Unsecured Loans

Misty makes some excellent points in this video, especially for families who are applying for financial aid for the first time. She mentions that the FAFSA is free, and we cant stress this enough! For families who have questions about the FAFSA, feel free to pose a question to the financial aid experts at FinancialAidForum, or check out some of the othermon questions from families.

She also talks about how families must pull their tax information for the FAFSA from the IRS in order for the form to beplete. Id clarify that families who arent required to file their taxes for whatever reason, dont need to use the IRS data retrieval option.

Read more…

With the number of Brits applying for credit rising every day, improving your credit score is the first thing you should aim for in order to ensure your pay loan request is successful.

“Each lender applies their own criteria when processing an application, and it is almost impossible to second guess when applying. Consumers need to be savvy and understand what they can do to minimise the risk of being rejected,” said Tim Moss, head of loans and debt at MoneySupermarket.com.

If you know your credit score is less than perfect, or you dont have much of a credit history, there are steps you can take to improve your rating and increase your chances of getting a loan.”

Check your credit report - It is important to check what your credit report shows and correct any mistakes that could decrease your credit score.

Read more…

Selecting your tax filing status is one of the first key steps in filing your federal tax return. Choosing the right status is extremely important because it can affect your filing requirements, standard deduction and eligibility for certain tax credits/deductions. In certain situations picking an incorrect filing status can make the difference between paying taxes or receiving a refund. There are five filing statuses: Single, Married Filing Jointly, Married Filing Separately, Head of Household and Qualifying Widow with Dependent Child. Each filing status has its own tax brackets, so knowing which category you are in will directly impact how much you pay in taxes.

Here are eight steps from the IRS that can help you determine your right filing status. This is particularly helpful if you qualify for more than one filing status during the tax year.

1. Your marital status on the last day of the year determines your marital status for the entire year.

Read more…

When it comes to personal finance resolutions, its hard to find a one-size fits all goal for everyone to adopt. To be honest, I have a real hard time with New Years resolutions. I get excited about them for a few weeks then they slowly fade into obscurity.

So for this year, why dont we focus on what we actually accomplished for the 2011 year and throw out some ideas for 2012.

Looking back on last year, Im most proud of three accomplishments:

1. I was able to push my personal savings rate above 85%. It was not a goal that I set out to achieve, rather, it was a product of continuously pushing to lower my expenses and increase my income. I didnt set out to achieve this, but it happened, due to a lot of hard work and some luck.
2. The wife and I put ourselves in the position financially that she was able to start attending nursing school without accruing any student loan debt.

Read more…