What Varieties of Options are Out There in Student Loans?

By William Blake

The costs of education today are ten times what they were less than 40 years ago. But those differences become even more stark when considering undergraduate versus graduate programs. Fortunately, there are resources available to both types of student to help them pay for college.

Initially a college student may avail himself of many different programs to pay for college. There are student loans, grants and scholarships and some students must take advantage of all three.

Stafford loans are very popular and there are two types. The unsubsidized loan is a bit more expensive because you are responsible for accrued interest from the very beginning of the loan. Though they cost more, these types of Stafford loans are easier to qualify for. A subsidized loan in which the government makes your interest payments until 6 months after you finish college are of course less expensive because you save on all that interest. However, these loans have stricter requirements, offered only to low-income families.

Here are some websites you can visit to see what you might qualify for: http://www.salliemae.com/get_student_loan/find_student_loan/undergrad_student_loan/federal_student_loans/stafford_loans/ and http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/studentloans.jsp

Graduate students have to work a bit harder for financial aid. Graduate school is more expensive and less scholarship opportunities are available. Typically a graduate student has to work as a research assistant or other employment related to their major to pay their tuition.

In recent times the PLUS loan program has been extended to graduate students. In the past this program was restricted to parents of undergraduate students. Now it has been expanded to include graduate students and rather than making the loan to parents the money is loaned directly to the student.

PLUS loans have several advantages.

Graduate students have one advantage that many people do not have. Most of them have not yet had the opportunity to get into a lot of debt and have credit problems. Since PLUS loan approval is based on your credit scores many graduate students are able to qualify.

About the Author:

Before you consider consolidation as a way to get your debt paid off, research the debt consolidation loan consequences. It isn't always a good idea to consolidate your debt. Find out why on the Inside Debt Consolidation website at http://www.insidedebtconsolidation.com

Home Buddies Quarterly Economic Report - Part 3 - Opportunities

By Cliff Pape

We studied the macroeconomic factors effecting the US in first two parts of the Quarterly Economic Report. This week, we will look into the future and give an outlook on the real estate and mortgage markets of 2009. Last, we are going to propose some opportunities that every investor should recognize in this stage of the surprisingly predictable real estate cycle.

Credit and Financial Markets

Perhaps the greatest news leading into 2009 is the commitment by the Department of the Treasury and the Federal Reserve ("The Fed") to achieve lower mortgage interest rates. The fed announced on November 25th that it would purchase $600 billion in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac mortgage-backed securities and unsecured debt.

Whether the government will be able to accomplish it or not, the idea is to lower the cost and improve the investment of financing a property. The goal is to decrease debt costs to put potential investors or retail buyers with good credit back in the market to stabilize the economy.

Investors have always had the role of stabilizing property values after every bust and this cycle is no different. When investors and retail buyers begin to buy up property, values will start to recover which helps the banks' balance sheets. The good news for loan officers is that the cycle so far has been pretty predictable and we have long been anticipating a new refinance boom that usually comes after federal manipulation.

The Real Estate Markets

If housing permits continue to slow, it may be some time before the real estate market improves in the US. Keen an eye on a few things in Houston however. Some cities (including Houston) are still countering the global economic trend. However, even in Houston, permits are starting to slow which may lead to a retraction as we move into next year.

If unemployment figures creep up in Houston next year then that may be a sign that Houston may not escape the US and global economic turmoil with just a small hiccup.

Opportunities for Investors

The credit crisis has brought fear into markets whose economic fundamentals would not otherwise justify it. Therefore there may never be a better time to buy single family homes in Houston because the emotional fear does not match the fundamentals and prices have fallen below what they would otherwise warrant without the short-term, emotionally-driven fear.

In addition, with lending standards still remaining tight, many buyers are unable to credit-qualify to purchase a single family home. This is creating, and will continue to create, a great opportunity for savvy investors to pick up investment properties at undervalued prices.

About the Author:

Home Buddies is a Houston credit repair coach for business and investors in real estate. Home Buddies coaches clients through the process of restoring credit and helps them overcome obstacles to financing properties and growing their portfolio.

The main reason for the rise in short sale real estate

By Rem

The term 'real estate short sale' is being bandied about more and more as of late. Anyone who has read newspapers or watched TV has probably come across some sort of stories about the declining real estate market leading banks to consider real estate short sales as an alternative to foreclosure. Real estate prices have dropped dramatically, and the sell time has risen as well. Detroit is one such example of this. Declining real estate markets are the primary reason for the rise in short sale real estate opportunities.

What is a short sale, you might ask? A real estate short sale is the name given to the process where banks allow properties to be sold for less than the amount owed to them. There are two conditions that must be met before a bank is likely to approve this: Firstly: Market values are such that the property's sale price cannot cover the outstanding mortgage balance(s). A further condition is that the owners of the property must not be able to continue making mortgage payments on the property.

Let's look at an example property that was bought five years ago for the rate of 217,000 dollars with an adjustable rate mortgage. Additionally, the owners took out a second mortgage of 10,000 dollars, which brought their total owed to 227,000 dollars.

Remember that in five years the amount that the mortgages would have been paid off is negligible. In the same amount of time, the market values for similar properties are going for 215,000 dollars, while the adjustable rate has risen from 7 percent to 11 percent. Additionally, we end up with a real estate short sale situation once one of the owners has lost their job.

The bank may decide to save expenses and time delays that a foreclosure would cost by simply allowing a short sale. The reason is that it is far better to have a definite amount of money know and the property off the bank's books than waiting on an unknown amount of money at some unknown point in the future. If the lenders and owners do not agree on the terms of the sale, complications can result, but in general, that is how the real estate short sale works.

A real estate short sale is not a very pleasant experience, but it certainly isn't the worst experience they could have. If nothing else, it certainly beats being forced to accept a foreclosure on your credit report. These short sales can give the smart real estate investor a great buying opportunity.

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Also have a look at Cheap Home Blog and Low Cost Home Blog

Declaring Bankruptcy - Is It The Right Choice?

By Elma Evvie

While it is never easy to decide whether or not you should declare bankruptcy. However declaring bankrupty may be one of the best financial decisions that can help you get back on your feet.

We personally know how difficult it can be to struggle every month with your finances. No one wants to have to deal with whether or not declaring bankruptcy will help them with their finances; however if you are in a position where you can barely make ends meet then you may want to consider it.

Even though bankruptcy is not always the right choice; it will help you get a "fresh start." Before you begin jumping in and making your decision; there are some things that you should be aware of about declaring bankruptcy.

1. It Leaves Bad Marks On Your Credit: We all know that your credit score is the thing that everyone looks at. Creditors and employers all ask to look at your credit score.

Once you file bankruptcy then it is going to affect your credit for up to 7 years. However once you have decided that this is the best route for you; then you want to know that you can rebuild your credit after you have filed with work and persistence.

2. Budgeting: Sit down and find out what went wrong with your finances; after all you can not expect any changes if you do not know what you did wrong. It is important to learn how to properly manage your finances so that you will not have to file again in another 7 years.

Regardless of whether you file for bankruptcy it is important to find out how to manage your money. You can never fix anything if you do not know why you are in the situation you are in.

3. Show Your Kids The Value Of Money: Your children will mimick exactly what you do and if you do not show them how to be responsible with their money; then chances are they will be making the same mistakes you have made.

This is a big decision and should not be taken lightly. There is life after bankruptcy and you should be aware that if you are currently struggling to make ends meet and are drowning in debt; then it may be your best option. You should definitely seek the advice of a financial counselor and discuss your options.

If you are looking for more information about bankruptcy and whether or not you can get back on your feet after filing; then visit our site below. We share our personal experience and show you how to avoid being in this position ever again.

About the Author:

Are You Considering Filing Bankruptcy Online? Learn All About How To Rebuild Your Credit After Declaring Bankruptcy!There Is Life After Bankruptcy; Learn How To Become Debt Free!

Personal Check Designs And Environmental Friendly Alternatives

By Malcolm Warts

Comparative choices for choosing personalized check designs are readily available on the web. Established check printer manufactures have the opportunity to showcase their extensive selection and market inexpensively to the public. Ordering direct gets the purchaser a price break not found at their financial institution.

There?s a wide diversity of choice when it comes to categories available when choosing a particular check design. American wonders, sports checks, ethnic, flowers and nature, seasonal, transportation themed, animals and wildlife, religious and joyful heart themed plus a boatload of other choices

There are even other themes including floral checks, love and friendship design themes, sea and shore checks, inspirational and angels checks, fun and cool checks, solids and patterns designer checks and many more. Anyone should be able to find a category of interest that suits their particular bent.

Helping the environment by get green is fast becoming a conscious choice for shoppers. Using recycled checks or using 100% soy-based inks are an earth friendly alternative. Many check manufacturers have a heart not only giving you great value in your personal check design selection but also environmentally friendly affirmation.

For many of the specialty check printer manufacturers, all check designs are printed with soy-based ink on recycled 24lb. MICR bond paper. As a check travels through the check clearing system, it passes through machines called reader/sorters that sends a magnetic charge to the check which allows it to read the information contained within the MICR line very quickly. The Federal Reserve and all banks require that checks be printed with MICR toner for ease of processing and soy-based ink is often the friendly choice. Now that's a plus for the environment.

According to Wikipedia, soybean based ink is overwhelmingly more environmentally friendly. Degradability studies conducted by Erhan and Bagby concluded that the pigment cartier in 100-percent soy ink degrades almost twice as completely as ink made from soy oil and petroleum resins, and more than four times as completely as standard petroleum inks.

The large recycling programs recover and recycle materials that are equal in quality to virgin new fiber. Recyclers contribute the material that perpetuates the process and contributes a resource of equal quality and competitive price.

When you purchase online directly from the printer they provide one with original check designs and usually have other complimentary products such as address labels, contact cards and checkbook covers at considerable savings. 50% is the typical savings and fast shipping is available.

About the Author:

When one purchases check designs online direct from the check printer they not only create a professional check but also address labels, contact cards and check book covers accenting stunning inspired designs but charge about 50% less. http://checkdesigns.us

Identity Theft Protection: Easily Protect Your Good Name

By Harvey Warmuth

One of the fastest growing crimes in the United States is that of identity theft. It affects one in every four households in America and costs consumers billions of dollars each year, and this figure is growing.

Identity theft is often looked at as an individual's problem, though it ultimately affects each and every one of us. We all suffer when identity theft occurs. Identity theft is a type of consumer fraud that occurs when someone steals or assumes another person's identity for the purpose of financial gain, ultimately through some sort of criminal activity.

By stealing personal information such as Social Security Cards, bank accounts, credit card numbers, etc., an identity thief will attempt to open up accounts in your name for their use, or steal money directly from your bank accounts and credit cards. The ultimate goal of identity theft is to financially enrich the thief at the expense of consumers.

Identity theft is a relatively new problem, and there are many ways one can fall prey to this crime. If you are not careful with how you handle sensitive personal data, it can be used to aid someone in stealing your identity. And if you are not careful with your online activities, including emails that you open and read, criminals can gain access to your banking, and other personal information, to commit identity theft.

While there are certain steps you can take in handling your personal affairs to ensure you are not a victim of identity theft, there are also identity theft protection products to aid in your fight against this crime. Identity theft protection is something that you should seriously consider investing in, as it is a great way to protect your identity.

The biggest step you can take when it comes to identity theft protection is to put a fraud alert on your credit reports. This is something that you can do yourself, or you can use the services of an identity theft protection company to do this for you. The latter choice is a great one for convenience sake, as you will need to renew the fraud alert every 90 days, so sometimes it is best to have a service do this for you.

Identity theft protection is becoming more and more important, as identity theft itself becomes a bigger and bigger issue. Identity theft protection services are rapidly becoming the number one way to protect yourself against identity theft.

When you use the services of an identity theft protection company, you are purchasing a safety net in case you do become a victim of identity theft. These companies will assist you in undoing the damage of identity theft, but more importantly, they will greatly aid in your defense against ever becoming a victim.

With an identity being stolen every four seconds, and with the cost to consumers in the billions, you need to lock down your identity immediately. Protecting yourself from identity theft needs to be your top priority, so that you never have to suffer as a victim of identity theft.

About the Author:

Harvey Warmuth is an advocate for consumers who specialized in the crime of identity theft and feels everyone should be using some sort of identity theft protection. To find out how wise and economical the use of identity theft fraud protection is, please visit his website.

How Canadian Retirement Affects Some Americans

By William Blake

There are some Americans who live near Canada who have strong opinions about Canadian retirees. This is because some Canadians decide that they would prefer to retire here in the U.S. and so after their last day of work they begin to look for a home in the States. There are some that are not very happy with what they would probably call the Canadian invasion.

A Little Less Patience

It has been observed that some Canadians have the custom of being a bit impatient. Most of our manners are closely linked to the customs in the area in which we grew up. What Americans consider rude and pushy other cultures consider quite normal and acceptable. For example, it has been noted that Canadians are line jumpers. That can be very offensive to Americans but who knows how this is viewed in Canada.

It's The Vertical Pedal On The Left

Road rage is a very common thing in America. There are huge differences in the driving habits of people from different areas and Americans really lack patience with that. When others come from other countries and bring their driving habits with them it can be quite an annoyance for natives who are on the road with them. Perhaps they would feel the same if we were driving in their country.

This part of Canadian retirement planning also involves forgetting what a car horn means when every person behind you is laying into their horn because we all want you to move along now.

Shop In Your Own Malls!

These cultural differences between Canadians and Americans seem to carry over from the roadways into the shopping centers. Some find it difficult to deal with the overwhelming number of Canadians shopping in U.S. malls along the border. It is not uncommon to find more Canadian license plates lining the parking lots than U.S. plates. Inside the shopping center the different views of what is considered good manners and what is considered rude cause frustrations and problems. These cultural differences will only get worse if we cannot try to find a way to adapt to other cultures rather than reject them.

About the Author:

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