Typical Advice Given to Middle Age People

This is a difficult and a very personalized question that if possible can be reviewed with a financial planner that will help them save thousands of dollars over time on their mortgage. With these savings they can sit down and discuss where to allocate those investments.

Not only are they increasing liquidity, safety, rate of return and tax deductions, but they are also planning for retirement and reaching the freedom point sooner where their assets have exceeded their liabilities.

Before applying for a mortgage you should work on eliminating a good majority of consumer debt to lower your debt-to-income ratio, improve your credit score, and increase your cash flow.

If you saved enough to put down a large down payment, let’s say 20 percent, you should first check how much you could afford in monthly payments. The reason behind this is to leverage and keep funds liquid for other purposes.

Remember there is no rate of return in equity. Therefore, the least amount you put as a down payment the higher the rate of return will be.

Usually it is good advise to tell clients never to put a big down payment if they can afford a higher loan amount. Financial planners tell them that keeping money liquid is critical in case an emergency should arise that will prevent them from working.

Also, it is a good idea to always have six months of salary in a liquid savings account or asset accumulation account to withdrawal at any time without having to refinance

Typical Advice Given To Young Couples

The amount you need for a down payment varies depending on how much money you have to contribute and the type of financing you obtain. Some lenders want you to put down 20 percent or you may qualify for 0 percent financing, requiring you to cover only closing costs and incidentals.

Five percent down is usually the minimum many lenders will accept. Don’t’ have that much? You could borrow that money from someone, but that means more money to pay back and you pay interest on that also.

If you don’t put down a minimum down payment, the lender considers it a risk to give you a loan, but they will if you will pay for your own insurance.

Typical Advice Given To Those Without Money To Put Down

Should you get a zero percent down loan just because you can? Here are the reasons to think twice about getting a 0 percent down loan:

You are more likely to lose your home because you didn’t have the financial discipline to save or are not making enough money for your home. The less you put down, the higher your monthly payments will be making the entire matter worse.

If you put nothing down that means you will have to settle with a smaller home and soon out growing it. Also, it will be more difficult to find lenders because of the risk they will be taking on.

In the end it is a personal choice and the money that you have saved. If I had it all, I would put a large amount down to have a smaller monthly payment and qualify to receive a lower interest rate. Therefore, be able to put more into personal savings monthly and reach my goals by keeping my funds liquid and plan for a richer retirement.

That’s a perfect dream for many, many of us!

How And Where To Begin?

First you need to take a look at all of your debt. This not only includes your student loans, but your credit cards, mortgage or rent, monthly utility bills, insurance, department store charges, savings accounts, checking accounts, etc.

Then you need to place the entire bill portfolio down starting with the ones having the largest interest rate. Next you must decide which of all of your bills and or loans can be used as tax deductible. These are the bills you should separate from the others and in due time we will discuss why it might be the best to pay these off last.

Now you have a complete picture in front of you of your monthly obligations that can be added to reveal your total payment strategy that you have to work with.

Which Bill Do I Try To Pay Off First And How Much Should I Try to Put Into Savings?

Well, remember almost all debt is bad debt. However, you can make some of that debt work for you to your advantage. And these are the bills or loans that the government lets you use to write off as tax deductions and that helps you to protect wealth.

And those that stand out right away are your mortgage (home) and your student loans. The faster you pay of these two loans the faster you lose your tax deductions, and that is why you should pay the minimum payments on them. Now, with the savings from your tax deduction, you have more money to put into investments.

The bills that hurt you the most are, your credit cards due the extreme high interest rate and department store charges. Neither of these help in any way when it comes to income tax time and they eat away hard and fast at your wallet if they are not paid off in full each month.

So to narrow it down, make the minimum payments on your mortgage and school loans, pay utility bills to keep up good credit (not to say TV, heat. water, etc.) and largest payments on the bills with the high interest rates that gobble away at your money fast. Wealth Creation comes quickly once you start.

Another factor to consider is if you save a nice emergency fund, you won’t have to worry about getting guaranteed personal loans in the future.

How Am I To Be Building Wealth?

Now that you are finished with college and have a decent job and making money you will have more money to work with. The best way to make money for yourself and also to pay off your loans is the following.

Say your loan is for $20,000 and your monthly payment is $202.00. You have a choice as how to pay it off. You decide that you can afford $100 extra to use towards the loan. How should you use that $100?

Pay the minimum amount on your school loan. Then take the extra $100 and invest it. Now if you do this simple plan for the full life of your loan you will have been able to use it as a tax deduction and by the end of the 10-year period your investment has now grown to $21,700.

Now let’s reverse this plan and put the extra $100 as an extra payment towards your loan. You decide to pay your school loan off as quickly as possible. You are able to do this just over six years. Now you take the $202 (the regular payment) plus the $100 and start to invest that full amount. In 10 years after graduation your investment would be $16,728.

This is where you need to study to learn to use your own money to work for you to help you in the long run, providing you with debt relief.