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Breakdown Cover and On the Road Safety

Driving a car or truck is like moving down the road in your own little bubble environment. You have a heater in winter and usually air conditioning in summer. You are protected from the elements by an enclosure. But what happens when something goes wrong on the road? That’s when breakdown cover or roadside assistance comes into play.

Mechanical Failure

Mechanical failure can happen to anyone at any time. Even if you are excellent at getting your vehicle to the shop for its routine maintenance and you have it checked out before going on long road trips, even the best mechanics can sometimes miss something that is starting to go wrong. Water pumps, fuel pumps and oil sending units are three things that can bring your vehicle to a halt when they fail. Nor is it easy to detect when one of these pumps is going out. The universal joint, which is part of your central drive train can be another point of failure that might give little warning. You can’t always predict mechanical failure, but you can be prepared.

Breakdown Cover or Roadside Assistance

One way to be prepared is to sign up for membership in a breakdown cover or roadside assistance program. The two are very similar in that they feature a licensed mechanic with a van full of universal parts and supplies. In many cases, they can fix your vehicle in less than thirty minutes and have you on your way. For those things that cannot be repaired in thirty minutes or less, they can quickly get in touch with a towing service and whisk your vehicle and you to a safer location, such as a local repair service.

Staying Safe While You Wait

In many cases, the safest place for you and your family to wait is inside your vehicle. If you have your emergency kit put together and inside your vehicle, you might have orange, reflective emergency signs that can be posted ahead and behind the location where you are stalled to let other motorists know that you have a problem. If remaining inside your vehicle is not an option, have everyone move away from the road to an area where they are not likely to be accidentally hit by oncoming traffic. Reflective vests or even reflective tape that can be placed on sleeves can help make everyone more noticeable. If pets are involved, try to keep them in their carriers or on leashes.

Remain Calm and Call for Help

As soon as you are sure that all occupants of your vehicle are in a safe location, call for help. If there is no call box within easy walking distance, if your cell phone is dead or out of service range, ask drivers who stop to help if they will please call the number for your roadside service. When possible, remain inside your vehicle.

Roadside Assistance Vans Clearly Marked

Roadside assistance vans are usually clearly marked with the company logo so you can be sure when help has arrived. The drivers are licensed mechanics who can quickly diagnose the problem, discover whether it can be repaired on the spot or whether towing will be needed.

Coping with Extended Repairs

One of the things that can occur if you are away from home is a need for someplace to stay while your vehicle is being repaired or a substitute type of transportation so that you can continue your journey. More than that, you will probably want your vehicle in due course. Your breakdown insurance, with the correctly selected policy, can help with all those problems.

Best of all, through your breakdown cover, you can call someone who is familiar with local repair facilities, car rentals options and places to stay.

 

Non-status Loans for Low Credit Scores and Bad Credit Ratings

When the T&C’s of a credit agreement aren’t complied with, lenders are quick to alert credit reference agencies. Bad credit will be held by Experian, Equifax and TransUnion for up to seven years. Before lending money, financial institutions use a process known as credit scoring to underwrite the risk of accepting a new customer. Although borrowing money will now be more difficult, non-status loans for low credit scores may still be available, albeit on completely different terms.

Popularity of Loans for Low Credit Scores

Guaranteed bad credit loans are specifically designed to cater for a section of the market that has been neglected by the banks. Lenders cherry-pick their customers and are now rejecting more credit applications than used to be the case. Specialist poor credit lenders provide fast cash advance loans to customers without the need for a credit check at any stage of the application process.

Types of Loans for People with Low Credit Scores

  • Pawnbroker loans. Pawn shops provide non-status loans based on the provision of collateral, such as gold, silver and jewellery.
  • Car title loans. After the value of the auto has been assessed, customers can get a vehicle title loan for up to 50% of a cars value.
  • Credit union loans. It may be possible to get a fast cash advance loan on more competitive terms as a credit union is a non-profit organization.
  • Loan sharks. Private, unscrupulous money lenders who should be avoided at all costs.

Lender Terms for Non-status Loans

If bad credit loan lenders focused on credit checking their customers, they’d have no business. The overwhelming majority of customers have already been rejected by their high street bank. Instead, loans for low credit scores are offered to customers who can prove their identity and can afford to repay the debt. Although there are loans for unemployed people available, it is important to consider how the debt will be repaid at the end of the borrowing term.

Cost of the Best Unsecured Loans for Bad Credit Ratings

A typical $500 fast cash advance loan will typically accrue $125 in interest over a period of 30 days. In the case of payday and car title loans, many states have placed a restriction in-terms of the maximum loan size and APR that can be charged by the lender. Always check specific state laws and compare the cost of borrowing before signing up for a secured or unsecured non-status loan.

Defaulting on Low Credit Score Loans

Most loans for people with low credit score ratings typically have a high default rate. The consequences of defaulting on a same day payday loan are that interest and charges will continue to accrue. It is also likely that collection agencies will pursue the borrower for the unpaid balance. Failing to repay a pawnbroker or car title loan will lead to the repossession and sale of the collateral. There is usually sufficient equity to completely clear the balance so any further action is unlikely.

College Students: How to Avoid Future Problems when Applying for Student Loans

Costs for college are rising, and so are the interest rates across the board for student loans. For young people faced with the task of paying for college themselves, there are few options to come up with the capital necessary to meet the tuition, housing and fees associated with most colleges and universities. There are student loans which are available in some form to almost every type of person, but caution should be placed above advantage if that is the road taken.
Scholarships exist in the world and for a wide array of demographics there are a plethora of unique awards which will whittle down your overall cost of attendance. Let’s talk in generality, though. Assuming that a “C” letter grade is average and most graduating seniors from high school are in fact average, unless they display exceptional extracurricular activities or display severe financial need, higher education is entirely unaffordable. In some circles going to college is without question what the next step in life is after graduating from high school. There are simply not too many jobs in the United States that pay a living wage without a higher education degree. Some young adults will take on a trade and become electricians, plumbers, carpenters, etc and be able to make a decent living. But, even people with tangible skills to build and construct are at a shortage. It seems too many young people that college is their only way to earn a decent living in an increasingly competitive job market.

Colleges and Universities offer a wide array of subjects to study on a full or part-time basis. In-State tuition costs can be somewhat reasonable compared to private institutions which costs rise into the tens of thousands of dollars per year. A person who feels that college truly is for them will find many loans being made available to them through the financial aid office of the college or university and even in magazines and on billboards. The main distinction of loans is whether they are Federal or privately provided. If the loans are from the Federal government there will usually be a lower interest rate with a more diverse list of repayment options. Not to mention; the subsidized loans do not accrue interest during your time in school, which can save the borrower thousands of dollars. Privately backed loans tend to have higher, variable interest rates which can go up any time and are more ridged in their collection policies. Federal loans are usually made available to most individuals through their financial aid offices of the institution they attend. Often times, the cap on what can be borrowed through a Federal loan is limited and with a combined set of Perkins and Stafford loans the entire cost of attendance isn’t covered. In this case, private loans are usually the only way to bridge this gap, minus a wealth family member or large savings account.

Private loans are attractive in their initial offers. Many will not require a co-borrower if the borrower has decent stand-alone credit. They also will offer extremely high amounts of capital up front which is tempting to just take advantage of in full. Many loan companies will offer $50,000 a year to a student with very little red tape. The catch is that unless the fine print is thoroughly combed over, a young person will have trouble recognizing that an initial interest rate of 7.5%, as an example, will be variable. The variance on how high that interest rate can go depends on a large assortment of factors mainly left to the discretion of the bank lending out the money.

Students may come out of college with a degree in hand, guilt free from their four or so years of borrowing money to finance their education, but once the initial loan statement comes, the reality of what they’ve done sets in quickly. Rates can go well above 10%, sometimes even past 15% and drive the monthly payment up astronomically. The loan companies also offer payment plans where all the borrower pays each month is the interest accrued for a period of time, leaving the principal amount untouched. This road is not the smart way to go.

In order to keep costs down to a minimum and still get the most out of a high education degree, corners must be cut and ingenuity must be used to keep as little debt as possible out of the private bank’s hands. First off, every student needs to be absolutely sure their financial aid paperwork is done properly and on time. This allows for the maximum amount of aid to be allocated without time constraints or conditions. Secondly, once the Federal loans are completely maxed out and private loans must be taken out, shop around until a reasonable rate of interest is found. It is difficult to find a fixed interest private loan, especially without a co-borrower, but there are loan options where the variance in how much the interest rate can go up is fixed, which is better than seeing the interest rate go up 5% a year for who knows how long. Thirdly, if putting yourself through college is really what you feel is right for you, keep in mind all of the costs and do not think that any of the money being offered to you to pay for college is “cheap.” Whether the grace period after graduation is six months to a year, the loan payments will start coming in and unless you plan on living off Ramen noodles or making an entry level salary in the six-figures, be smart about where you borrow and how much.

Best College Undergraduate Students Credit Cards: Top Low Rate College Prepaid Cards Offer 0 APR and are unsecured

Companies issuing credit cards start targeting potential customers at a relatively young age. The first offer may arrive as early as the high school graduation. By the time students proceeds towards college, they will be inundated with innumerable college credit card offers and promotional material.

Choose Your College Credit Card Carefully

Most of these recipients are not aware of the mechanisms that control and determine credit. Banking on this flimsy knowledge base is a sure-shot recipe for disaster. The cardholder can plunge into a lifelong struggle with financial difficulties including debt and bankruptcy.

The Best Undergraduate Credit Card

The Discover Student Card is one of the very few credit cards offered to individuals with absolutely no credit history. Most credit cards for college students demand a minimum credit ranking of good. The Discover Student Card does not charge any annual fee. It also comes with an attractive cash back program.

Credit History Facts for Young Students

A cardholder’s credit report begins with their very firs credit card account. Every transaction and its payment impacts future finances. Hence a student should learn to use their card with great caution. College students should be discouraged from using their credit card for convenience shopping. A credit card s not a source of income and should not be used indiscriminately. Inability to pay balance on time ruins credit at a young age.

Personal and financial safety is of supreme importance at a college campus. Card information (especially the card number) should never be disclosed. Any loss or theft should be reported immediately to prevent financial damage. Parents procure a student credit card for emergencies (flat tyres, airline tickets, school supply purchases etc.). Frivolous expenditure should not be charged on the card.

Reward and Cash Back Program of Students Credit Cards

The rewards, terms and conditions vary across different cards. A student should thoroughly understand the terms of agreement. Ideally they should be able to manage on these terms. Several different cards should be compared to ascertain a card best suited to an individual’s requirements. Making sound financial decisions requires patience.

The Citi Forward Card for College Students is one of the better cards in this segment. It rewards proper card utilization thereby reinforcing beneficial credit practices. The card also has a rewards exchange program. It offers redeemable bonus for paperless statements (provided that the facility is activated within three months of opening the account).

Best Platinum College Credit Card for Students

The Citi mtvU Platinum Select Visa Card for College Students rewards students for performing well in academics. The student can earn up to 2000 points twice a year for a good GPA. Additionally 25 ThankYou points are accredited to the account in every month in which the balance is paid on time. This is subject to the cardholder staying within the credit limit. The ThankYou points thus earned are redeemable for gift cards, travel, electronics, music and more.