Save money on car loans

Tapping the equity in your home may well be the best way to lower your interest payments when financing a car. Both a home equity line of credit (HELOC) and a home equity loan often provide lower rates than traditional car loans because they are secured against the value of your home. The interest on home-equity credit is also usually tax deductible if you itemize it on your federal tax return. Consult a tax advisor about your particular situation.
Of the two choices, a HELOC often has the lowest initial interest rate but, because its rate is variable, it can leave you vulnerable to the possibility of increased payments should rates rise. It’s therefore often considered more suitable for car loans of 36 months or less. For loans over 36 months, a fixed-rate home equity loan that has a guaranteed rate for its entire term may be a better choice.
It’s important, however, before choosing to secure your vehicle loan against your home, to understand the risks involved with this type of financing. Because you are using your home as collateral, you must have the discipline to make all the necessary payments on time or you could end up in a position of having to sell your home.

Be careful of zero interest loans

Although no interest car loans sound attractive, they may not be your best bet, particularly if you’re giving up a substantial rebate in return. Let’s say you’re buying a car for $16,000 and can pay zero interest for 36 months through the dealer or receive a $2,000 rebate. The monthly payment on a $16,000 purchase at zero interest is $444.44. However, if you take the rebate and finance through a bank at 5 percent, your monthly payment comes to $419.59. You save $24.85 a month, or $894.60 over three years.

Negotiate car Loans

In the market for a car? In a perfect world, you’d walk into the dealership with a briefcase full of cash (OK, a check would do, too) and purchase your new set of wheels right then and there. In the real world, of course, most folks find saving that much money next to impossible — and head to the bank or dealership’s financing arm to get a loan.
The good news is, there are ways to lower your borrowing costs. Here are five:
1. Make sure your credit is in good standing
Before ever setting foot in a dealership, you’ll want to make sure that your credit is in good health. Your auto loan interest rate is going to be heavily dependent on your credit score. First, order a free credit report from a federally-mandated website that offers you three free credit reports annually.
Check your credit report for any errors or red flags. Tidy things up, pay down your credit-card balances as much as you can, and dispute anything that looks incorrect or suspicious. After sprucing up your credit, pay the small fee to get your credit score. Having your credit score on hand will allow you to get more accurate quotes and potentially negotiate your rate later on in the process. If your credit score is low (under 640), you may have some work to do before you consider getting a new vehicle.
2. Shop around at local banks and credit unions
You may not have to look further than your local bank or credit union for the best auto loan rate. Credit unions, in particular, tend to have very low rates as they are non-profit financial cooperatives that re-distribute earnings through member benefits (such as lower interest rates on loans). You may be able to find the auto loan rates clearly listed on the bank or credit union’s website. If not, calling for a quote should not take more than a few minutes.
3. Compare rates at national lenders
Armed with your local rates, do some quick comparisons at the national level.
4. Negotiate with the lender who has the lowest rate
Even though you’ve compared a good number of lenders by this stage and found the one with the lowest rate, that offer may not be their best you can get. If your credit score is in the high 700s or even 800 or more, you may be able to negotiate an even lower rate. Even if you don’t, it doesn’t hurt to try. If you don’t have a checking or savings account with the lender, offer to create one if they lower the rate for you.
5. Negotiate with the Dealer
Now that you have the best quote in hand, you can start your vehicle shopping. Be on the lookout for special promotions. Occasionally, you will see automakers run 0% or other very low-interest financing offers. Just make sure that the low rate offer isn’t offset by loading up on additional fees up front.
Before talking financing with the dealer, you should always come to agreement on pricing terms of the purchase. Don’t give them the opportunity to dangle a low interest offer as a reason for not negotiating on price.
Often, dealers get commissions on auto loans, so they may be flexible in the rate that they can offer you. If that can’t measurably beat your lowest-rate quote, go with the lender instead.

Loan for Fertility Treatments

Developing breast cancer at a younger age—in a woman’s 40s, 30s, even 20s—will mean making important and difficult decisions about one’s life and future perhaps much sooner than originally expected.
One concern is developing breast cancer during pregnancy, which although rare, can still occur. In this case, the treatment chosen will not only affect the patient and her body, but the growing baby inside her as well. It will depend on what state of pregnancy she is in (first, second or third trimester) and what stage her cancer is in—such as whether or not it’s advanced. Click here if you need this info about dog crate.
Most pregnant  can have treatment for their breast cancer without affecting the baby. But some might be advised by their obstetrician or health-care practitioner—or even decide themselves—to terminate the pregnancy, more so if the pregnancy is in its earlier stages, in order to receive certain treatments that would be too risky otherwise. But it is essential to remember that it is a woman’s own decision—it is not medically necessary to terminate a pregnancy if the mother is diagnosed with breast cancer. All it does is limit treatment options. Breast cancer itself will not affect the fetus—only certain tests and treatments will.
Generally speaking, tamoxifen, chemotherapy, radiation, and other drug-related therapies are avoided if the woman is pregnant because of their associated risks with birth defects. Tamoxifen, especially, is considered very unsafe because it is a hormonal therapy and is never recommended if the woman is pregnant or planning on conceiving.
Surgery—either a lumpectomy or mastectomy—is the most common and preferred method of treatment for breast cancer in pregnant women.
Another concern is whether or not breast cancer survivors can or should go on to have children after treatment and recovery. It’s a very controversial issue with firm advocates on both sides of the debate.
There are two main questions here, for both the medical and health community and breast cancer survivors wanting their own children: 1) Do certain breast cancer treatments affect fertility?; and 2) Is it actually considered safe to conceive and carry a baby to term following breast cancer and breast cancer treatments?
As far as fertility goes, there is no definite answer here. For chemotherapy, it depends on the age and what specific drug was used—some affect fertility more than others. And taking tamoxifen after chemotherapy to prevent recurrence is not recommended if the woman desires to become pregnant right away. Although tamoxifen is sometimes used as a fertility treatment there is evidence to suggest that it damages developing embryos, and therefore is not considered safe to use.

Fertility Loans

Many couples considering infertility or IVF treatments are often faced with a tough question: how are we going to pay for this? Most health insurance policies do not cover these treatments - unless you live in a state with mandated coverage, and work for a large employer. Many couples don't have that kind of cash, so they borrow money to fund the treatments - sometimes paying high fees. A common employee benefit program not only provides an interest free loan, it also cuts the cost of infertility treatments by 1/3 or more.
Most health insurance policies do not cover the cost of infertility treatments such as IVF and others. Fifteen states mandate varying degrees of coverage, and these mandates apply only to companies employing fifty or more employees. That leaves couples living in the thirty five other states, and those working for small employers with no coverage for these treatments.
IVF and other infertility treatments can cost $20,000 and upwards depending upon the procedure and the number of cycles they need to undergo. Many couples don't have the savings set aside to pay these fees upfront, so they seek out loans that allow them to pay over time - with interest.
A Healthcare Flexible Spending Account allows you to get an interest free loan from their employer, and cut your infertility costs by one third or more. For example, you could elect to contribute $10,000 into a flex account. The full amount of the election is available to be spent on qualifying expenses on the first day of the new plan year. Infertility treatments such as IVF are qualifying expenses. Schedule your infertility procedure for the beginning of your employer's flex plan year. Your employer funds the full $10,000 election, and you now have fifty two weeks to pay back your interest free loan!
But that's not all. You will be paying back your loan with pre-tax dollars, which may cut your costs by one third or more. If you are in the 25% federal income tax bracket, and paying FICA taxes of 7.65% your total savings is 32.65%. Savings may be higher for people in higher tax brackets, or those living in states with an income tax.

Raw land loans

Raw land as opposed to improved property is much more difficult to finance through traditional lenders. The main reasons are that it generates very little income, development costs can be expensive, there are no buildings or improvements that can be used as collateral, and it is often considered speculative.
For those reasons mentioned we find that sellers are often our first choice regarding financing. It is typical for a seller of raw land to accept 10 percent down and the rest to be paid over time at a specified (below market) interest rate. This would be an example of an installment land contract. Other forms are contract for deed, mortgage and note and purchase money mortgages. In these cases, a real estate attorney usually drafts these contracts and a bank will act as an escrow agent to facilitate verifiable records of payments received. The seller often retains the deed until the property is paid for in full.
If you want to investigate bank financing, then you may start out by offering 30 percent down with a seven-year mortgage, with the bank getting an extra percentage point over and above the current interest rates for standard loans. This may not be accepted, but it does give you a starting point to see just what they may be willing to do.
If you plan on building on your land, then having a development plan with an appraised set of blue prints for the project will help the lender in justifying your loan. If you can use equity from other property, then paying substantial down payments may also be an option.
Final words of caution here are to know values and don’t overpay. Always offer less when possible and research recent sales of comparable properties. The larger a parcel is, the cheaper it tends to get per acre. Ask an agent what an acre of land tends to go for in the area that you are considering; try to buy more than one acre.
When buying residential lots, builders try to keep raw land costs down to 10 percent of the overall value of the project. If streets and utilities are already in place, then they will use 25 percent as their guideline. If you can combine or assemble parcels or achieve zoning changes with property, you have a good chance of immediately increasing its value.
Always physically inspect the property and do your research before obligating yourself to buy it. And try using contracts with contingencies put in to protect yourself. In essence, these are really options that let you control the deal while you investigate and research the land’s potential to satisfy your objectives. Happy Hunting and buy the high grounds!