Loans

For many Americans, having a car is a necessity. Maybe you live somewhere without adequate public transportation. Maybe you need a car to get to work, take children to school, or make regular visits to aging parents. Whatever the season, this need certainly comes with a cost. In short, driving isn’t cheap. And if you […]

TSP loans are specialized loans designed for employees of the United States federal government. They offer federal employees access to a unique loan class that uses their retirement plans to finance their borrowing needs. Financial advisors often liken them to the 401(k) loans available to members of the general public. Yet, TSP loans differ from […]

When most people think about loan sharks, it conjures images of shady gangsters from mob movies. You know, the guys who start breaking the legs of people who owe them money. This depiction is not really accurate. While loan sharks do exist, they rarely have anything to do with organized crime. Violence is seldom part of […]

A Perkins Loan was a federal program that provided low-interest loans to college students who demonstrated exceptional financial need. The program, which operated as the “Perkins Loan Program,” no longer exists. It was discontinued on September 30, 2017. The final disbursements were permitted through June 30, 2018. Although the program has been discontinued, many current […]

Under Internal Revenue Service (IRS) rules, taxpayers with active student loans are entitled to special deductions. These deductions apply to the interest paid on the loan in a given year. They help borrowers reduce the lifetime cost of their student loans by putting hundreds of dollars back into their pockets. However, the rules and the […]

When processing applications for standard personal loans, financial institutions normally perform credit checks. This usually involves what is known as a “hard pull” of your credit file, which makes your score dip. Thus, the very act of applying for a loan can hurt your credit, regardless of whether you’re approved in the end. No credit […]