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Sunday, December 21, 2008
Prior to the enactment of the new law, FHA reverse mortgage limits maxed out at roughly $200,000 for most parts of country. In November, lenders began to fund reverse mortgages with the new limits in mind.
The act primarily helps senior homeowners, who own homes valued in excess of $200,160. In fact these homeowners can borrow as much as twice the amount as before. As an added bonus the closing costs on the higher loan amounts have reduced as a percentage of the value of of the home.
Wilma Johnson has ownwership in a commercial flooring company. Prior to the beginning of 2008 business was thriving. "The phone was ringing and we kept answering it". In the beginning of 2008, the phone stopped ringing as the commercial market died off. Now, one year later, at age 64, Mrs. Johnson is having trouble managing to pay her bills on time. It's not uncommon to dip into savings from time to time. Her $230,000 mortgage on her home takes up to $1,400 per month of her income.
With many unknowns in the commercial marketplace, she is unsure when her income will return. With that in mind Mrs. Johnson exercised the option to completely eliminate the burden of her mortgage payment by refinancing her home with a reverse mortgage.
One of the common misconceptions regarding senior homeowners getting a reverse mortgage is that these borrowers all must own their home with out liens or a mortgage against the home.
Contrary to this belief the majority of seniors are getting reverse mortgages specifically to remove the financial burden of their current mortgage payment. Fixed incomes and increased medical and other living costs are forcing a choice for many seniors.
With the new lending limits in place many senior borrowers will realize a dramatic increase in their monthly income. Technically speaking they won't see income increasing, rather the giant expense of the mortgage payment will be eliminated. The borrower sees that as a net increase in disposable income to be used for other important life reasons.
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However you will only qualify for a sub prime credit card if you have a damaged credit score. This means your card will have an interest rate around 19%.
It is very important to remove negative items on your credit, while improving your score. You should know that once a negative item ages four years then it has much less impact on your score.
If your credit score is low you will still be able to qualify for a sub prime credit card. This means you will pay approximately 19% APR and an annual fee.
Your card will have a credit limit around $300. The other alternative is to get a secured credit card.
With a secured card you will have to put an initial deposit down and how ever much your deposit is that will be your available credit. The benefit of a secured card is that they approve everyone.
Both of these cards offer online approval. However before you apply for any card double check and make sure that card does report monthly to all three bureaus.
Another tip to help you get the most benefit to your credit is to keep your balance at roughly 10% of your credit limit. For example a credit limit of $300 you will want to keep the monthly balance at $30.
This shows the credit bureaus that you do have available credit; this is called your available credit to debt ratio. In addition it shows the bureaus that you do use your credit.
There is one other option that we strongly discourage and that is a shopping or catalog card. This is a credit card that is only able to make purchases through a catalog or a website online. We discourage this option because there is often a large down payment required and the card typically only reports to one credit bureau.
A prepaid card is another option. This is a good choice if you are unable to open a checking account because this card will work just like a bank account.
In sum we suggest a sub prime unsecured credit card. This will give your credit score the most benefit because it will increase your ratio of available credit to debt and help you create a positive payment history.
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With an expense spreadsheet you can see how far the money you save for your retirement will go. It will help you make future projections about your expenses over the next 10 or 20 years. You can also use this expense spreadsheet to help you find ways to invest your money so that it will go farther for you.
A retirement planning expense worksheet will help you with your finances even now. It can help you organize and manage your finances today while you plan for tomorrow. There is no need to guess at how to handle your finances or how to plan for the future. With a good expense worksheet you can have total control with no guesswork.
The worksheet will also help you to compare your income and expenses to see where you need to make adjustments. It will also help you to determine if and how you can continue to live the lifestyle that you are used to. The retirement planning expense worksheets gives you a real awakening about what you will need to do to plan for your new life.
It is Wise to Plan for the Future
It is nave to think that things will not change in the future. Inflation is a fact of life. The financial world is ever changing. A good expense spreadsheet will help prepare you for these changes and will teach you how to adjust your plan if you find yourself falling behind.
You will be equipped in analyzing and strategizing your financial welfare and not be caught by surprise. You will be able to establish a solid and successful retirement plan. You will be able to finance your dreams and goals more effectively. You will be better prepared for the change that is about to take place in your life. You will be able to make better decisions and make amends to any short falls that you may experience.
A significant number of employees are never ready to face retirement and end up going back to work after retirement because they did not prepare themselves for the inevitable. The sooner you begin forecasting your income and expense for the future, the more confidence you will have when it comes time to retire.
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