An interesting concept is being put forward by a company called Global Equity Lending which,
according to them,is rooted in the fact that building a secure financial future is more difficult than
ever.The rules are changing and perhaps the old practices need to be revamped.GEL calls its new
philosophy, “Harnessing The Power of Your Mortgage”
In 2004,credit card debt accounted for over half of the 2.1 trillion of consumer debt in the U.S.,
quadrupling over the last decade.Today,the average American household has 9,000 of credit card
debt at 16% interest.To pay that average off,at that interest rate would take ten years,totaling over
8,000 in interest when all is said and done.The financial impact of this,which is virtually unrealized
is devastating.GEL claims to have a better way.Their thinking is that since you must borrow money
over the coarse of life,why not borrow it as inexpensively as possible.Credit cards,auto loans,and
personal loans are all high interest and non deductable.So why not harness the power of your
mortgage?
According to GEL,Americans operate under a mindset,when it comes to personal finance,that
has been burned into our country’s psyche from the days of the great depression.That philosophy
is as such:First get the lowest rate mortgage,then,set up a bi-weekly payment plan,and,whenever
possible send in additional payments.This way you pay off your mortgage as soon as possible.
Sound good to me,right?Well,much to my suprise,this company claims that is exactly what we
should NOT be doing!On the contrary,their idea is one which is echoed by New York Times Best
Selling author of “The New Rules Of Money”,Rick Edelman,who says,”You should get a big,30
year mortgage and never pay it off.”Edelman and GEL put rules forth which read like this:
1.Never send extra money to your mortgage
2.Stay away from bi-weekly plans.
3.Make the smallest payment with the biggest tax break.
4.Putting extra money toward your mortgage is like putting it under the matress.
To back up his claim,Edelman offers five distinct reasons why you should carry a long loan:
1.Mortgages don’t lower your homes value.Your home will grow in value whether or not you
have a mortgage.
2.Your mortgage is the cheapest money you’ll ever buy.Why pay credit card at 18%,when
you can borrow at rates under 7%.
3.Your mortgage is the best way to lower your taxes.There aren’t many tax breaks left.
Mortage loans,unlike credit cards and car loans are fully tax deductable.
4.You should get cash out of you house while you still can.You may find it difficult to
get a loan if something like a loss of job comes up.
5.Mortgages become cheaper over time.Most times your payment will stay the same
over the years while your income rises,making it easier to pay over time.
To further illustrate their beliefs,GEL presentations include a case study called,”The Tale of Two
Brothers”, where they do a financial comparison of two fictional brothers.In the story,Brother A,as
he is called follows the “old” way of thinking,while his brother(yes,you guessed it,brother B)uses
GEL and Edelman’s theory.The results of the study find Brother B with almost a one million pound
advantage over Brother A.The full hypothetical can be viewed on http:yourbighouse.com, but the
jist is that the second brother used the money he saved carrying an interest only loan,or GEL’s
famous “power option”loan to invest in other places.That,combined with the mortgage tax breaks
lead to the million pound separation after 30 years.
So,if you believe in this new way of thinking,and are ready to follow the model(in other words,
REALLY, put that extra money to work for you),then I believe an interest only loan or GEL’s power
option loan is the way to go,but be careful.
For more info on this new philosophy,go to http:YourBigHouse.com
There’s little doubt that we’re borrowing more and there’s also little doubt that credit is one of the great conveniences of modern life. That said, like Goldilocks you want to borrow the amount that’s just right — and no more.
So what’s the right level of debt?
The loan qualification standards used by mortgage lenders are an important guideline. You can typically get that old standby — the fixed-rate, 30 year mortgage — if no more than 28 percent of your gross monthly income goes for mortgage principal and interest, property taxes and property insurance (PITI). In addition, as much as 36 percent of your gross monthly income can go to regular monthly costs — PITI plus car payments, credit card debt, school costs, etc. In addition, because they have more liberal qualification standards, you can often borrow more with other loan programs such as FHA, VA and adjustable-rate financing.
But no matter what type of mortgage financing you consider, the real question should be not how much can you borrow, but rather how much can you borrow comfortably. In other words, financial sanity counts.
Unfortunately the term “financial sanity” is an expression without a definition. The economics that work for the Webbers plainly may not work for the Johnsons. We each have different incomes as well as different interests, expenses and preferences. Given this background one might ask: What makes financial sense for me?
The answer looks like this: If you’re living from paycheck to paycheck, if monthly costs are a burden, if savings are small or non-existent, if you do not have health insurance then it’s time to re-think debt burdens.
The richest person I ever met, someone who started with nothing and created jobs for more than 50,000 people, once offered this advice: “The key to financial success is saving, and nothing is harder than saving that first 10,000. After that, it’s easy.”
In other words, it’s entirely possible to have a substantial salary and to fail the financial sanity test. The waiting rooms in every bankruptcy court are filled with people who once had big incomes and bigger debts. One day the numbers didn’t work and away went the trophy houses and the big cars.
So how do you begin the savings process?
The first step, literally, is to open a savings account. The very nice people who provide checking accounts and credit cards will also be happy to hold your savings.
The second step is to go after every nickel and dime you can find.
The economics of savings resemble gravity: Little pieces brought together in one place produce big results. Here’s an example: Imagine that you usually spend 2.50 per day on little things — coffee, candy or whatever. Instead, you set the money aside in an account that pays 6 percent interest. The result? After 30 years there’s almost 77,000 in your account.
There are any number of strategies to save money, but let me suggest a practical approach. Look at your debts. Pick the one with the lowest balance, say a small credit card that requires monthly payments of 25. Save and pay it off. Then identify the next remaining debt with the smallest balance. You now have 25 a month extra that can be applied to the second obligation. Save and pay off the second debt. Maybe with the second obligation you can save 50 a month. After the second debt is repaid, you have an additional 75 a month to attack the third debt.
During this process there are other steps to take. Bring lunch to work. Have one car (hard in some areas, but not impossible). Collect change at the end of the day and deposit rolls of coins every month or so. Eat out — but not often. Stay away from credit cards. Avoid late fees and maintain good credit by paying bills in full and on time.
As this process continues you’ll notice several interesting results.
First, borrowing for real estate becomes easy as debts decline and qualification scores rise.
Second, better credit results in reduced interest rates that can save you big money. Save a half percent as a result of good credit on a 300,000 mortgage and you’ll cut costs in the first year of the loan by nearly 1,500.
Third, there’s no tax on “savings.”
If you have 1,000 in credit card debt and auto costs each month, that money is available only after taxes are paid. To get that 1,000 in cash you may have to earn 1,300 or 1,400, depending on your tax bracket and location. If you pay off your bills and don’t have to pay that 1,000 a month, Uncle Sam does not raise your taxes and you gain the equivalent of a huge raise.
When you speak with lenders about your ability to borrow, consider that with good credit you likely can borrow as much as you need if not more. But also consider that as a matter of financial sanity you have a personal obligation to save. If you can buy a home, pay general expenses and still save 5 or 10 percent of your gross monthly income, the odds are overwhelming that borrowing will not be an undue burden now or in the future.
Recently we have witnessed a boom in the mortgage industry. With increasing real estate values and a very low inflation, interest rates have touched an all time low. Since inflation is running extremely low at present, economists feel that mortgage rates will remain low in the near future also. As an obvious consequence homeowners are giving serious thoughts to the effects of low mortgage rate.
Usually, mortgage lenders offer a variety of combinations of interest rates and points. For example, 6.0% and 2 points, 6.5% and 1 point or 7.0% and no points. Points are a one-time upfront payment that the borrower makes to the lender at the time of closing the mortgage. It is a fee like the interest and not a part of the down payment. A drop in mortgage interest rates reduces the cost of borrowing and should logically result in an increase in prices in a market where most people borrow money to purchase a home (for instance, in the United States), so that average payments remain constant.
One of the direct effects of low mortgage rate is that the homeowners opt for greater savings through refinancing. Hence the cost to savings ratio is exceeded. Refinancing can be a boon in several situations since some of the main reasons to refinance are: – Lower interest rate – Consolidate 2nd mortgage loan – Lower loan term – Lower monthly payments – Payoff other personal loans and – Take cash out from equity
One of the most intriguing effects of low mortgage rate is the dilemma faced by the borrowers about whether to reduce their payments or the length of the loan term itself. Lower rates allow you to reduce your mortgage from say 25 years remaining to 15 years remaining with the same monthly payment. The next thing you would like to do is refinance again so that you will be able to reduce it to 10 years.
Another common rationale for refinancing and taking the equity out of your house as an effect of low mortgage rate is to be able to pay off credit card debt. You can also opt for a debt consolidation loan. By reducing your payment you will be able to pay off higher rate debt like credit cards. But try to eliminate interest payments wherever possible. The average credit card will have an interest rate of 18% to 25%. You can actually get rid of those high rate credit cards by taking advantage of the low mortgage rates. Also by lowering your debt you will be actually saving for the future.
It is also vital to understand that in most cases the loans are adjustable rate mortgages. The adjustment period may vary significantly depending on the loan program you are considering. You might not realize the effects of low mortgage rate unless you consider the stability and vulnerability of the interest rate that you are required to pay throughout the repayment tenure. Hence it is important to bear in mind that not only the current effects of low mortgage rate, but also effects of any future rise in interest rates should be considered when opting for a variable rate mortgage.