Author: Samantha Tansy

Importance of Having a Car Ownership Financial Plan When Needing to Buy a Car

Posted on by Samantha Tansy

Car ownership to most people is a necessity; but owning a car has a sizeable impact on one’s personal finances, especially if the vehicle owned is a used car Still, regardless of whether a car is new or pre-owned, owning a car can be expensive as the related expenses go beyond making monthly loan payments. Our financial advice is that before taking out a car loan as a means of acquiring a vehicle, it’s important that you’ll be able to set aside budgets for impending costs and for an emergency fund.

Even if you own a company-subsidized car, it still does not take away the other inherent expenses related to car-ownership, such as fuel and lubricants, license and registrations, auto insurance, and costs of routine maintenance and repairs, whether minor or major. While some other costs are not as frequent, such as battery and tire replacements, it’s also a must that you have money set aside when the need arises.

Nowadays, if having a car is really important for you, having a financial plan for car ownership will prove helpful, because certain factors can affect your car’s good running condition. Examples of such factors include poor road conditions, frequency of car use, particularly those involving long-distance travels, flooding incidents, and in some cases, changes in federal and/or state laws.

Consider Minimizing the Wear and Tear Effects Caused by Frequent Car Usage

An oft mentioned suggestion for minimizing the chances of having to spend on costly repairs is to use a company vehicle for official business purposes, especially if the nature of your work requires you to go out on official business trips. When making plans for long distance travels for leisure or personal purposes, do some calculations on whether it’s cheaper to rent a car as an alternative to using your own vehicle. Although the cost-saving result may be minimal, consider the wear and tear impact that long distance travels can have on your car with every mile traveled.

Minimizing the Costs of Driving a Non-Owned Vehicle

If in case you plan to use a company-owned car or to lease a car, bear in mind that the risks of car-driving are still present. Driving is a risky activity as getting involved in an accident is something unforeseeable and can result in serious consequences not only to the car but to your person as well.

While you make driving decisions based on your own attitude toward maintaining safety, there’s always a possibility of encountering drivers who do not share the same attitude while on the road.

That being the case, one thing you should not overlook when driving a rental or company car, is to have non-owner insurance as cover for your personal safety. Bear in mind that generally, auto insurance policies cover only the owner of the vehicle. So if you are considering using a company car or to rent a car, factor in this cost when calculating the potential savings you’ll make if you want to avoid the wear and tear impact of long-distance travels on your car.

In many states, drivers typically are required to include the purchase of a non-owner insurance from the rental or leasing company. However, they are often highly priced when forming part of the rental or lease package. In North Carolina, motorists who drive non-owned vehicles, purchase Non Owner insurance for North Carolina drivers, directly from an insurance company rather than buy one every time they rent a car.

Since this could form part of your financial plans for car ownership, you can find out how much a non-owner insurance policy costs, by using a free-to-use insurance quote tool that online insurance companies like Nonowner Insurance NC furnish in their websites.

Having a financial plan for a car ownership, will raise your awareness about the need to set aside money, not only for routine driving and maintenance expenses; but also for unexpected costs that could confront you in relation to the inherent risks of driving a vehicle

No Credit Check Loans : Choosing the Best Option

Posted on by Samantha Tansy

Today, many are looking into no credit check loans as a viable means of refinancing defaulted payment obligations on personal loans and credit card purchases. Taking out unsecured personal loans in Norway trended in 2018, but a large number of Norwegians later found themselves in a tighter fix due to lack of understanding on how such loans worked.

In not being fully aware that they were taking on financial obligations that would weigh heavily on their monthly paycheck, not a few Norwegians encountered difficulties in managing their finances. As a result, their credit history reflected negatively, which under ordinary circumstances could have made them ineligible for a new loan when it became necessary.

Yet in Norway, banking institutions may at their discretion, extend unsecured personal loans without credit checking or without taking into account a loan applicant’s credit rating or history whether good, bad or even lack of history.

However, most Norwegians have since wisened up by not being too quick in taking out personal loans that do not require credit checks. While these loans are often recommended for people with negative credit ratings or poor credit history, it became clear that such loans come with a high price.

Nonetheless, if one is to make a thorough research, they can find a Norwegian bank that imposes lower interest rates on no-credit-check loans when compared to others; and under the most convenient repayment terms possible.

Different Banks May Quote Different Fees and Interest Rate on Loans Without Credit Check

First off, one should understand that banks also borrow funds from money market investors, which means they also pay interests. As they will use the borrowed funds in granting consumer loans or personal loans to customers, banks have to impose interest rates deemed as commensurate to cover the costs of money being lent out.

Secondly, since banks are taking greater risks when lending money to people with poor credit rating or history, they have to make sure they are adequately protected from potential losses. That is why as lenders, they impose higher interest rates; albeit the rate to be quoted is still dependent on the amount and terms applied for by an applicant. In most cases, a loan applicant’s credit history is also an important index where interest rates are concerned.

Since banks tend to pay different interest rates as costs of the money being lent out to customers, it is possible that institutions will quote higher fees and rates than others. Now it is up to the applicant to look up different banks and their interest rates, as well as their terms and conditions for no-credit-check loans. That way, loan applicants can make comparisons and arrive at informed decisions before signing up for a no-credit-check loan with a bank.

We recommend that when researching, search for websites with an article on best loans without credit check, and from there fill up an application free of charge. The online application depends on the loan amount applied for and choice of repayment terms. Once submitted, the online application will be sent out to as many as 21 different banks that will in turn respond with their respective quotes.

Singapore Extends Lockdown Period; Imposes Stricter Covid-19 Measures

Posted on by Samantha Tansy

The May 04, 2020 end-date of the “circuit breaker” (lockdown) period mandated by the government of Singapore in April 07, 2020 has been moved to June 01, 2020.

When on April 19, 2020, Singapore’s more than 20,000 number of confirmed Covid-19 cases became the highest in Southeast Asia, the need to extend and impose stricter measures became evident. The “circuit breaker” approach that entailed only the closing down of nonessential businesses and limiting entry to essential establishments to ensure safe distancing, now includes orders for Singapore residents to stay-at-home.

Leaving one’s home must be as infrequent as possible and limited only to performing essential tasks; such as buying of food and necessities, as well as engaging in exercise. Moreover, only one person per household must carry out an essential task, which denotes that going out in groups is not permitted.

Impact of the Extended Circuit Breaker Period on Businesses

The extension of the “circuit breaker” period also meant prolonging the period in which nonessential businesses remain closed. On the other hand, companies operating under limited conditions resulting in less income, whilst incurring the same overhead costs, all the more needed to apply cost-cutting measures.. In many cases, employers were constrained to retrench employees or put them under a no-pay leave arrangement.

Still, companies who had to retrench were under obligation to pay a final retrenchment compensation package. However, the retrenchment package depended on the financial capabilities of a business, since the effects of the COVID-19 have been felt by business owners as early as January, 2020.

 

Although the government has already released three stimulus relief packages aimed at providing financial assistance to different sectors, including retrenched employees and those under a no-pay leave arrangement, many had expected the “circuit breaker”/lockdown period to end last May 04, 2020. The announcement of the extension to June 01 has prompted many to scout for licensed money lenders from whom individuals could borrow additional funds.

 

Why Singaporeans Choose to Borrow Money from Licensed Money Lenders

Singaporeans prefer to borrow money from licensed money lenders because the latter group is strictly prohibited from practicing predatory lending schemes. Mainly because money lenders in Singapore can acquire a license to operate as a financing company, only if they pass a written licensing test.

The qualifying test aims to ascertain an applicant’s knowledge of the rules and policies legislated under the country’s Moneylenders Act. The Office of the Registry of Moneylenders administers the test as well as undertake the vetting process to determine an applicant’s eligibility to operate as a licensed money lender.

The money lending rules include basing the rate of interest on the current nominal rate, which at present is pegged at 4%. There are also stipulations that limit the type and amount of fees that money lenders can collect from borrowers, including penalty and other charges applied on past due loans.

Since the lending rules and regulations are quite extensive, those still not familiar with the provisions of Singapore’s Moneylenders’ Act can find the related information at the Singapore Ministry of Law website under the Info for Money Lenders and Info for Borrowers tabs.

Fed Chair : Control Virus First

Posted on by Samantha Tansy

Federal Reserve Chairman Powell agrees with health experts, saying control of Covid-19 spread should be the first order; not getting people back to work.

Jerome Powell, the financial expert whom Donald Trump appointed as Chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank commented that the U.S. may very well be in a recession at present because of the Covid-19 crisis. Yet he gave assurance that the country’s central bank is not likely to run out of funds even if the federal government releases the Congress-approved $2.2 trillon Coronavirus Relief Package (The CARES Act).

The Federal Reserve Chair, who rarely agrees to appear in a TV broadcast, did not give assurance on how soon the U.S. can get out of the economic slump as a result of the ongoing lockdowns. What he said in the NBC Today show last Thursday is for us to listen to the health experts, on what they are warning and instructing us to do about the pandemic.

Although Mr. Powell said there is “no blank check” to guarantee unlimited financial resources, which the federal bank can provide to support the country’s economy, he gave assurance that there is a tremendous amount the federal reserve bank could do in getting America through the Covid-19 dilemma. He said

“We have the ability to use our emergency lending authorities” … “The federal bank can continue to create loans that aim to support the flow of credit into the U.S. economy.”

The Federal Reserve Chair though, cannot say for how long the country will remain in recession, mainly because he agrees with Dr. Fauci’s statement that the virus will set the timetable. That is why he strongly recommends that the first order of business is to put the spread of the contagion under control, before considering resuming economic activity.

 

Apparently, Mr. Powell’s statement voices his disagreement with president Donald Trump’s current focus on ending the 15-day period set for the nationwide observance of social distancing restrictions.

The Significance of the Federal Reserve Chair’s Assurances

As chair of the Federal Reserve bank, Jerome Powell’s statements are assurances that businesses do not have to worry about investors pulling out support Mr. Powel has explicitly stated that

The Federal Reserve system can support things through the bank’s emergency powers.” ”Where credit is not flowing, the central bank can, and will step in to offer loans.”

The recently legislated Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act aims to do just that; aside from giving the American public financial assistance, there are several offers of relief and economic security extended to businesses that provide the sources of livelihood to workers and their families.

Even if businesses end up getting drained of resources once the coronavirus crisis is over, the federal government has already readied economic stimulus loans as a means of helping businesses get back in shape. That way, employees and workers can go back to work without fear of getting laid off and with assurance that they will receive compensation.

Still, there is a possibility that once the economic activities resume, some small to medium scale businesses will find it difficult to recover quickly. The state of California for one, which is touted as America’s largest economic contributor, has as many as 19.6 million people making up the country’s labor force. The San Francisco Bay Area, in which seven counties were the firsts to order lockdown and shelter-in-place measures, saw the immediate shut down of non-essential businesses.

Such businesses could have a need for a bankruptcy attorney san diego based may be, to help them manage financial distresses that could lead to bankruptcy.