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Many people want to purchase a home, but also have a difficult time coming up with the down payment. While income may be good, everyday and monthly living expenses make it almost impossible to save the amount of funds that are necessary to obtain a mortgage. However, when searching for down payment options for a home purchase, they may find that it is actually possible.

1. Conventional mortgages require a down payment of 20% which can be a large sum of money for the first time home buyer to save. There is a minimum down payment requirement of 5 to 10% which will depend on the individual lender. Any amount below 20% will require that the borrower pay private mortgage insurance along with the monthly mortgage payment. With a conventional loan, putting the most down as possible is important because it will result in a better loan and lower mortgage rate.

2. Government loans offer better options when it comes to down payments. FHA loans require a low 3.5% down payment with a minimum credit score of 620 and maximum debt to income ratio of 43% for automated underwriting. In addition, FHA offers borrowers many other benefits, such as 6% seller concessions. These loans are also assumable which means they can be assumed by the buyer, who must be approved, when the borrower decides to sell the home. FHA loans also have an upfront mortgage insurance premium paid at closing and an annual mortgage insurance premium that must be paid for the life of the loan or until the loan is refinanced with a conventional or other type of loan.

3. VA loans have no minimum down payment requirement. In fact, most VA loan borrowers use this as a means of 100% financing. However, a borrower must be eligible according to VA guidelines. VA loans do have a one time VA funding fee.

4. FHA mortgages offer sweat equity loans which allow a borrower to perform their own work in lieu of a portion of the down payment.

5. FHA mortgages also offer bridal registry loans which allows others to deposit funds to a bridal registry that will be used to fund the down payment of the mortgage.

6. Gifts are an acceptable part of obtaining a mortgage and are often used with FHA loans. However, gifts must meet the program’s guidelines for approval. The gift can be from family, friends and even employers. There are specific rules that must be followed regarding proof, sourcing and transfer of funds.

7. Many states, counties and cities offer housing initiatives to assist with the down payment for first time home buyers. These funds are usually in the form of low interest loans or bonds. Each one has its own guidelines for repayment with some having no repayment as long as the borrower remains in the home.

8. Some employers offer down payment assistance as a benefit after the employee has worked a certain period of time.

9. For second homes or investment properties, some borrowers will use the equity that is available in their primary residence for the down payment.

While saving the down payment funds for a home purchase can take some time, home buyers should keep up to date with what additional avenues of assistance are available to them. Since most down payment assistance programs are refunded on a regular basis, borrowers should keep in touch with the latest updates in their area or state. It is also not unusual for new local programs to crop up unexpectedly. The important thing is to keep saving, keep looking and not give up.

A secured loan is a lending product which can be obtained by leveraging an asset against the value of the loan amount. They’re a great choice for people who are asset rich, but cash poor. They’re can also be very helpful in an emergency, when you need to access cash quickly. But what does taking out a secured loan actually entail? And how can you tell if it is the right product for you?

Assessing Your Needs

Before applying for a secured loan, it’s important to make sure that you are fully aware of your needs beforehand.

• Do you really need a loan?
• Are you able to make the repayments?
• Is a secured loan the right type of loan for you?
• Do you meet the criteria to qualify for an unsecured loan?

If the answer to all of these questions is yes, then a secured loan is the right option for you. But secured loans come in all shapes and sizes, so it’s a good idea to shop around before settling on one. For example, 1st Stop secured loans are the perfect choice for people with bad credit, who need to borrow any amount between £1500 and £15,000.

Finding the Right Loan Provider

If you’re thinking about taking out a secured loan, it’s important to find the right provider. There are many providers of secured loans, but not all of them are as reputable as they might first appear. When shopping for a lender, you should always check to see if they have any affiliations with regulatory bodies such as the FCA (formerly the FSA). If they do, this is a good indicator of trust.

The Risks of Taking a Secured Loan

Just as with any financial product, there are risks involved in taking out a secured loan. But as long as you are aware of these risks, and know how to manage them, you should find that your secured loan is very beneficial.

Because a secured loan requires that you leverage an asset against it as collateral, if you default on your loan this asset may become forfeit. If the asset in question is your car, or even your home, this loss can be devastating. So it’s important that, before you take out an unsecured loan, you are aware of the repercussions and fully able to make your repayments.

When it comes to getting a good deal on your car insurance quote, there are a few neat tricks that you can use to ensure that the price stays low. A lot of people will stay with the same company when it comes to car insurance for years, and while this is often a great option, there are also many other great deals out there. Here are a few of the best tips to ensure that your car insurance premium doesn’t break the bank.

#1 – Try not to claim for small amounts

Let’s say that you have an accident; the first thing that you will probably do is call your insurance company and let them take care of everything. Now, this isn’t always the best thing to do and in fact, we recommend that in a lot of cases you don’t do this if at all possible. Making claims on small amounts when it comes to car insurance can often pump up your quote for the following year. In fact, we’d say that anything up to a cost of £500, you should ideally fix without claiming through your car insurance company.

The reason for this is that you will just be charged a higher premium when it comes to renewing your insurance the following year. You can also make sure to keep your excess high when you apply for the insurance to get a lower quote.

#2 – Be specific when it comes to your occupation

When you are filling in the forms on the comparison websites or even the insurance websites themselves, you will often be asked for your occupation. You might not have realised, but there are a handful of occupations that insurance companies don’t favour at all. If you have one of these occupations, your insurance premium might skyrocket. For example. many insurance companies don’t like sales reps or estate agents. This is usually because they will be traveling quite a lot.

By being more specific, you can lower your insurance premium. For example, let’s say that you do work for an estate agent but you only usually work at the office and do the admin work, you might put “administrative assistant” instead to lower your premium. Little things like this can add up to a big difference in your costs.

#3 – Don’t modify your car

A lot of people like to add extras to their cars these days, especially those that are young. However, adding a state-of-the-art surround sound system or colour neon lights to your car is only going to increase your insurance premium even more; and this is far from what you want, especially if you are young and have a high premium already.
By ensuring that you don’t modify your car too much with accessories, you can ensure that your premium stays as low as possible.

#4 – Add an extra driver to your policy

This might seem like a bit of a strange tip but in a lot of cases, this actually lowers your insurance costs. By adding another driver to your policy, you might see a reduction in your costs and it also means that a friend or family member can drive your car (should you allow it of course).

This is something to be careful with as it really does depend on a variety of factors. Age, relation and many other factors are taken into account by the insurance companies so make sure you explore this option before you go ahead with it.

#5 – Buy a used car

Again, this is a neat little trick to ensure that your premium is as low as possible. By purchasing a used car, you will be able to make sure that the value of the car your are insuring is much lower than if you purchased a brand new car. This means that should you opt for fully comprehensive insurance and the insurance company has to pay out should your car be stolen, they won’t have to pay out as much.

In effect, the cost of your car will be part of the algorithm used by insurance companies when it comes to calculating your premium. Used cars can be reliable and cheap too so this is actually a plus point for a lot of people.

Hiding and attempting to hide assets from a spouse is more common than most people think. While most people have a tendency to think that the husband is the one that may attempt to hide marital assets, women also attempt to hide assets, and both parties arrive at divorce court thinking that they should have more of the marital assets than they are entitled. In actuality, in divorce situations where one spouse is attempting to hide marital assets, it is usually the husband who is trying to commit this sneaky, unethical and illegal behavior.

The spouse who may suspect that the other partner is attempting to hide assets can take some precautions to expose the guilty party of any wrongful deceit. It begins with hiring a competent professional divorce team. One of the tools at the disposal of such professional team is a lifestyle analysis. The analysis process takes the married couple through a process where total living expenses are calculated and compared with stated and/or reported income. If there is a deficit between outgoing cash and income, it is usually an indication that one of the parties is attempting to hide income.

Other attempts to conceal assets include the following:

• Stashing money in a safety deposit box or some secret hiding place

• Purchasing items that are easy to conceal or overlook the value

• Deferment of salary, bonuses and commissions

•  Stock transfer

• Overpayment to creditors

These are just a few tricks that one party may try in order to conceal assets or hide income. Any time a spouse starts changing behavior patterns; this should trigger a red flag. Such changes may include additional and sudden “business trips”, opening additional bank accounts and being secretive about income and expenses, especially when it appears that exaggerations of expenses and significant decreases in revenue for the business owner. The spouse who is attempting to hide assets may have safeguards on his or her computer and is secretive concerning passwords to various online accounts.

The key to ensuring that one spouse is not attempting to hide assets is by being involved in all financial aspects within the household and any business, if applicable. Attempting to expose a spouse who has systematically been hiding assets over a lengthy period may be a difficult task, if not impossible. Failure to share in all financial matters should alert one to the fact that his or her spouse may not be honest.

It is also important to not only show interest but become involve with any interests or hobbies your spouse may have, especially at the beginning of the relationship. One of the parties may have an interest in collecting things of significant value that most people are not aware of, such as art, antiques, coins, stamps and other collectibles. Some of these assets, such as coins, are readily transported away from the marital residence and easily sold for cash, without leaving any type of paper trail.

Both parties need to have at least some idea of what types and amounts of assets that either or both of the individuals have purchased. In situations where a collection may have significant value, each party should have some type of documentation to support any claim they may have concerning such assets within the marriage.

The best stance that either spouse should take is that they do not deserve to be treated unfairly and that neither has to become a victim in a divorce situation. If one suspects the other of attempting to conceal marital assets, he or she should seek the advice of his or her forensic accountant so that proper actions may be taken.

Starting out in a new relationship is one of the most exciting things in life. You have stars in your eyes, butterflies in your stomach, and you are so elated that you have found your lifelong soul mate. When you are in this part of the relationship, you think that nothing could ever go wrong, but unfortunately the reality is that there is a strong chance that this may not be the last relationship you will ever have. This is not to say that you should prepare for the worst, but you should definitely protect what you have worked so hard for.

Plan for the Best and Prepare for the Worst

Be an optimist with a pessimist’s plan. If you are going into a relationship with the thought that it will fail, then it probably will. The best course of action is to go into a relationship with the thought that it will succeed, but putting into place the right actions for a just in case can help you as well as your partner. You not only want to protect yourself, but you want to protect them as well. Although it is a tricky subject to cover, if the two of you can work together through it, you can most likely work through anything.

Lay it All Out on the Table

When your relationship gets to the point that it is becoming a partnership, you will need to take some serious action. Whether you are moving in together or even getting married, there are things that you will need to know about each other. In order to accomplish this task, you will need to each lay your finances out for the other to examine. You both should share your credit report, banking information, bills, assets owned, retirement and investment accounts, and anything else that has to do with assets and liabilities. If you have an open and honest relationship, this should not be an issue. By doing this, you will be transparent with each other and you will know how to proceed.

Know the Law

Having an understanding of the laws in your state when it comes to joint property is important when it comes to your relationship. You should know at what point your debts and assets become shared. In most cases this immediately happens upon marriage, so make sure that you have all of the information you need before tying the knot. In some cases there is a certain timeframe where your relationship is considered a legally binding partnership that hold the same responsibilities as a marriage. There are also some states that will allow cohabitation agreements. Make sure that you know what laws apply to you and your relationship before getting too far into it.

Relationships are not started with the plan to fail, otherwise you would have never started the relationship in the first place. Not only that, you wouldn’t hand all of your assets over to someone without first knowing what they are going to do with it and probably not without some sort of protection for you if things go wrong, so don’t do it in your relationship. Get to know all about your partner, including their financial status, so that you know the kind of road you are headed down.