If you are planning on buying a car but is short on cash, know that there are a number of auto loan options that you can choose from. However, before you start shopping around for your car, it is recommended that you nail down your financing plan first. Many people go through dealer financing because at the onset, this appears more convenient. In the long run, though, buyers end up with more headaches as they hadn’t counted on certain tricks that dealers use to get their business.

Where to get auto loans

Banks and credit incorporations often come to people’s minds first, as they often offer appealing deals. Furthermore, people find banks trustworthy. Thus, they feel protected whenever they do transactions with banks. But while banks provide you with optimum service, credit unions often offer much lower interest rates than banks.

A home equity loan is another financing option that you can look at. Beware however, that you do not put undue risk on your home seeing as this is undoubtedly more important than a car.

If you do not have any qualms with conducting financial dealings online, you can opt to deal with online lenders. This is very convenient since online lenders typically provide lower interest rates and more flexible contract terms. The transaction is done purely over the Internet. This means that you conduct everything from the convenience of your own home. The majority of loans are approved within a few days.

If all else fail, you can always borrow money from your relatives. Take note though that borrowing money from family can usually put a strain on your relationship so make sure you plan accordingly. Also, certain loans from family are taxable and it is important for you to make this known as this has cost implications to your relative.

Interest and Terms

After settling with your financing choice, it’s crucial that you fully understand the payment terms and interest rates on your loan. Keep in mind that borrowers are typically charged higher when they purchase used automobiles. A lower interest is usually given for the purchase of new cars. Purchasing a new automobile can also entitle you to a longer payment term.

Further Indications

When planning to apply for an auto loan, it’s a good idea to make a down-payment of 20 percent or higher. You can then finance the remaining 80 percent with the loan. Though lengthy payment periods may seem appealing, be wary of the fact that you’ll definitely end up paying more over time. Deals have a lot of hidden fees. Hence, a lower down-payment rate doesn’t really guarantee lower monthly charges and overall fees.

If you do choose to go for dealer financing, make sure to haggle on interest rates. It is helpful to decide ahead of time what you are willing to pay for before talking to your dealer. Car dealers usually talk customers into agreements that seem like a bargain, but what they actually do is charge higher for the actual cost of the car so that they still make a profit.

If you’re trying to cut costs in your small business to try and improve cash flow, then chances are you haven’t even thought about using third party debt collections. After all, if you’re trying to cut costs do you really need another expense? The problem with many small business owners is that they have their thinking turned the wrong way around.

By using a collection agency to retrieve any overdue debts promptly and professionally, you could easily observe your cash flow improve far beyond the amount of just cutting down a few expenses. The money that is left unpaid by customers or clients is cash you could be using to sustain your business further.

No doubt you would already have been sending out reminder notices. When these don’t work and those bills remain unpaid its time to call in the debt recovery agencies to get your money back where it belongs.

If you’re attempting to cut costs in your small business to try and improve cash flow, then chances are you haven’t even thought about using third party debt collections. After all, if you’re trying to cut costs do you really need an additional expense? The problem with many small business owners is that they have their thinking is turned the wrong way around.

By hiring a collection agency to recover any unpaid debts quickly and professionally, you could easily find your cash flow improves far beyond the amount of just cutting back a few expenses. The money that is left unpaid by customers or clients is cash you could be using to sustain your business further.

Beyond any doubt you’d already have been mailing off reminder notifications. When this does not work out and those bills remain delinquent its time to call in the debt recovery agencies to get your money back where it belongs.

One of my readers asked me this recently. His specific question was whether or not it would be a good idea to take a year off to join a volunteer program in Africa before applying again at schools such as UPenn and Stanford.

My response was, “Yes, perhaps.”

You may wonder why I said “it might” rather than “it will”.

Acceptance to an Ivy League school is dependent on a number of factors that must all be balanced, one against the other. Here are some things to think about when considering a gap year:

First: If you are going to take a gap year, be sure to make it worthwhile. You must commit yourself to staying very busy with very meaningful activity the whole time. In this way, it is like choosing valuable activities to participate in during the summer.

#2 The volunteer work, activity, or program you are engaged in must be a puzzle piece that helps you create your total picture. It must contribute to the overall image you want to present when you apply to an Ivy League School. So, for example, if you are interested in global warming, taking a year to study Norwegian climate patterns would make sense.

#3 Bear in mind that you will really only have about 6 months. Common Applications are due at the end of the calendar year. You will probably graduate from high school in May, so you will not have a full year for your gap year.

Click here for more info on waitlisted at Ivy League schools.

Fourth: Gap year activities only make a strong application stronger. They will not fix a weak application. If your SAT scores or your grades are low, your transcripts are poor or you don’t really have much in the way of extracurricular activities, a great gap year won’t help you!

Keep these four factors in mind when you are when you are weighing the strengths and weaknesses of for your dad’s textile sales company for a year before applying to Ivy League schools.

After all is said and done, it may help you to take a gap year. Just be sure that you are a very strong candidate in the other areas of your application. If you are, then a gap year can make you a stronger candidate.

A gap year is a very good thing as far as personal development is concerned. They are also a good way to have a productive break from academic life. However, a gap year will not insure your admission to the school of your dreams.

If you can comfortably clear the outstanding amount on your store card when the bill arrives and are a regular customer of that particular retailer, it may be worth using a store card, as there could be plenty of benefits in doing so. Not only do you get a discount on your first purchase, there are usually other perks, such as bonus reward schemes, free catalogs or magazines, and special shopping days, where you can avoid the crowds and shop in peace. Jim Black gives customers 1% of what they spend in store back in the form of vouchers, for example, so if you are a regular customer this could be worth having.

Some retailers have launched credit cards alongside their store cards so you get the usual rewards of a store card for spending on the retailer-branded credit card. The danger is that while the APR tends to be lower than on a store card, it isnt as cheap as some of the best credit cards. And as you arent restricted to one store but can use it in whatever outlets you like, you could run up more debt on it than you were able to before. Check the APR before spending ” and if it isnt that competitive (and you dont clear your balance every month) dont use it at all.

Set up a direct debit to pay the full amount due on your store card each month. Then, if you forget to pay one month ” perhaps because youre on holiday ” it will be paid regardless so you wont run up any interest.

As well as persuading you to take out a store card, many retailers will try to force you to buy card protection and, just for good measure, card payment protection as well:

Card protection: Covers you if your card is lost or stolen. A single call from you can cancel all your plastic and usually costs around $7 a month.

Card payment protection covers your store card repayments if you lose your job or become ill and cant work.

You would want to avoid both types of cover, as they are expensive and usually a waste of money. Dont be talked into signing up, no matter how persuasive the salesperson is. If you really want some card or payment protection, shop around for a good deal rather than automatically taking out the policy the store card provider offers: There is no obligation to do so and you will find a better deal elsewhere. Make sure you read the small print before signing anything.

If you are a currency trader and focus on the four major currency pairs EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CHF and USD/JPY, then you should consider yourself a specialist in USD. Yes, its true! You are a specialist in trading the greenback.

Each currency pair actually consists of two currencies. So if you take a long position in GBP/USD then you are in fact buying British Pound and selling US Dollar. In each of the four major currency pairs, US Dollar is one currency of each pair.

This means that you should study and understand the fundamentals of US Dollar, the US economy and the workings of the Federal Reserve System (FED). Then you have done your homework needed to trade any one of the four major currency pairs as all of them depend on USD.

These four major currency pairs are the most liquid pairs in the forex markets. They involve the vast majority of the currency trading. You should think like this. Majors are the most heavily traded pairs and US Dollar is half of each major pair. So if you can understand what drives the USD, it will have a huge impact on your trading plans.

The only thing you need to determine is your bias for USD. What do you think; USD will weaken or strengthen in the near and medium term. Then apply that bias to the major currency pairs.

Just to remind you when you buy a currency pair, you are buying the first currency in the pair and selling the second currency. Suppose your form a bias that US Dollar is going to become stronger. With this bias, you can go long either on USD/CHF or USD/JPY. Similarly, you can go short either on GBP/USD or EUR/USD.

One bias, four trades! But each currency pair will react differently to USD. For example, if Euro is also strengthening. The currency pair EUR/USD will move less with USD also strengthening as compared to USD/JPY if JPY is weakening.

Lets say you can only afford to trade one standard lot. You have a bearish bias for USD. You can consider going long on either GBP/USD or EUR/USD. What pair you should trade? Which one!

Take a look at both GBP and the Euro. Try to find which of the two currencies is stronger right now. Trade the stronger currency. Take a look at the cross EUR/GBP. If it is down, it means EUR is weakening and GBP is strengthening. Trade GBP/USD!

Always include an evaluation of the currency correlations for the major pairs in every trading plan that you make. The correlations between the currency pairs can change any time. So you need to calculate the correlations on weekly basis at least to give you a fair idea. Correlation is determined by what is known as the correlation coefficient which always ranges between +1 and -1.