Loans

In a previous post I discussed various options that people use to send money and remittances to their family. The primary method that is used is Western Union, though more and more people have been considering Paypal due to their extensive advertising campaigns attempting to become a popular choice for remittences.

When you send money through Paypal, Paypal reviews the transaction to determine whether or not they think that its legitimate. If its going to an old account that has been around for years, in most cases they assume its good and let it go through. However, if the recipient is a new user, they often place excessive holds on the funds, resulting in huge delays. The average delay is 180 days, because Paypal feels that 6 months is an appropriate amount of time for people to wait.

Is it an appropriate amount of time to wait? Of course not. If your relatives are expecting to receive a payment, they don’t expect to wait 6 months for it, while still paying Paypal’s ridiculous fees. Whats worse, Paypal often then makes ridiculous demands for ID and other personal information. If you fail to provide that information within a few days, they permanently freeze your account and seize your funds.

To read more about how Paypal scams their customers, I recommend reading an excellent post on a blog that we frequently read: http://prevent-id-theft.org/?p=59

So before you consider using Paypal to send funds to family or friends, be sure that you’re aware that they’ll likely never receive them!

photo credit: givepeasachance

.Millions of parents are helping their grown-up children pay off their debts, new figures reveal.

In statistics released by MoneyExpert, some 40 per cent (7.5 million) of adults with grown-up children have given their offspring aid to either pay off completely. Either to contribute a payment towards, money owed on utility bills, loans and other areas of financial demand. As a result, the price comparison website stated that parents “face a heavy burden of debt” in helping their sons and daughters – which in turn could impact their own ability to manage their finances and make loan repayments.

Mobile phone bills and car finance deals are the largest sources of debt parents have helped their adult offspring to meet the costs of during the last three years – each accounting for 24 per cent of respondents. These were closely followed by credit card bills which have been paid for by 23 per cent of parents. Six per cent of respondents have also aided their children in making payments on unsecured loans, as one in five (20 per cent) help with overdraft costs. Meanwhile, about one in ten have shelled out their own money to make payments on their child’s mortgages, in comparison to the two per cent who have contributed towards secured loans. (more…)

photo credit: desdetasmania.blogspot.com

Single parents are more likely to need finance than married couples who count on two incomes. Unfortunately they are also less likely to be approved for regular unsecured personal loans mainly because financial hardship tends to cause bad credit which scares lenders away. However, there are certain lenders willing to approve loans regardless of bad credit that can tailor a loan with flexible terms for single parents.

The Usual But Not Suggested Solutions

People who run into debt problems or credit problems and need urgent finance, tend to use some financial products that are not meant for solving these problems. Transferring the balance on your credit card is a good example of this. Balance transfers are designed for product migration not for emergency financing. Thus, even if a promotional period is offered, the terms on the outstanding debt once the promotional term ends will not be so advantageous.

Another common alternative is consolidation by means of a home equity loan. Though it is easier to qualify for a secured loan, (more…)

photo credit: TheTruthAbout…

When you start looking into the different home loans that are out there you may be wondering if there is a specific one for people like you, who are single parents. The answer is yes and no. There are many lenders that are willing to offer special loan programs to single parents in order to help them get on their feet and enjoy the pride and joy that comes from home ownership. Many single parents assume that buying a home simply is not in their future but this doesn’t have to be true. Whether you have credit problems or not, you will find that a lot of mortgage brokers as well as lenders want to help you out. (more…)