Helping Your College Student With His Or Her Visa Card By Robert Michael

Teens and those in their early twenties are very savvy these days, but not necessarily about money. So when Visa comes calling, they snatch up credit card deals (often aimed at the university market) and start piling on the “deals”, only to find themselves in debt later.

You can help your child by giving him or her some helpful tips on using a Visa card for good, not evil.

Visa card tip #1: Only use in emergency situations

For many students, an “emergency” equals the need for a new pair of shoes. Of course, this not an emergency at all, and a Visa that’s already maxed out should never be used for a luxury item. Instead, tell your teen that if the answer to the question, “Can I live without this?” is “yes”, the Visa card shouldn’t be used. On the other hand, if the teen finds him- or herself in a bind (such as on a date with a loser or someone violent and thus needing a quick ride back to the dorm), the Visa can be used without question.

Visa card tip #2: Pay off all the balances

Many young Visa users think that they can just pay the minimum amount due and never worry about paying the piper later. Consequently, they get into all kinds of debt later. Make sure your child understands that the best thing he or she can do is to pay the entire Visa bill every month. And if he or she makes a purchases that cannot be paid off within two or three months, it probably isn’t necessary.

Visa card tip #3: Check your bill

Even big companies like Visa make errors at times, so it’s imperative that cardholders check their statements every month. Thus, they won’t wind up paying for a charge that shouldn’t have been attributed to their accounts. Younger Visa holders (and even some seasoned ones) are known for ignoring this rule, and it’ll only cost them time and money later when (and if) they figure out they were charged in error.

Visa card tip #4: Report stolen cards immediately

If your student has a Visa card, make sure he or she understands that, should it become lost or stolen, it must be reported ASAP. Otherwise, someone could use it to steal his or her identity, which happens far too frequently in today’s economy. If he or she is fearful that mom or dad will get angry, assure him or her that although you might not be overly pleased, you’d rather find out from him or her that the Visa card was stolen.

Visa card tip #5: Don’t be afraid of a credit card

Finally, make sure that your kids understand that credit cards are not some terrible form of monetary exchange. Actually, they can be quite useful, especially for building a credit history. Again, it’s all in the way your Visa is used; if you are savvy, you can start on the way to a very high credit score, which will be helpful later.

With your help, your child will become knowledgeable about how to use his or her Visa appropriately.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=93012&ca=Finances

Is Consolidating Your Student Loan A Good Idea? By Bill Dufrane

Some students leave college and you expect them to heave a sigh of relief because at long last the long hurdle is over. No more sleepless nights studying for lessons, no more academic books to read, no more exams to take and most of all no more tuition fees to be paid. But what if the student just relied on student loans all throughout his or her studies? That must have been a lot of loans to pay. Fortunately there is a thing called student loan consolidation.

Student loan consolidation is combining all previous loans into one loan to make it easier for the students to pay the debts. If your loans are consolidated, you need not pay multiple loans every month, you only have a single loan to pay and this makes it less confusing and burdensome.

Through consolidation, a student or a graduate can have some sort of relief. Most student fret and think of their loans while still studying and often miss out on their education. On the other hand, fresh graduates that are in debt could not focus or advance in their careers because they have this huge debt to pay.

You may be wondering if student loan consolidation is a good idea. Here are a few reasons why you should consider consolidating your loans -

It lowers your monthly payment

Often times if a student has multiple loans to pay, it means paying higher as the student is paying for interest for multiple loans.

Lower interest rates

Consolidation offers students a fixed monthly interest that is usually lower than the interest rates of their previous loans.

New interest rates

Consolidating your loans will most likely mean that you are going to have a new interest rate. You may get lower interest rates because interest rates these days are decreasing.

More convenient payment scheme Because all the previous loans are combined into one, payment is easier and more convenient when student loans are consolidated.

Helps you save more money

Typically, consolidating your loans can help you reduce your monthly payments to as much as 54 percent depending on the interest rates. But no matter what the interest rate, bottom-line is your still going to save money.

Extends repayment period

Usually consolidation gives the students more time to pay their debts. This is a good thing so students wont feel pressured to pay their consolidated loans because it lowers the monthly payment.

Different types of loans can be consolidated

Student consolidation is not only limited to one or two types of loans. There are actually a lot of different types of loans that can be consolidated. Some loans that can be consolidated are direct subsidized and unsubsidized loans, federal insured student loans, federal Perkins loans, national defense student loans, etc.

While student loan consolidation provides a lot of advantages, there is also a negative side to it. You may want to consider these disadvantages before deciding to consolidate your loans.

Increases overall total amount paid Because consolidating all your loans extends repayment period, it will lower your monthly payments but this will result in an increased overall total amount paid.

Lose incentives

If you consolidate all your loans you may lose several incentives that are offered to you by your lenders.

Lose benefits for Perkins loans Consolidating Perkins loans means cancellation of your benefits and losing interest subsidy.

Reading the pros and cons of student consolidation may have given you an idea on whether or not consolidation is a good idea. The advantages obviously surpass the disadvantages but it is still up to you if you want to consolidate your loans.

Before indulging in the consolidation scene, you need to do research on that consolidation companies offer the best deals and will really help you lower your payments.

The best way to research is through the internet because you will be able to compare different plans conveniently. You can find information and news on consolidation. Some sites even offer quotes and this makes it easier for you to compare and choose among different companies.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=93575&ca=Finances