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Monday, February 2, 2009

Tips In Becoming A Wealth Wonk In A Troubled Economy

By Chris Channing

Internet users are often confused at the term "wealth wonk." For those who aren't familiar, a wealth wonk is simply someone who studies wealth, finance, strategies, and trends for one reason or another. Becoming a true Wealth Wonk means knowing when to strike on a business opportunity and when to know when to fold on a bad hand.

Making a good decision on an investment is an obvious way of making a return on an investment. But the many factors that go into weighing the benefits and pitfalls of investments aren't always reviewed as they should. Keeping in mind the risk, investment amount, government and bank influence on the decision, and any repercussions the investment may have should be discussed. The best investment is going to have minimal interference with lenders and government, be low risk, and have a high payout- but don't expect to find too many of such investments.

Credit is something that Wealth Wonks should build, but not to the extent where they rely on it. Credit is best to have just in case of emergency, and actually used only when needed. Using credit to buy a car or television, for instance, should be second-guessed. Instead, try saving up money to buy the products all at once so that interest isn't paid. Wealth Wonks will enjoy thousands of dollars in saved money that they didn't have to spend on a bank's generosity, and instead spend money elsewhere where it's needed.

Even in a failing economy, Wealth Wonks are able to turn profits by acknowledging what the economy needs and what the investor can provide. This partly comes from the fact that Wealth Wonks are trained to foresee trends in a condition called "trained fleas." Spotting bandwagon trends, and deciding whether or not they are good to get into or when to sell out of them, is how fortunes are made even when times are tough.

Long term planning is a personal goal of the Wealth Wonk. Wealth Wonks that start out early are proven to have the highest chance of success in later years. Often times, it isn't uncommon to see a Wealth Wonk becoming keen on their finance intellect in their early 20's, and then benefiting from their efforts only years later. Being financially stable, as we can see, is a matter of choice and not a matter of luck.

Becoming a wealth wonk is a long road for those who are just starting out in building a financial empire. There are books to be read, published magazines to keep up to date on, and a wealth of information found online to browse through. And if one is a physical learner, getting personalized help over the Internet is an option in becoming a financially intelligent Wealth Wonk.

In Conclusion

Wealth Wonks are hard to spot amidst so much troubles with the economy, but they do indeed prevail even under trying conditions. To become one of the elite, go online to see how you can secure your finances for a better future today.

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Bad Credit Could Mean No Student Loan For You

By Tim Beachum

Ask any high school senior what their credit score is and they will reply with a Huh? After all this response should be too surprising. Most high school seniors are to busy for trivial things such as credit scores and student loans. Then the flags go up when they find out that do to their poor credit scores they cannot get a standard student loan. This is the point where most students begin to get discouraged.

Instead of getting discouraged your first line of defense should be seeking a cosigner. Approach your parents, grandparents, friends, and even loved ones. Normally when you ask someone to cosign you are immediately met with rejection. Be honest and upfront let them know that you need help, and you would like them to cosign to aide in continuing your education. Chances are theyll be more willing to cosign for a college career than a car loan. Whoever it is that you do approach make sure that you have your career plans in hand. Do not approach an individual without an action plan.

If you do land a qualified cosigner this works out to your advantage. The financial institution will take the cosigners credit score into consideration. Thus landing the student a better loan with a lower interest rate. If a student has a poor credit score chances are this may be the best route for you.

Ok its a swing and a miss You give it your best shot and you still cannot find a qualified co-signer. You next best option for a student loan is to contact banks as well as other lending institutions. Your goal by doing so is to find out if there are any alternative methods of financing your education. Many times these lending institutions will have a high interest rate solution. I bet you seen that one coming a mile away!

The good news is that a higher interest rate option isnt as bad as it sounds. In the majority of cases most college degrees take a minimum of four years. This means that you will have time to start rebuilding your credit. When the big day arrives and it is time for you to pay the piper chances are you will be able to refinance your student loan at a lower interest rate.

Theres also another option that you should be aware. Theres a loan called a combination loan what this does is allows you to consolidate all your bad debts and then apply for a big loan to pay everything off. By using the consolidation method chances are you will end up paying a much lower interest rate.

Depending on your financial situation you may want to consider applying for a Stafford and or a Perkins loan. In most cases these loans are relatively easy to qualify for. The great thing about these loans is that they normally have low interest rates.

As a student taking a step towards college is a huge step. For some this is probably the biggest step that you have taken thus far in your life. The truth is getting financial aide for college is nothing more than a numbers game. If all else fails run to the Internet and do a search for student loans, and free scholarships. Keep applying for every loan and scholarship that you can find. I can pretty much guarantee you that you will be surprised at the amount of money you can come up with.

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Mortgage industry

By reklicom

If you're on a roll with your 30 minutes, by all means take advantage of the situation, and carry on a while longer. There's nothing magic about the 30 minute mark. You can make it 20 minutes or 45 minutes. Just make the commitment and focus on the task you have chosen.

Then, in 2006, a slowdown in real estate led to a deterioration of home values, an increase in inventories, and ultimately to today's tightening of credit guidelines, leaving many investors unable to sell or refinance out of their existing positions. Many Americans who had tapped into their equity were suddenly tapped-out and overextended as home values fell. Foreclosures followed in record numbers and a re-valuation of mortgage bonds and other financial instruments created the credit/liquidity domino effect we're now experiencing.

ARMs Borrowers: If your ARM is scheduled to reset in the next 2-18 months, you need to schedule an appointment with a mortgage professional right away. Whether your ARM is subprime, Alt-A, or even if you have a pre-payment penalty, don't let a default or foreclosure situation sneak up on you. Did you know that your monthly payments can increase anywhere from 30% to 100% once your loan resets? At the very least, give yourself the peace of mind of knowing what your adjusted payment will be.

Thou shalt dedicate thyself to becoming the very best Mortgage Professional you can be. Thou shall be a virtual sponge and soak up everything related to your knowledge and improvement of your Mortgage Business. The more you learn, the more powerful you become, and the more powerful you become, the more effective you will be at originating mortgages.

Finally, there's an important concept to embrace: all markets, while cyclical in nature, are self-correcting, be it credit, real estate, stocks, or bonds. For the last 6 or 7 years, real estate was booming and riding high. The correction we're experiencing now " while it seems harsh and could get much worse " is, in a sense, "natural" and directly related to the extremely loose guidelines and perhaps overzealous lending and leveraging during the boom cycle. Thou shalt follow the 30 day contact rule. Your customers, prospects and advocates (those who refer business to you) should hear from you every 30 days without fail. You should call them, email them, and send them postcards, note cards, a newsletter, or mortgage news and happenings.

Thou shalt create and maintain a detailed Mortgage customer, prospect list, and contact list. Thou shall allocate time each week to maintaining and updating thy lists. For it is these lists that hold the customers that will be in your next mortgage pipeline and your pipeline for years to come.

Thou shalt steal good marketing ideas only from successful competitors. Add your personality and experience to the mix and make it your idea. Just be sure you do not violate any copyright laws.

How did this happen?The recent real estate boom was fueled by a period of record home appreciation and historically low interest rates. Banks, in order to compete, loosened guidelines and began offering more funding to more borrowers through riskier, non-conforming or "exotic" mortgages.

Yes, I'm very much a believer in continuing education and self improvement. There's no doubt you need to allocate time every day to do these things too. But, this 30 minute block of time we are scheduling is your "marketing time" and has a direct bearing on your loan originations, your pipeline and your bank account. Start this little program today, your mortgage marketing success depends on it.

Buyers: Get pre-approved by your mortgage professional. While there are a lot of great deals out there, getting credit is becoming tougher and tougher, and it's taking longer and longer to complete a transaction. Remember, what you qualify for today could change tomorrow in a volatile market. For those looking to refinance, keep this in mind. There is no time to delay! Communicate with your lender. Don't do anything that could negatively affect your credit, and make sure you get all your documentation in on time.

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Time to buy Seattle Condominiums

By K. Kim

With $7,500 for first time home buyer credit for tax, the activities in Seattle condominiums market has been promising. Citywide the average price of condos have increase to 6 percent to over $320,000, reversing decreases in year over year average prices.

The reason for increase in prices is due to rise in sales prices in Queen Anne and West Seattle area. Although the prices for downtown Seattle condominiums have decreased. There is also over abundance of condo inventories in Seattle, Washington.

Seattle is home many large fortune 500 companies such as Starbucks, Microsoft, and Amazon, so job opportunities are abundant. It also has bustling financial district as well as one of the largest coastal areas in the region. Many visitors from all across the globe visit to see places like Pioneer Square, Settle Art Museum, Benaraya Hall, and Pike Place Market.

In the past few years, there has been large amount of development in new condos, which brought over 5,000 units to the market, there seems to be no new development or new constructions within this market until 2012. So, this makes it perfect time for one to buy a Seattle condominiums for investment or as a home for your family or yourself.

With so much over supply and no life to real estate market, many Seattle condominiums developers are offering incentives and price reduction at record level. They are trying to reduce the inventories and number of days on the market for some of these real estate.

Make sure you do the research on the internet and due diligence to make the right choice and right fit for your budget and your living needs. Contact a reputable agent if you need help, you can get a good buyers agent to do all the negation for you at affordable price.

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Humble Tips In Keeping A Bankruptcy At Bay

By Chris Channing

The choice on whether or not to go for a bankruptcy plan is a tough one. It can make the life of a consumer much less complicated, but only in the short term. Considering the fact that bankruptcies have effects that may last up to 10 years, the decision to obtain one is not a light decision to make in any respect.

Debt is created when there is more outgoing money than what is coming in. Sometimes the problem isn't thinking of new ways to bring in money- it's thinking of how one could cut down on their expenditures. Shopping addiction is a very real threat to young adults, as studies show. Not being able to control one's urges to buy things that aren't necessary is a sign of a real problem, and counseling should be obtained before continuing the act of becoming debt-free.

A financial adviser is another option in avoiding bankruptcy. When bankruptcy seems like the only way out, an adviser is able to haggle with credit companies to allow for smaller payments each month. This is a great way to lead a comfortable life style and still have bills whittled away at. This usually means consumers will be in debt longer, but sacrifices must be made.

Interest rates are usually the culprit in making a circle of debt that seems like it can't be escaped. Refinancing an interest rate is always a possibility in this case. Refinancing allows a debt to update the interest rate to current market conditions, and thus, vast savings may be had if the sum of debt is large enough. This definitely helps out large debts, where a small change can mean epic changes in overall debt.

Debt consolidation is also another way to help get around debt problems. If money is owed to a lot of different credit companies and lenders, it is a hard time to figure out who to pay and who to delay. While this can usually be handled with a financial adviser, consumers themselves can haggle with credit companies to make custom payment plans. As consumers find, companies are usually fairly lenient in how they get paid as long as they do get paid.

Spending money isn't always the problem; it's the lack of money coming in that poses a threat. Apply for government assistance programs, whether housing assistance or food assistance, to help lessen the blow of unemployment. If a job is obtained, yet not enough money is coming in still, consider getting another simple part time job in order to get debts paid sooner.

Final Thoughts

Bankruptcy may seem like an easy way out, and indeed it can be, it will have long-lasting effects that should be considered. Talk to a financial aid to find out more information on your options.

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Is Diversification Going to Protect Me?

By Jan Shimano

I am not a financial adviser but I did have investments that I saw vanishing before my very eyes, and it concerned me greatly. As a person with very little investment experience, I felt the need to search for satisfactory answers.

I always find it interesting that when you diligently look for something, the answer invariably appears, and so it was with my search. I was led to a book written by Robert T. Kiyosaki called Rich Dad's Prophecy. I had read Rich Dad Poor Dad a few times, but that was the only Robert Kiyosaki book I had ever read. I immediately purchased a copy and what I learned was one of the biggest eye openers I have ever experienced.

The cyclical nature of the market is well known. We expect it to go up, down and sideways. However, if we were to graph it out over many years, we would normally see an upward motion, with periodic small dips. These days it's quite a different picture. The graph is headed down on a very steep curve.

The first of the 75 million baby boomers in the U.S. are going to be turning age 70 by the year 2016. The U.S. has a law on the books that states that when a person reaches age 70 1/2 they have to take all their funds out of their 401k. The time to pay 'Uncle Sam' will have arrived. Just think for a moment what that is going to mean.

In the not too distant future, millions of people will be selling off the mutual funds and shares they have in their 401k because the Government has told them they have to. The Government has been waiting patiently to receive their tax dollars and now their day will have come. This is a major disaster waiting to happen. Undoubtedly, there will not be enough purchasers to offset the massive selloff during this period of time. It is possible that the U.S. Government could amend the law, allowing assets to stay in the 401k for a longer period of time, but then they would be delaying receiving their tax dollars.

Most people already know that they are in deep financial trouble, but they don't realize the full impact. They are still being told that as long as they diversify, they will be fine. They are being told to sit tight and ride out the storm! I believe we are wise to listen to Warren Buffet when he states.... "Diversification is a protection against ignorance. It makes very little sense for those that know what they are doing".

We still have a few years before 2016 is upon us, so there is still time to get a firm handle on your finances and make some intelligent decisions. Educate yourself on financial matters and take action now to accumulate additional funds to see you through to your retirement and beyond. The experts tell us that having a home-based business is the best way to do this. The prediction is that there are going to be millions of new millionaires created during the next 10 years. You can be one of them...there are many great opportunities out there....find the one that resonates with you and run with it.

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Beginner Ideas On Applying For Inexpensive Loans Online

By James Reilly

The following are basic suggestions on researching secured and unsecured loan bargains online:

- If you're looking for an unsecured loan do not make multiple enquiries to different lending agents in a short space of time; this may have an unfavourable affect on your credit score.

- Ensure you ask your company about early repayment, since many of them will charge you a fee if you settle on paying off your finance deal earlier than was first expected. Some financiers may offer flexible deals allowing you to make under or over-repayments. It's important not to overstretch yourself. Leave a portion of your regular monthly income aside as coverage for emergencies and unexpected bills. Before signing anything, find out exactly what would happen in a situation where you are able to repay your finance debt earlier than expected. The lender's terms may be different to whatever you are expecting.

- It's necessary to understand every word of your loan application before you sign, including terms and conditions, because a loan deal may become too dear by adding the annual percentage rate and other fees.

- Make sure you comprehend and are willing to pay all of the fees listed. Origination fees are usually about about 1% of your loan deal. If you have poor credit, you will probably have to cough up higher rates and fees, but shop around. Be wary of sentences such as "No cost to you". Some providers will attach closing costs to your balance rather than demand you cough up money upfront at closing. Make sure you grasp all of the fees you are liable for.

- As with so a lot of other purchases in life, there's a price point below which you'll not be getting a good quality loan. See for yourself: get a few quotations from different brokers. Some can shave a half-percent here or there, but you may pay it back with fees, insurance or potential penalties later. Watch the small print.

- All inquiries for your credit report within a fourteen-day period will count as one inquiry if you are looking to refinance your home, a mortgage, a home equity loan, or a car loan. Such loans are collateralised by valuable property. If you are seeking a _personal_ loan or credit-card, however, each inquiry will be counted separately. The loans are not secured on valuable property, so are more risky for the lender.

- A loan deal is an agreement between a borrower and a lending agent. When you are researching finance, you must first ascertain what kind you're looking for: a personal, car, debt consolidation, bad credit or a bridging loan. Amongst the range of loans available there are two basic types: secured and unsecured. Secured finance deals are those whereby you set some property against your loan as security for the lender. Unsecured finance deals don't require any property to be set against them but they accrue higher interest rates and it's necessary to have a good credit record to obtain finance of this type. Personal loans are useful when you need to cover certain expenses or you need to make important purchases.

- There are finance deals available, even to people with bad credit. Your rate is partly calculated on the basis of the risk of non-payment; a good risk gets a lower rate, a poor risk, a higher one. It's like a bookie calculating the odds, and laying off bets. The trick is finding the finest loan for you, given your circumstances.

I hope these few simple pointers will assist you in getting a good online loan bargain.

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Right time to buy a Minneapolis Condominiums

By K. Kim

Greater Minneapolis St. Paul area is largest metropolitan area in the region and the state of Minnesota and has become popular among home owners. You can find Minneapolis's North Warehouse District and North Quadrant Region and St. Paul's Lowertown as the hot bed of Minneapolis condominiums where you can find many condos along the Mississippi riverfront.

Many of these condo conversions occurred in warehouse and factory builders where stable structures provided solid foundation for the condominiums. There are also high rise new constructions and luxury condos with spectacular view of the city that are available. These can range anywhere from $400,000 all the way up to $1,800,000 for luxurious penthouses condominiums.

Currently the real estate market has been in down mode for the past year and the Minneapolis condominiums market has seen the bottom of the price declines. The inventories of condos under $400,000 in recent months have been dwindling and few constructions are being brought to the market. Some experts are agreeing that price has stabilized in North Loop and Mill District where they are affordable at around $300,000.

The average days on the market for Minneapolis condominiums to sell is around 108 days which is above 28 percent from last year. Available inventories for sale and inventories in downtown area has declined to about 30 percent, which bodes well for sellers.

One positive news is that the aver median selling price has increased 6 percent. Even with many short sales and foreclosure auctions at a rate of 35 percent, the Twin Cities real estate market have remained better than rest of the country. The price have been below the national level by less than 8 percent.

One thin for sure, the real estate market will rebound with rebound of the economy. Right now the market maybe at the lower end at this point, new buyers will be into the market beginning with spring where many buyers move or buy new homes. Make sure you have patience to wait for the right property at right price and right location.

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Mortgage Company Lends Based Upon Debts/Income

By Van Whalen

You are currently mulling over whether you should be purchasing a home and how much a lender will approve you for a mortgage. You can make a rough calculation of the monthly payment and then extrapolate that into an actual loan amount.

Lenders use a term known as debt to income ratios. They use two of them. One is known as a front end ratio.

The first thing the lender determines is how much gross income you make on a monthly basis.

Convential and FHA mortgages work slightly differently. Relative to the gross income the total house payment should not make up more than twenty nine percent for FHA.

Conventional loans work the same way except their front end ratio raises to 33%.

For a lender to determine loan payment amount a prospective borrower must qualify on the front and back end.

Determining the backend ratio is similar to the front end except one must add to the house payment to all other monthly payments made to creditors. This total amount in relation to the gross income is your figure.

Conv. mortgages will allow a ratio in the 38% range. Government mortgages allow up to 41%.

Where you can get into a little trouble in determining these ratios is factoring the proper income. Factoring monthly debt is a piece of cake comparatively.

Now, you may be lucky and get a salary. Well heck, just divide by 12 and you have a monthly income.. It's not so easy for the rest.

Many people are on a 1099 as contract employees. Some are self employed and make a bunch of money but it doesn't necessarily show up on a tax return.

Others work seasonally and the list goes on and on.

If you want to get a feel for the least a lender will offer you for income would be to average your tax returns for 2 years and divide by 24. This will be a start if you fit into the latter categories.

Folks who write off a bunch on their returns really dislike this. With the financial markets in the toilet and lenders tightening up the ship underwriting is becoming more strict.

Once you come to some conclusion here you should still seek the advice of a good mortgage lender. I wish you the best in your next home purchase.

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The Reverse Mortgage and Worst Case Scenario

By Matt Vanrock

The reason I'm writing this article is I'm getting many questions from my customers asking me if this is the reverse mortgage is the right answer for them.

The truth is the reverse mortgage is not a great decision for all borrowers. Situations are unique and they must be evaluated individually.

I have a few borrowers with a bunch of money in savings but the majority have next to nothing and are looking for financial answers.

The typical MO of my customer is a fixed income through SS or retirement. A few are still working but looking to be done with that.

My concern is the worst case scenario. If someone really ran into a major financial need, like a medical issue, would they be able to handle it?

Lets face it life happens and we have to be ready for it. That means we have to be financially ready.

I know most of these folks will be getting the reverse mortgage with me. I simply advise that the funds are used in a prudent manner. Increased disposable income tends to get spent.

The reason being is the house is going to be the biggest store of cash for any of these individuals. If that is floundered away they could be in a real bind later on when something big comes along.

If the concern is for the event of a major financial mess then the borrower needs to be very prudent. Many want to pay off a mortgage and eliminate that payment. Waiting to do this may be a good idea.

Some have their home paid off and simply want to add to their income. These folks should use a line of credit. By doing so a very small amount of interest accrues against the equity of the home.

Serendipity of the line of credit is the unused portion of the money line accrues interest and actually grows. This has the net effect of growing the line of credit for use later.

As a guy who gets people these loans I know they are a real benefit. However, they can be misused and I implore you to use them with care.

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As an Entrepreneur, You Should Consider an Advanta Credit Card

By Caressa Waechter

Credit cards come from many different financial institutions, offering different incentives to get you to use them. There are credit cards that provide you the opportunity to accrue points as you spend with the card, and some credit cards give you special perks, which include discounts to stores and restaurants, or let you in special events. There seems to be a credit card that will satisfy the needs of most people.

As a business owner, you really should be using a credit card designed with the needs of the entrepreneur in mind. You may not be so interested in the perks of a normal consumer card, but rather you want and need a credit card with business benefits. There isn't the wide selection of business cards as there is for consumers, but there are still a good selection.

When it comes to a credit card for entrepreneurs, they are available from big card issuers, and include Visa, MasterCard, Discover and American Express branded cards. Most cards tailored to business let you track expenses of individual card holders and other business specific items. With a business credit card, you have a lot of control over their use.

Getting a credit card from a company that comprehends the needs of an entrepreneur is very important. Advanta, with their Advanta business credit card, is one such company. They only deal with small business owners, so they are one of the best issuers of business credit cards.

Issuing business credit cards is all that Advanta does, so they are the small business specialists. This allows them to produce a line of business credit cards that are specifically tailored with the business owner in mind.

We have been Advanta card holders for many years, and are extremely happy with their business credit card. We highly recommend that any entrepreneur take a look at this product, if you need a business credit card.

If you are in the market for a new business credit card, make sure you pick a financial institution that caters to business owners. By choosing the best credit card for your situation, you are making sure you have access to the best tools that are designed for entrepreneurs.

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How To Truly Master Auto Financing

By John Brennan

You may have some trouble discovering the right car loan for you, but you will not have trouble finding your dream car. Details vary with each personal bank and dealer finance department if you are looking into financing your new car. However, you must understand the workings of the car loan so that every penny of your money is well spent.

A lot of companies will encourage people to sign a car contract by offering them pretty good auto loan deals. For a car, financing and other installment contracts are actually quite similar. They are amortized throughout a certain already decided duration of time.

Upon review of your application and personal credit history a lender will then make a decision to underwrite your loan and calculate an interest rate based on how much of a ariska they consider a person to be. The worse an individualas credit history is, the more likely the rate will be higher.

The interest rate that is formulated is then added automatically onto the amount of payments for your new car. So, if you purchased a car that was $23,000 and are agreeing to make payments on it for 5 years, the $383.00 that would be the base amount of the payment would increase based upon your rate of interest. For many people, the interest rate is what makes the difference between an affordable monthly payment and a monthly payment that is out of reach.

The person may be able to pay less in interest charges because, in the purchase, he/she could have equity. The person will only be able to pay less if he/she puts liquidated funds toward the new car when the contract begins. It is best for the person to pay the due payment earlier than wait for the deadline, for the interest is increased on a monthly basis. If the individual chooses to pay it off early, he/she can save a great deal of money.

Your expenses for a vehicle donat begin and end with monthly payments and interest charges however. Law requires adequate car insurance, and when purchasing a new vehicle many major insurers like Allstate and Geico will require that you carry both liability and comprehensive coverage on your new car, which can mean added monthly charges as well. Getting a quote from your insurance company before you purchase is highly recommended in order to have an affordable payment in mind.

The bottom line about financing a car purchase is to remember that a care will depreciate in value over time, so the interest you are paying can be similar to throwing money away. Financing less and paying more on your car at any time during your loan is a wise move, and puts money back in your pocket.

It is wise to save money beforehand instead of buying your car right away so that you can find the right auto loan deals for any kind of auto finance. If you do not want to deal with expensive auto loans and interest rates, you should save cash before purchasing the car.

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