates is easy. Thanks to the internet, it’s easier than ever to figure out the exchange rate for foreign currencies. Google has a simple converter that’s easy to use.

Get some foreign currency before you go. When you arrive in a foreign country, it’s a good idea to already have some local currency on hand to pay for expenses like transportation and meals. You can order foreign currency online through some banks and services, and most large chain branches can get you foreign currency if you give them advance notice. The rate they exchange your money for will be lower than what you see online, so you may want to shop around for the best rate.

Know how you’ll get additional cash while abroad. Check with your bank to see if your ATM card can be used at your destination to obtain additional cash, and ascertain what types of fees you’ll be responsible for. If the fees will be high, you may want to take as much cash with you as possible, but if fees are reasonable, you might want to wait to see if you actually need additional cash while you’re there.

Be aware of credit card conversion fees. You can likely use your credit card while abroad, but before you go on your trip, find out if you will have to pay any foreign currency conversion fees, or a fee for letting you make charges in a foreign currency. There are cards that don’t charge any conversion fees, so if your card issuer does impose a fee, you might want to get a new credit card before your trip. Alternatively, you can try to limit your card use while you’re abroad to locations that will charge you in dollars, rather than the local currency.

Carry a chip and PIN credit card. In other countries, merchants may only accept credit cards with chip and PIN technology because such cards are generally considered to be more secure (the card’s information is stored on the chip, rather than in a magnetic strip). If you intend to use a credit card while abroad, be sure to check which type of card is more common at your destination.

Consider the safety of your destination before departing. Some destinations, like Japan, are generally very safe for tourists, and many of the locals carry large amounts of cash without hesitation. In other countries, however, pickpockets are common, and tourists are a popular target of crime. Before you depart, check to see what kind of precautions are recommended for your destination. You may want to purchase certain types of gear, such as a money belt, to protect your valuables.

Travel with adequate insurance. Before you go abroad, check with your insurance providers – including your health insurance and driving insurance providers if you plan to drive – to make sure you’ll be covered. If your coverage is insufficient, purchase travel insurance for your trip. You hopefully won’t need it, but you’ll be happy you have it if you do.

Research the customs of your destination. Customs vary dramatically by country, so be sure to do your research before you leave home. Find out if tipping is common at your destination, and if so, is it normally added to your bill or are you supposed to calculate it yourself? How much is customary? Do merchants at your destination haggle, and if so, what’s the best practice for foreigners? If you know these types of issues before you arrive, you can avoid unpleasant surprises!

Declare your acquisitions when you return. When you return to the your country, you’ll have to fill out a customs declaration form and list what you acquired while abroad. Therefore, it can be extremely helpful to keep a list of your acquisitions as you make them, and to keep receipts for your purchases.

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Source- Secondary

Cash advances affect your credit score! Learn how?

Many credit card issuers provides a service to cardholders while allowing them to withdraw a certain amount of cash, either through an ATM or directly from a bank or other financial agency. Cash advances typically carry a high interest rate – even higher than credit card itself – and the interest begins to accrue immediately. On the plus side, cash advances are quick and easy to obtain in a pinch. Sometimes businesses with less-than-perfect credit use cash advances to finance their activities. In some instances these advances are even paid for with future credit card receipts. The amount of the cash advance depends on the credit score of a business and its credit card sales. In almost all cases, cash advances should be viewed as a method of last resort. Taking out a cash advance has no direct impact on your credit score, but it can have an indirect impact in various ways:
                                

• The interest on cash advances is significantly higher than the interest on regular purchases, and that interest will get paid off last, meaning it will collect high interest for a long time. This is true even if you are offered a no- or low-interest promotion, as it likely will not apply to the cash advance amount. If this affects your ability to pay the payment on the card, that could affect your credit score.
• It will raise your balance, which will raise your credit utilization, a measure that credit scoring models use when generating a credit score.
• A balance transfer or any of the resulting interest that puts you over the credit limit can lower your credit score. Even after the card is paid down, your credit report will show the highest balance reported, and other potential lenders will see that you were over the limit at one point, which could hurt your ability to get new credit.

All the above circumstances can lead in a cash advance negatively hurting your credit score.

Source: Secondary

Make the optimum utilisation of your credit card

Credit cards can be a convenient way to acquire life’s necessities and luxuries. But it comes at a price in the form of interest rates which, when compounded over a long period, can add up to a huge sum of money. If planned well and implemented with discipline, you can actually enjoy the benefits of credit cards otherwise they can also become financial nightmare when used inadequately. Let us go through some best ways of using a credit card:

Monitor your spending habits

Here, you get credit while you go spending or paying bills. You can use the credit limit to purchase anything you desire. But consumers often tend to over limit while using credit cards; it also puts you under pressure as a portion of your monthly income is truncated towards paying the EMI. So, keep a check on your credit card spending and avoid debt trap.

Don’t keep many cards

The more credit cards you have, the more you may be tempted to spend and the more difficult it will become to keep a track of how much you have spent and when the repayments are due. Ideally, they should be used as a temporary substitute for carrying cash. And, if that is the only motive you have when you carry a credit card, you will find that having one or at most two is quite sufficient.

Immense usage

Make the best use of credit cards while making every possible purchase even regular items with it like online purchases, bills, groceries etc. This will lead you keep a budget of your day-to-day expenses while maintaining a record. In this way you can earn maximum credit points as well.

Say ‘No’ to borrowings on cards

Just remember that credit cards are easiest way to acquire what you needed at given time but it can lead you in trouble also at the same time. They are not an additional source of money. If you get shortage of money, it’s better to avail a personal loan rather indulging in cash withdrawals through credit card. As the interest rate on personal loan is less in comparison to revolving credit on credit cards facility.

Terms and conditions

Be it a credit card, the devil is always in the details. The small print, i.e. carefully worded clauses, sets the terms and conditions of your loan, including the schedule of EMIs, the interest rate calculation method, charges and penalties in case you deviate from your repayment schedule. Unfortunately, many borrowers don’t spend much time on it and this leads to troubles later on. It’s better to read it seriously and understand it well.

Avoid paying card surcharge

It’s an important policy that merchants are not permitted to demand surcharge on customer purchases. So, neglect paying a card surcharge.

Reward points and cash backs

Whenever possible try to make the use of reward points and cash back. But do remember that you take them as an additional bonus and do not get tempted with them.

Examine your credit limit

It’s wise to have always maximum credit limit as to shed the situation of uncertainty. It’s prudent to implement self-discipline on available credit limit on your card. And try to avoid offers to increase the credit limit on your card.
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Source: Secondary

Credit card cautions. Must read!

Credit cards have become a lifeline for everyone in modern times. However, this much-sought after boon can be a real bane to your finances if not used with care. Are you facing problems while managing your credit card balances? If so, don’t regret over it – you’re in the same boat as other consumers. Use these simple tips to stop adding to your existing credit card debt and start regaining control of your finances.

Don’t keep more than 1 or at the most 2 credit cards

The more credit cards you have, the more you may be tempted to spend and the more difficult it will become to keep a track of how much you have spent and when the repayments are due. Do remember that credit cards are the most expensive types of loans available in the market, and whether you miss your payment deadlines due to an oversight or because you have inadequate funds, you will have to pay heavily. So, while credit cards are extremely handy pieces of plastic, ideally, they should be used as a temporary substitute for carrying cash, And, if that is the only motive you have when you carry a credit card, you will find that having one or at most two is quite sufficient.

Beware of reward points
The rewards you can earn from credit cards, while a nice perk, are worth far less than the extra interest you’ll accrue if you can’t pay off the money you spend to earn such bonuses. Spending on your card just to gather reward points may not be very healthy. You will soon realise that even though you have high reward points on your card, you will have to pay hefty bills, sometimes even on useless items made unnecessarily.

Don’t use credit card for everyday expenses
Besides inadequate circumstances, you should have your budget under control enough that you can at least pay for your monthly necessities with your monthly income. By keeping required purchases like groceries and utility bills off of your credit card, you\’ll be taking a major step in the right direction to getting your spending under control. Always draw up your budget for such purchases and use your credit cards within this limit.

Pay more than the minimum balance

It’s convenient to pay off the minimum monthly payment when you are under financial duress. Try to avoid it as not only will you never pay off your bill, but the interest rates that credit card companies charge will actually keep your bill growing every month. Instead, send as large of a payment as you can afford to. Where possible, reduce your spending in other areas to focus on paying off your credit card debt.

Avoid cash advances.

To meet urgent needs, drawing money from an ATM through your credit card is an easy way to combat cash shortage; but have you realised the impact it will cause on your finances? Not only is the interest rate charged on the advanced amount, but this also gets charged from day one itself.
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Source-secondary

Right time to shop for credit cards

There’s no uncertainty that credit cards are extremely portable, ideally, they should be used as a temporary substitute for carrying cash. Often credit cards come with various discounts and additional benefits about which you must be acknowledged. However, when you decide to acquire a credit card, there are abundant elements to be reviewed to obtain the ace advantages for using credit cards.

Credit Limit

This is the amount of money that you are granted to borrow subjected to credit card without involving other costs. Depending on your credit history, the credit limit will be decided. You don’t want a situation in which you’re close to maximizing out your credit limit, as you are likely to attract the over-limit fees. It can hurt your credit score – and some credit card issuers have cut customers’ credit limits to an amount that’s lower than their current balance.

The interest rate

The interest imposed as the annual percentage rate on a credit card. You can opt either for a fixed rate or a variable rate that is bound to another financial symbol, usually the prime rate. With a fixed-rate card, you can predict how much you will be charged as it maintains the same interest every month; a card with a variable rate fluctuate every month. However, even a card with a fixed interest rate can change based on certain parameters, such as paying your card – or any card – late, or going over your limit.

Ease of balance transferring

Almost every credit card company provides the facility of balance transfer. Due to this option availability, you can easily transfer existing debt from one credit card to another as per the usability. The new card credit limit will be lessened subsequently. While transferring the balance, you cannot exceed 80% of the credit limit. The transfer procedure takes more than seven working days.

Fees and other penalties

Go for cards which offer moderate fees. Common charges include fees for transactions, such as balance transfers and cash advances, or for asking to increase your credit limit or paying your bill late. The annual fee varies among card issuers as well as cards depending on the negotiation at the time of purchasing the card.

Incentives

While using the card, one can earn reward points every time as an added benefit to users of credit card. These reward programs does not get expired and you can redeem them anytime as per the convenience. Assuming you’re going to make the purchases anyway – and the card issuer doesn’t charge extra for the rewards program – it can be a good advantage. Opt for a program that offers more elasticity and rewards you will really utilize.

Access to cash withdrawal

The banks gives an ATM PIN to the credit card holder as per to make cash withdrawal from your credit card easily. Keep in mind, doing cash transaction against credit card attracts the high interest rate from the ATM. However, it is suggested to use this facility at time of urgent needs only.

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Source-secondary

Home loan: Fixed vs floating rates

Investing in a financial product, whether it is a home loan, involves your hard earned money. So it is important that you take time off to look at various aspects before rushing in to something. While applying for a home loan, the prior thing that will bother you is whether to choose fixed interest rate or floating interest rate. Let us see which option is worth for you?

Fixed versus floating dilemma

Home loan consumers often find themselves in a dilemma when it comes to choosing between fixed and floating interest rates. With fixed interest rate loans, the interest rate and hence the EMI remains fixed, whereas in floating rate loans, the interest rate or the tenure may move up and down. Nobody can predict which way interest rates will move and hence it all boils down to personal choice, cash flows and appetite for risk when it comes to choosing between the two.

In most cases you will also be given the option to switch from fixed to floating rates and vice versa. However, you will be charged for every switch that you make during the tenure of your loan. If you believe in taking risks with the hope that you will benefit when interest rates fall, you can opt for floating interest rates or else you can happily settle for a fixed repayment schedule.

Pros and Cons of Fixed Interest Rates:      

Since home loans demands a long term commitment in comparison to other loans, a fixed interest rate convey a sense of certainty in terms of loan repayment. People who are good at budgeting can get a clear vision of their EMI liabilities if they select for a fixed-rate home loan.

The major drawback with fixed interest rates is that they are usually 1 – 2.5 percentage points higher than the floating rate home loan. Secondly, if for any reason the interest rate decreases, the fixed rate home loan doesn’t get the benefit of reduced rates and the borrower has to repay the same amount every time. Another area of concern is whether the fixed rate home loan is fixed for the entire tenure or only for a few years. This has to be cross-checked with the bank while taking the home loan.

Pros and Cons of Floating Interest Rates:

Floating interest rate varies with market conditions and interest rates are bounded to a base rate and a floating element thereof. So, if the base rate varies the floating interest rate also varies. Although floating interest rates are cheaper than fixed interest rates, but the nature of monthly installments is uneven. This makes it difficult to budget with floating interest rate home loans.

Market Behaviour:  

Recently, fixed rate loans have gained popularity in India. Many financial institutions and banks are now engaging applicants utilizing fixed interest rate schemes. ICICI Bank has initiated a scheme proposing home loans up to 10 years at a fixed rate of up to 10.25%, while Citibank offers a fixed rate of 10.1% till September 2015.

Experts agree on the fact floating interest rates are a better option if the economic scenario promises a fall in interest rates in the near future. For a short term loans opting for a fixed interest rate would be beneficial whereas floating interest rate is recommended for people taking a home loan for a long tenure at this given time.

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Source- Secondary

Revealance of the priority in which the debts should be paid

Easy availability of loans has made our life much easier. It’s convenient way to acquire life’s necessities. But, wait! If loans has made our life so much easier, then why people at times fail to meet the deadlines which are making their life difficult? And furthermore, it also puts you under pressure as a portion of your monthly income is truncated towards paying the EMI. If planned well, you can actually reduce your burden by shedding your liability. Now, if you have several debts to clear, aim to prioritize loan repayments to clear the most expensive ones first.

Personal loans comes first

Being unsecured loans by nature, are offered to you on the basis of good credit history or a sound income stream. Start by attacking your most expensive debt. Simply put your personal loan as bad debt, so pay it off as soon as you can. Prioritize the obligations with the highest interest rates. Paying off the highest, most toxic debt will free you up sooner and help you pay less in the long run. Plus, it will take a load off of your mind.

Unproductive loans

The other loan debts does not involve tax benefits like loan against property, gold loans, loan against insurance policies, fixed deposits and auto loan. You should repay these loans as per the interest rates. Gold loans come at comparatively lower interest rates! Loans against insurance policies, fixed deposits attract less interest rate compared to gold loans and loans against property.  Such loans captivate less interest rate in comparison to personal loans.
Finish up with home loan

Home loans are the most popular debt in India. You can enjoy tax benefits on repayments of a home loan. Home loan consumers often find themselves in a dilemma when it comes to choosing between fixed and floating interest rates. Nobody can predict which way interest rates will move and hence it all boils down to personal choice, cash flows and appetite for risk. However, you will be charged for every switch that you make during the tenure of your loan. You can prepay your loan fully or partially, depending on the terms of your loan. However, do remember that the cost attached to paying off your loan early, if any, in the structure of penalty does not restrict the benefits.
By following the above mentioned step by step priorities, you can actually enjoy the ecstasy of debt-free life. At times, you may find some investments yielding higher interest rate as compared to the interest rate being paid on the existing debt. While making any financial decision, do consider the advantages and disadvantages of either to go for paying off an existing debt or an investment.
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Source Secondary

Whether to purchase a home with cash versus obtaining finance through mortgage.

To be a homeowner of your dream house is not merely a financial decision. It is an emotional decision too. That’s why in a number of cases, despite fixing a budget, most people tend to stretch themselves to own a house that is beyond their budget.  It’s probable to think that buying a home with cash – or sinking as much cash as possible into your home to avoid the enormous debt linked with a mortgage, is the wise choice for your good financial mileage.

But it involves a lot of consideration whether to purchase a home with cash versus obtaining finance through mortgage.

Purchasing a house with cash is a very legitimate productive investment as it eliminates the need to pay interest on the loan and closing costs. In a current market scenario, paying all can also make your purchase offer more attractive to sellers as they don’t have to concern about a buyer falling out due to financing being denied. A cash home purchase also has the flexibility of closing faster than one requiring financing, which could be attractive to a seller. Those benefits to the seller shouldn’t come without a price.  Also, a cash buyer’s home is not leveraged, which allows a homeowner to sell the house as per his convenience.

Shouldering responsibilities with mortgage

At some point you would like to own a house. Then why not do it now? Yes, buying a house on a home loan, if you can afford the EMIs, makes more sense than paying massive cash. How? There are obvious benefits. Firstly, by buying a house in which you live, you are creating an asset with the easy to pay EMIs that you pay; on the other hand, paying complete cash is painstakingly as it involves your entire life money and liquidating huge investments. Moreover, you can enjoy tax benefits on repayments of a home loan. But remember that no matter how tempting it may be, don’t liquidate all your investments to purchase that dream home. Once you moved in, you will still need to go on living; in fact, if you move into a better home, you may seek a better standard of living and therefore, need more regular spending money. Further, you still need to service your insurance policies and subscribe to tax saving investments. You may be needing money for unforeseen emergencies that are not covered by insurance.

The Conclusion

The best advice when considering which option makes the most sense is to opt for the choice that gives you the satisfaction for your entire life. Also, ask yourself which will provide the greater return on your investment.

If you decide to purchase a house with a loan, make sure you can easily afford the principal, interest, property taxes, homeowners insurance, homeowner association and other fees each month. And no matter how you pay for a house, make sure to have an emergency savings account of expenses in case your personal economy declines and you need a financial safeguard.
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Source:  Secondary

Select right credit card this way

It is very important to select the right credit based on your requirement else rather giving benefit, it will eat into your savings from credit card.

1. Say No to Co-Branded Credit Cards: Over last few years, Credit Card Market is flooded with C0-Branded Credit Cards. Banks launch these credit cards in association with a particular brand like ICICI Big bazaar Credit Card, Jet Airways ICICI Bank Credit Card, Standard Chartered Yatra Credit Card,  HSBC MakeMyTrip Credit Card, SBI Railway Card etc.

The disadvantage of C0-Branded Credit Card is that all the benefits of credit card is associated with partnered brand e.g. in ICICI Bank Big Bazaar credit, you will get 6 reward point for Rs 100/= spent in Big Bazaar but for Non Big Bazaar purchase, you will get only 1 Reward point for Rs 200 spent. Therefore, these cards are most beneficial for Big Bazaar becoz they are buying customer’s loyalty through this card as user of this card will try to make almost all the purchases through Big Bazaar.

Banks gain becoz partnered brand promote co-branded card heavily through its channel and bank gets more credit card customers without much efforts. Only looser in this chain is user of Co-Branded Credit Card. You can opt for such cards, if you have very very high level of engagement with particular brand else they are waste.

2. Cash Back Cards: Cash back cards are still in a very nascent stage in India because of 2 reasons:

(a) Annual/Renewal fees

(b) If’s & buts attached with the cash back offer e.g. In a XYZ Credit Card, Minimum amount spend should be Rs 1000/transaction to be eligible for 5% cash back or in a PQR Gold Card, Minimum spend on Dining and Movies should be more than Rs 5000 within billing cycle to enjoy 10% cash back & cash back is applicable only for 5 transactions (Dining + Movie) upto maximum of Rs 600/= in a billing cycle.

It is very important to understand your spending pattern before applying for cash back credit.

3. VISA/Master Card Payment Systems: All credit cards carry a logo of VISA, Master Card, American Express, Maestro etc etc..Many people gets confuse that credit card is issued by VISA or Master Card..Fact of the matter is that VISA or Master Card don’t issue any credit card but they are payment systems, which process payment between Merchant Bank and the bank, which issue credit card. In other words they are dependent on banks to issue credit / debit cards by using their payment system.

VISA and Master Card are 2 biggest payment systems in world & you should own atleast 1 card each of VISA and Master Card because:

(a) VISA / Master Card always run offers for their customers to increase usage on their payment system e.g. VISA Blockbuster weekend offer of Buy 1 get 1 Free on Bookmyshow or Get discount from 5% to 10% on Apollo Clinic, using Credit Card with Master Card Logo. Before making any purchase, its better to check for offers as Rupee Saved is Rupee earned.

(b) Outside India, you will find many merchants excepting only VISA or Master card so if u travel abroad then you should own 1 card each of both the payment systems to avoid any inconvenience.

4. Reward Points: Most critical point to decide credit card. Reward point is nothing but an incentive to use your credit card or you can say its indirect discount on your purchase. Generally each Reward Point carry a value between 25 paise to 50 paise. It is very easy to find out the value of Reward Point. Just check reward catalogue from bank’s site and find out the Market Value of any item in Reward catalogue and how many points required to redeem this item e.g. if a Philips toaster cost Rs 1500 in market & you need 4300 reward points to redeem then value of each reward point is 0.34 paise.

Some banks give higher value per reward point to premium customer and vice versa.

5. Flexibility to Change Billing Date: It is very important to know the payment date, which depend on Billing Date. It depend on spending pattern & your salary cycle to arrive at convenient billing date. It is advisable to opt for credit card with a bank, which is flexible in terms of changing Billing date.

6. Interest Free Easy EMI: HDFC bank, ICICI Bank and Citibank are pioneer in this. If u make big purchases like Electronic Goods, Travel etc at regular intervals then its a wise decision to opt for Interest Free Easy EMI option of 3, 6 & 9 months…These days when credit comes at a very high interest rate (Interest Rate on Personal Loan is 16%)…Paying through Interest Free Easy EMI is a big savings even if u can pay lump sum, it is advisable to opt for Easy EMI as you can get interest on the amount. Some of the offers currently live are, you can convert all purchases through HDFC Bank Credit Card at LG Best Shoppe into 3, 6 or 9 months Easy EMI or you can convert all ticket bookings through makemytrip into 3, 6 or 9 months Interest Free Easy EMI by using ICICI, HDFC or Citibank credit card

7. Ease of Payment: Before applying for credit card just check the payment options. Though most banks provide option to pay through net banking or NEFT but for many people, its not a convenient mode to pay..Just check whether your convenient mode of payment is available for credit card payment. If your convenient mode is cheque drop then check whether the ATM of bank is located near your home or office.

Though there is no set rule to select the Right Credit but it depend on your requirement and spending pattern. One should not have more than 2-3 cards to maintain good CIBIL score. Out of 2 credit cards, one should be of largest issuers and second one should be Cash back credit card. Maximum transactions should be on Cash Back Credit Card to get maximum benefits. Also one of the card should be on VISA payment system and another on Master Card. Hope u liked the tips to select the right credit card.
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Source: Secondary

Credit Check Please!

When you think of a credit check, chances are your thoughts jump to loan transactions. After all, the point of a credit history is to provide context for your past credit transactions as a way to predict the default risk you pose to a current lender. The reality, though, is that your credit profile is used for other financial transactions.
Just because you aren’t borrowing money, it doesn’t mean that your credit information isn’t being used to make judgments about your level of financial responsibility. Here are five non-loan financial transactions that may require a credit check:
                                  
                           

1. Cell phone service

A person recently signed up for new cell phone service. Before the company would open an account for him, they ran a credit check. Many carriers want to make sure you’re going to pay your bill as agreed. Others worry about letting you walk out of the store with a phone that will be paid for in the service contract.
Poor credit means that you may be limited in account choices. “You may only have access to an account with strict data usage and calling limits if you have a poor score,” Additionally, if you want to upgrade your phone later, your carrier might make you pay for the upgraded phone up front, rather than letting you make installment payments.
Some Internet service providers and cable/satellite TV companies also run credit checks before opening accounts for new customers. If you expect to access entertainment in this way, you need to be aware of the possibility that your credit history will be accessed and used to judge you.

2. Insurance premiums

“Many auto insurers review credit scores when setting rates,”  “Poor scores are highly correlated with future claims insurance. You may pay more for car insurance if you have a poor score.”
Some states ban insurers from using credit scores to make these decisions, but there is still the chance that you could pay hundreds of extra dollars a year on your auto policy as a result of your credit situation. Some homeowners insurance rates are set based, in part, on the results of a credit check.

3. Renting an apartment or a home

Even though you aren’t borrowing when you rent an apartment or a home, the reality is that you are still expected to make regular payments. For some landlords, a poor credit rating could be a red flag that you will be difficult to collect from. You might be turned down for some housing situations if you have a poor score. 
You might also need to get a cosigner for your lease if your situation isn’t up to scratch. In some cases, you will be approved to move into the rental, but you might need to make a larger security deposit. This can be difficult if you are short on ready cash.

4. Applying for a job

Even your ability to earn an income can be impacted by your credit history. Employers aren’t supposed to check your credit score, but that doesn’t mean that some won’t look at your credit report to identify possible risks. “This occurs most frequently for jobs where people handle money or other valuable items,” . Someone with a bad credit report might be considered a risk of embezzlement or bribes. “You may lose a good job opportunity if you have poor credit.”

5. Finding true love

Finding the right life partner is supposed to be about love and compatibility. It’s supposed to be romantic. However, there are also money components involved with identifying a life partner. “Many single people now exchange credit reports and scores before becoming serious in a relationship,”. Citing recent surveys that indicate that singles are interested in the financial viability of potential partners.
Even if your partner is willing to overlook your past financial indiscretions, he or she might be unwilling to combine finances with you until you get your credit score in shape. Even though marriage doesn’t have to mean that you share a credit profile, many partners are wary that your situation could affect them.
In the end, you need to be aware of the fact that a credit check isn’t just for loan-related financial transactions. Attempts to include other information in credit reports and scores are under way, since utility payments and rental payments can also be indicators of your level of financial responsibility. However, for now your credit profile is still one of the main ways that others — even non-lenders — decide whether or not you are an acceptable risk.
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Source: Secondary

Paying Debts Early : Good or Bad

If you have extra money, it’s always a question for people whether to use this money in paying off your debts or rather investing somewhere. Would paying off the debt early affect our credit score? Would it help us go ahead with our finances? Check these points before deciding on where to use your extra money.

Dangerous debts: 
Some debts are very dangerous for your financial health as they can result in jail time or monetary penalties. Such debts should be prioritized and paid off first. Examples of such debts are delinquent taxes, debts given to collection agencies etc.

Check the terms of the debt:
Check and see if there are penalties for paying off a loan early. Some creditors put a fee for the early repayment of the debt. Go back to your paperwork and check your fine print for prepayment fees.

Enough Cash:
After you strike through the dangerous debts checkpoint, next is the cash on hand. You want to have enough savings to cope during a financial crisis. Having cash militia helps you to go through a rough financial patch without having to rely on more debt.

Invest:
Do the maths! If you are earning more from the after cutting taxes rate of the investment than what is piling up due to the debt interest rate, then it is better to go for the investment. Paying off a debt early may not give you a benefit- that is why you are better off using your extra money for investing. In fact, use the money earned on the investment to pay off your debt in future. 

Act smart! Visit: www.cibilconsultants.com

Source: Secondary

Biggest Misconceptions About Credit Score Debunked

Bangalore: Nowadays to apply for a loan or credits it has become mandatory that you should have a high credit score. According to rating on your credit scores the insurance companies, cable companies and even utility providers will decide on the rates or deposit amounts that will be charged on you. But often it is seen that like many other important things in life, even the credit scores are often misunderstood. There are many myths about the credit card scores that are going around about what hurts or improves.

Let’s have a look at seven popular myths about credit scores and credit reports:

I cannot check my credit card report as it will hurt my credit card score : 

There is no harm in checking your personal credit report. Usually while you review your own credit report that is called as a “soft pull,” or “soft inquiry,” that will be seen on a personal credit report and in addition to that this will have no impact on your scores.  It is advisable that everyone should at least annually check their credit report.

When lenders or others check your credit card score then it is called as a “hard enquiry” and this can affect your credit card scores.  Sometimes hard inquiries are shown to other lenders in order to represent new debt that might not be shown on a credit report as an account. Thus hard inquiries can really affect your credit scores but soft enquires don’t.

Employers should not check a job applicant’s credit : 

This myth is wrong it is actually legal for an employer to pull and review a credit report of a job applicant before hiring him or an employee. But yes the employer should seek job applicants or employees permission for this reviewing. In some of the fields like finance, government and banking agencies have to often review credit reports before hiring any person as they might have access to large amount of money or any confidential information. But it is advisable for employers to just check the financial habits or failings of a job applicant instead of checking their credit report.

By paying cash instead of using credit card might increase my credit score : 

Using cash every time instead of credit cards will not help you increase your credit scores, instead using credit accounts is the best way to help you establish and build credit. As both cash and debit cards are just like an electronic check these are not the better options. In order to get qualified for the best rates in order to for instance apply for a home loan or a student loan you need to prove that you can manage your credit responsibly. Second way to build your credit score is to make sure that you make loan and rent payments on time and in addition to that when you have high scores you will be offered with best and new services.

My academic background can affect my credit scores : 

Your Academic background or education level is never part of a credit report, so it will not affect your credit scores. Only debt related information is included in credit reports. Therefore, information about loans, credit cards and payment history, as well as bankruptcy, tax liens and civil judgments will be reported.

Other information like income, investments or assets such as stocks or bonds will also not be included in a credit report. In addition to that there is no information about savings accounts, checking accounts, certificates of deposit or other non-debt banking relationships etc. Additionally, factors like race, gender, marital status, national origin or religion are also not included in credit report.

Source-secondary

No regular income? Then how to build a credit?

Credit is one of those things that we feel that we need to develop if we expect to succeed financially over any period of time. However, building credit can be difficult when your income is irregular. Whether you have a part-time job without a set schedule, or whether you are self-employed and you never know exactly when your next payday will be, getting credit can be difficult when your income varies.

“One of the biggest challenges of building credit on an irregular income is that your income fluctuates, making payments difficult".

Not only that, but your irregular income might make it difficult to qualify for certain loans, especially if documentation is wanted from lenders regarding your situation.

You don’t have to resign yourself to a thin credit file, however. It is possible to build credit even when you have an irregular income. Here are some of the things you can do: 

Get a credit card

Even for those with irregular incomes, one of the best ways to build credit is to start with a credit card.Keep things small. Get a small card and keep your balance and utilization low.

You might be able to qualify for a credit card with a low limit. As long as you use that card responsibly, you should be able to begin building credit. Make small purchases with the card, and pay them off. All of your purchases should be part of your regular budget so that you know you have the money to pay off the balance. As you regularly make payments on time and in full, your credit situation will improve. 

If you can’t get an unsecured card — even one with a low credit rating — you can consider a secured credit card. You will have to provide a security deposit as collateral for your secured credit card, but it will give you something you can start with. As with the unsecured card, it’s important to make small purchases and pay them off on time if you want to begin building your credit.

Another option, is to have someone add you as an “authorized user” to a card. If you have a spouse or a parent with a steady job, you can begin building some credit as an authorized user. However, being added as an authorized user isn’t the same thing as having the card. Some points are always good points, but it’s not the same amount of points as when you have your own card.you have to watch out if the credit card account owner maxes out the card, since it can impact your situation.

Small personal loan

As you show that you can handle small revolving credit card accounts, and begin building your credit file, you can see if you can get a small personal loan. These installment loans can help you establish that you can handle different types of credit. If you have been using a specific bank for a long period of time, and have a good relationship with the bank, you might be able to get a small personal loan. These loans can be useful because they are usually paid in installments, with set terms. Get a small loan that you can pay off over a few months to add another layer to your credit file.

Alternative credit scoring

Another consideration is that alternative credit scoring can help you prove your ability. The  alternative programs can help you get your foot in the door. Other payments made by you like rent, utilities, insurance, and even gym membership are considered as well. This information is verified, and you are assigned a credit rating.

There are mortgage companies, auto loan providers, and others willing to work with companies like this to provide loans to those with thin credit files. If you have an irregular income, but can show that you are reliable in your ability to pay, these programs can help you get your first loan. Then, after you have begun with this first “traditional” credit account, it’s easier to build your credit file going forward.

Don’t get in over your head

The biggest pitfall of handling your credit when you have an irregular income is getting in over your head. It’s easy to think that you will be able to pay something back during a month when your income is higher. But what happens next month, when your income is lower?

When building credit on an irregular income, it’s especially important that you choose your loans carefully, and ensure that you really can repay them. You need to make sure that making your payments is a priority. Build up an emergency fund during the higher-income months so that you have a cash cushion to draw on during the lean months. Ensuring that you can meet your obligations is the best way to keep up a good credit score once you have established your credit.

Source:  Secondary

For youngsters: A guide to build Credit score

While learning the basics of money management should begin in high school (or earlier,possible), the four to six years AFTER they graduate from high school is the most important time financially.  This is the time young adults become savers or spenders.High schoolers have many opportunities to begin learning how to manage money.  They likely will have part-time jobs, and, therefore, the money to begin to spend and save.  Many teens also have vehicles and need to pay for gas and insurance.If they begin saving now, they’ll have the advantage over their peers in a few years when they have the cash to put a down payment on a house.  If they invest in a retirement fund, thanks to compound interest, they’ll likely be in a much better position than their peers 40 or 50 years down the road.

Besides learning to save, learning to manage credit is equally important.  If a young person isn’t responsible with credit, he’ll set up the cycle of being in debt and having less income to use for other goals and expenses.
Often, getting credit is difficult in the beginning, but it doesn’t have to be.  Here are some ways a recent high school student can begin to build credit:

1.  Piggyback on someone else’s credit.  If you’re financially responsible, your parents may consider adding you as a user on their credit card.  There are several caveats here.

Consider your parents’ credit record.  Make sure that your parents have good (or great) credit as their credit score can be passed on to you within a matter of months of being an authorized user.  This is great news if their credit score is 780, but horrible news if their credit score is 580.
No credit is better than assuming low credit.

Consider how old the credit card is.  You’ll also want to strategically choose which credit card to be added to.  The best choice is a credit card that has been opened for several years and has a low balance.  You’ll want to make sure that your parents have always paid it on time.
Make sure the credit card company reports to credit bureaus.  Lastly, make sure that the credit card you’ve chosen reports authorized users to the credit bureaus.  If it doesn’t, being an authorized user won’t help you at all because the three credit bureaus won’t know you’re authorized on the card and you still won’t have a credit score.

Be responsible.  If you’re added as an authorized user, you should respect your parents’ trust in you.  Be responsible with the privilege they’ve given you.  If you overcharge, they’ll have to pay.

2.  Open a secured credit card.  Another option is to open a secured credit card.  (Make sure to ask the company if they regularly report customers to the credit bureaus.)   With this type of credit card, you pay a small deposit, so the credit card company has collateral if you don’t make timely payments.  Your credit limit is usually about the amount of your deposit.

Once the card is opened, be sure to make a few purchases a month and to ALWAYS pay on time.  Try to keep the balance low.

After six to twelve months of paying regularly, the credit card company may turn your account into a regular credit account.  If they don’t, check your credit score.  You may have a good enough credit score at this time to open a credit card account with a different company.
Once you become an authorized user or open a secured credit card, you simply need to pay the bill on time and control your spending.  Within six months to a year, you should be able to open a regular credit card account and begin your credit history.

Source: Secondary

Manage Your Debt

It has become really hard dealing with credit in the present economic conditions. Your loan application is examined more thoroughly now by lenders and banks. Your credit report is what is used to evaluate your loan application and debt forms a big factor of your report. But managing debt is different for every individual as your debt could be because of different circumstances like job loss, medical conditions, etc. You can just follow these basic tips to manage your debt:

Prioritize:
Prioritize your payments; Think of paying off which debt would be beneficial to you. Decide if you want to pay off a smaller debt first or debt with higher interest first.

Negotiate:

Negotiate with your bank or creditor to lower your interest.Talking to your banks helps you as they cooperate with you for your debt payments.

Debt Consolidation: 
If negotiating doesn't work, you could look at consolidating your debt. Debt consolidation is taking one big debt with a lower interest rate or zero interest to pay off all your debts. It helps you as you don’t have to paying off multiple debts but only single installment a month.

Credit Counsellors:
If sometimes you can’t help yourself, credit counsellors can. They help you draw your budget, reduce your spending, negotiate with your banks for lower interest rates. To get best services at best prices,research well before consulting to any agency.

Settlement/ Bankruptcy:
If you have no other resort left, settlement can be the last option. In cash settlement with your credit or bank, the bank gives you a big discount for paying off your debt by a certain date in cash. If you don’t have cash for a cash settlement, then you may have to declare bankruptcy.

Settlement and Bankruptcy both negatively affect your CIBIL score  and stay on your credit report for a long time, so try to follow the above steps and try to never reach the last resort.  

contact us for a more tips : www.cibilconsultants.com
source: secondary