Tag Archives: financing

Budgeting to Afford an Auto Loan

One of the biggest question that people have when they go to get an auto loan is what can they afford with financing a car. That’s a question that Approved Loan Store is striving to answer, and Loans.org has some great first steps towards planning a car purchase.

People need to understand just where their monthly income should go to. An auto loan is something that can cause a great deal of financial stress and should be prepared for. Following the steps the article lays out, it can make a world of difference in making sure that a family can repay an auto loan without breaking the bank.

The budget plan was proposed by Liz Weston, a finance writer. It’s the 50/30/20 budgeting plan. What this breaks down to is that the person following the plan needs to divide one’s needs, wants, and savings in different allotments. Needs should take up no more than 50 percent of one’s after-tax income, wants are 30 percent, and the 20 percent that remains should be saved.

Breaking it down even further, the plan calls to make sure that needs are actual needs. Needs do not include those nice new shoes but rather things that are necessary for survival. Those items include housing and food, and, in the case of this blog, transportation. One of the items in needed that the article recommends possibly cutting back on is a cell phone plan if the basic plan can help keep costs down. Other ways to cut back on needs is to stop eating out for dinner and instead opt for home-cooked, and generally healthier, meals.

Wants include things such as movies, video games, clothing, or anything else that goes beyond the basic. In order to accomplish this, you can cut back again on a cell phone plan. You can also avoid the new season’s style and instead save money for later. That’s where the final 20 comes in, putting aside 20 percent every month in savings. This will go a long way in giving comfort of mind. The recent economic collapse put everyone on edge, creating an atmosphere of fear of sudden and long term job loss. If you’re properly prepared for such life altering events, then you can be in a better situation should the worst case arise.

Bringing it back to auto loans, this budgeting plan can go a long way in making sure that anyone is comfortable with paying back an auto loan. By breaking down just what in someone’s life is necessary versus a want and putting a set sum aside for saving, it puts the person in control of their financing. Following this budgeting can help borrowers assure themselves that they can make the loan payments and still have enough set aside in case something happens.

Set your budget and head on over to Approved Loan Store to sign up today to get a car loan. Don’t forget to also follow Approved Loan Store on Facebook in order to stay up to date on any future budgeting tips.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Car Loans: Using Tax Refund as a Down Payment

It’s the silver lining of having to deal with taxes.  After all the math and beating your head against a table trying to figure out why box 8 doesn’t add up right because of box 6, it’s nice to see that chunk of change coming back into your pocket.  The average tax refund in 2011 was $2,913 according to an article in Yahoo Finance.  Another figure the article quotes is that the average American worker spends just shy of $2,000 a year on lunches and coffee.

It begs the question of just what to do with a hefty amount of money.  Does it go towards all those lunch breaks?  Does it go towards paying off the credit card debt built up from holiday shopping?  Is it time to buy that new TV?  57% plan to use it to pay off debts.  There’s another option though.  That amount of a refund is perfect for putting down towards a new vehicle.  It’s sound advice for the weary car buyer out there afraid of their credit score.  Lending is really starting to pick up in the sub-prime market as the economy is starting to turn around.  That’s great news for someone with extra spending cash in their wallet.

A higher down payment can lead to a much better monthly.  The difference between putting $1,000 down on financing a $15,000 car is about $297.46 a month at 10% interest.  If you put down closer to $3,000, that rate goes down to $254.96.  That’s over $50.00 a month and that savings can add up fast.  So before just using that tax refund to head to Starbucks, think hard about how much it might benefit the buying of a new car.

Now is a good time to buy and explore your options.  Approved Loan Store has a number of dealers available to work with you even if you have bad credit.  Fill out the easy application here and you’ll hear back from someone within 48 hours.   Make sure to also like us on Facebook to keep up to date on the latest news and trends in the industry.

Image: Robert Cochrane / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Lower Your Graduate Debt by Picking the Right School

Before looking at student loans and comparing interest rates, there is an easy step that people often miss in preventing high debt post-graduation: picking the right school.

Last week, U.S. News released their rankings of schools whose students had the most and least post-graduation debt. These rankings were determined by the percentage of students who took out loans and the average total indebtedness per student graduating in 2010. Schools that performed better typically had more opportunities for student employment, scholarships, and grants.

Topping the list of schools with the least debt was Alice Lloyd College in Kentucky where 32 percent of students took out loans and owed an average of $3,108 post-graduation. Following closely is Princeton University with 24 percent of students taking out loans with an average of $4,385 debt after graduation. The highest rate of borrowing on this list was East-West University of Illinois in ninth place with 80 percent of students taking out loans and graduating with an average of $7,000 in debt.

Now, prospective students are getting bombarded with glossy flyers and sucked in with new fitness facilities, bigger fine arts centers, or a better cafeteria. Post-graduation debt is a problem that seems far away when taking college tours, but it is something that cannot be overlooked. A degree no longer guarantees work. Jobs for graduates are harder to find, and if the economy does not improve in the next few years, future graduates might be stuck out of work with a mountain of debt.

You can view the full list of the Top Ten Schools with Least 2010 Graduate Debt here, and if you are looking for a student loan, learn more and apply for a loan here. You can also follow Approved Loan Store on Facebook here.

Image: Stuart Miles / FreeDigitalPhotos.net