75
votes
Accepted
What are the biggest pitfalls to avoid with student loans?
(This answer is based on the article you linked in the comment, but could probably apply in general as well)
What re-payment detail are people overlooking?
There are not many specifics in the ...
- 131k
67
votes
Friend sent me $6500 through his company and told me just to send it back
The most likely result is that you'll send your "friend" their money and they will disappear forever. A couple of weeks after you've sent the money, the bank will find out that the original deposit ...
- 12.6k
60
votes
Accepted
Options for paying for a nonreturnable leased vehicle
Unfortunately this is going to land in her mother's lap. Since she is a cosigner on the lease she is just as responsible as your girlfriend for paying the return value. Both of them would have to ...
- 131k
55
votes
Accepted
Is 0% APR ever a bad idea?
I think the main question here is an administrative one: do you want the hassle of having to deal with the payments for 4 years?
Often these contracts have terms that mean that if you miss a single ...
- 27.9k
53
votes
Accepted
Should I pay down my student debt early?
In the UK, supposing that this student debt is the government backed type debt and not private debt, then it will never be reported on your credit report and will not affect your chances of getting ...
- 8,801
49
votes
Should I pay down my student debt early?
For most people the answer is a strong No, you should not pay more than the minimum repayments.
UK student loans are a special type of debt with two big differences to a normal loan:
You are not ...
- 1,464
46
votes
What method do I use to pay current expenses while paying off credit card debt?
While you have credit card balances that are accruing interest, you should not be charging anything new to the credit cards. There are a few reasons for this.
When your credit card has a balance ...
- 115k
44
votes
I'm unemployed. Should I pay off my credit cards to avoid monthly payments?
Should I pay off my credit cards to avoid monthly payments even if it reduces half of my savings?
Unless you can still live for quite a while with that half of your savings and no income, then no. ...
- 131k
40
votes
What are the biggest pitfalls to avoid with student loans?
Attend a less expensive school
The biggest pitfall to avoid is attending a school at you cannot afford. If you can get a need-based scholarship to Harvard, by all means attend an expensive university,...
- 32.7k
39
votes
Is it illegal for a student loan servicer to lower the minimum monthly payment after overpayments?
No, I don’t believe this is illegal. I think you’ve already highlighted the reasons this is done:
As a service to the borrower, it allows them to lower their payment if they choose.
If the borrower ...
- 115k
34
votes
Is 0% APR ever a bad idea?
Yes, there are circumstances, including perhaps yours, where taking the “0% financing” option is a bad idea.
Generally, the fine print of these types of arrangements include a snarl: The interest ...
- 115k
25
votes
I'm unemployed. Should I pay off my credit cards to avoid monthly payments?
Dave Ramsey, the famous personal-finance guru and radio personality, has a concept he developed after counseling thousands of families in crisis situations called the four-walls. The idea is to ...
- 481
25
votes
Friend sent me $6500 through his company and told me just to send it back
It's hard to tell from what little information we have what exactly is going on, but one thing is sure: it's not normal.
Whether your "friend" is trying to cheat on taxes, trying to steal from you, ...
- 3,942
23
votes
Options for paying for a nonreturnable leased vehicle
If there is a cosigner, then bankruptcy on the part of your girlfriend won't be helpful: the mother will simply be fully responsible.
The first option here should be to talk to the dealership/...
- 35.7k
20
votes
Friend sent me $6500 through his company and told me just to send it back
Another possible reason is he is writing it off as paying you while he creates a 1099 that you got paid out 6500. You will be forced to pay taxes on it if he files it. He will be able to write it off ...
- 301
20
votes
Friend sent me $6500 through his company and told me just to send it back
This is a funds parking scheme for defrauding immigration services.
The employee seeking a visa "invests" in an unscrupulous company with some cash sum ($100k or so?).
The company shows that the ...
- 1,171
19
votes
Is there any loan forgiveness or help for a large Federal parent student loan?
With a Parent PLUS loan, by default you are on the Standard Repayment Plan, which pays off the loan in 10 years. If the payments are too difficult to make, there is another option called Income-...
- 115k
19
votes
What are the biggest pitfalls to avoid with student loans?
One pitfall that I have not seen mentioned, and that I unfortunately fell into myself, is
Using Student Loans To Pay For Your Lifestyle
When you are in school on student loans, you are poor. Live ...
- 2,602
18
votes
I'm unemployed. Should I pay off my credit cards to avoid monthly payments?
No.
By paying off your credit cards now, you'll be losing money you won't be recouping in the foreseeable future.
I imagine the second part of your question is related to being able to use the ...
- 1,171
17
votes
Accepted
At what point should I begin paying off student loans?
Everyone has made some good points that I was going to mention but to put it in terms that might make it easier to decide. As stated by others, paying off debt and being free is always the goal and ...
- 1,473
14
votes
Accepted
Will credit card payment from abroad be suspicious as taxable income?
US bank deposits over $10K only need to be reported to FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network- a bureau of the US Department of Treasury) if the deposits are made in cash or other money ...
- 47.2k
14
votes
What method do I use to pay current expenses while paying off credit card debt?
can I use my credit cards for the monthly expenses
Sure you can. But I think you're really asking if it's wise to use the card for monthly expenses.
My answer is NO, especially if you're in so much ...
- 50.6k
13
votes
Accepted
What is the formula for the monthly payment on an adjustable rate mortgage?
In an adjustable rate mortgage (ARM), the starting interest rate is guaranteed for a certain period. After this period, the rate can go up or down.
The monthly payment on these loans is calculated ...
- 115k
13
votes
What method do I use to pay current expenses while paying off credit card debt?
While in my heart, I respect Ben's answer, let me play devil's advocate.
You don't mention the details for each card, the credit line, interest rate current balance. Say you have one card that offers ...
13
votes
What are the biggest pitfalls to avoid with student loans?
Paying more for a degree than it’s worth. (In addition to what other answers have said about not paying enough towards the principle, and going to expensive schools.)
One of the big pitfalls I’ve ...
- 1,521
13
votes
Is 0% APR ever a bad idea?
The big thing that some people miss is that this is a loan. They will do a credit check, and it will appear in your credit file. Sometimes at the end of the process you essentially have a credit card ...
- 136k
12
votes
Options for paying for a nonreturnable leased vehicle
How about suing the car thieves for restitution? Civil cases can stick even where criminal ones do not. This is a direct result of the car being stolen. Make them pay, literally!
- 129
12
votes
Accepted
Getting married but avoiding joint income claims
Under the PAYE income-driven repayment plan, the monthly payment is based on the borrower's Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) on his or her federal tax return. If you are filing married filing jointly (MFJ)...
- 115k
10
votes
Accepted
Tackling an obscene amount of student loans
There are many other answers on this subject, but I'll give you a custom answer.
For the benefit of other readers student loans are not necessary to obtain a Master's degree. In fact I would ...
- 76.1k
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible