PERSONAL LOANS

When budgets are tight and you're short of cash towards the end of the month, a payday loan can seem like the ideal answer, giving you enough money to see you through until you receive your next wage. Unfortunately, this can be too simplistic a view, and using payday loan facilities to paper over the cracks of a bad financial situation can make matters even worse, given the relatively high fees involved in short term, small dollar loans.

The fact that a typical payday loan will cost around 25% of the amount borrowed in fees, repayable within a period of a month or so of receiving the advance, means that in APR terms the cost can be astronomical even though the actual dollar amount may seem small. This means that potential borrowers need to think carefully about whether they really need a loan, as there are alternatives that may be a better option.

The major danger with payday loans is the temptation to use them to cover bills and allow a certain amount of living beyond your means. It's easy to fall into the trap of having to take out a new loan every month to make ends meet, all the time paying the high fees. Once in the trap, it's very difficult to escape without a dramatic change in circumstances. So what are the alternatives?

If the main reason you need a loan is to cover a credit card payment or other bill, you may be able to contact your creditor and arrange a repayment program that gives you enough breathing space to avoid the need for a loan. Even if you can't come to an arrangement, the bald fact is that delaying a payment will mean being charged a late fee only once, rather than the monthly fees incurred by the payday loan trap. Of course, it's rarely advisable to break a credit agreement, and your credit rating will certainly be damaged, but as a last resort it's an option to consider.

A more financially responsible way out of the trap is to look for a credit union in your area. These non-profit organisations will advance funds at an extremely low rate, and also offer advice and help to get your finances back in shape. In the longer term, they can also offer flexible savings plans to help you build up a 'rainy day' fund for the future.

You can also make use of a credit card cash advance facility, which although expensive, allows you to spread the cost over a number of months and will end up being less costly than a few months of payday fees. Debt consolidation or small consumer loans can be a cheaper alternative, but are best used as part of a complete overhaul of your finances and budgeting.

So are payday loans altogether bad news? Not entirely. In a genuine financial emergency they can be a lifeline, and so long as they're not renewed then they can actually be less expensive overall than taking out credit at a cheaper rate but over a longer period. Just make sure you don't fall into the trap of having to take out a new loan every month to cover basic living expenses.

There are as many uses of personal loans as there are people who borrow them and most lenders will be happy to allow you to borrow for whatever purposes you desire. However, there are a couple of general principles that you should apply when deciding how much to borrow, what type of loan to take out, and how long you want to take to repay the loan. 

One of the first and most important guidelines in this regard concerns secured loans. Secured loans will be secured over your home and will give the lender a right, in the event that you fail to repay your loan, to sell your home to recover the amount owed. This is a serious event that you will wish to avoid at all costs and by following a few simple principles you should be able to drastically reduce the chance of this occurring. 

You should not, as a general rule, secure loans over your home that are going to be used on short term expenditures. While this will mean different things to different people, it is fairly clear that you shouldn’t be securing a loan on your home to pay for a holiday. If you were to do this every year, it probably wouldn’t take long before all the equity in your home will have been used up on holidays. This will place your home at a higher risk of repossession as a result. At the same time, it is perfectly normal to secure a loan over your home to pay for an extension or some other form of home improvement. Assuming you can afford the repayments on the loan, the extension will increase the value of your home, thus creating more equity, while at the same time allowing you to enjoy the benefits of the money used. This would be a good example of what a secured loan should be used for. 

Other circumstances will be less clear and it will be up to the individual in each case to decide if they are happy to have the loan secured against their home or not. These examples could include paying for education such as a university degree or a masters, paying for a car, or consolidating other debts. 

Another general rule is that loan repayment periods should roughly match the period for which you will enjoy the benefit of the purchase. This would cover all loans so for example, if you think a new car will last you at least five years, then it will be sensible enough to spread the payments over five years. However, it may not make sense to spread the cost of the same car over fifteen years. 

Try being smarter with your cash and shop around for the best deals on personal loans. With the internet it has never been easier as it is now to compare and save by choosing a personal loan with the lowest rates.

One word of caution, read the small print to make sure you know exactly what is expected of you by taking out a personal loan. Many loan companies will charge you an early repayment redemption penalty.