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Repayment of a loan requires that the borrower make a monthly payment to the lender. With each monthly payment, you pay down a portion of the loan principal, as well as monthly interest on the outstanding balance. Loan payments are amortized so that the monthly payment remains the same throughout the repayment period, but during that time, the percentage of the amount that goes towards principal will increase as the outstanding loan balance decreases.
Having savings is important, especially when the savings are part of an emergency fund or a hedge against a loss of income. However, when you also have debt, in the form of an outstanding credit card balance or loan, you might want to consider whether you are better off using the money you have in savings to pay down debt. Whether it makes sense or not is determined by the interest rate you are earning on your savings versus the interest rate you are being charged on your outstanding loan balance. The difference between earning interest and paying it should give you a good indication of where you can get the best return.
Determining how much money you are worth is like having a personal balance sheet. On the asset side are things you own: homes, cars, investments and personal property. On the liability side are your debts: what you owe on your home mortgage, outstanding loans, and credit card balances. Over time, you want to be reducing your liabilities by paying down debt and building your assets by saving and allowing your assets to work for you by earning interest or building value.
Balancing your account is easy! Start with the balance from your last checking account statement. Then, subtract all payments that you have recorded that were not listed in this last statement (or any previous ones.) Next, add all the recent deposits that you have made into your checking account. The result should be the amount you have in your account as your current balance.
How many times have you asked yourself "where does our money go?" The first step is to categorize your spending into each particular category. If you have got multiple monthly bills under a category, you can use the worksheets linked to the right of the input field to enter each separately. Once you see where you are spending your money, it becomes easier to look at reducing spending in particular categories.
A certificate of deposit (or CD) is a savings instrument offered by a bank or credit union that has a fixed date of maturity and a fixed interest rate. A credit union might use the term Share Certificate, Term Certificate or just Certificate to refer to the same product. Most CDs require a minimum deposit amount and may offer rates contingent on the size of the deposit. The interest you earn on your deposit depends on the interest rate, the term of the deposit and the compounding method. Deposits that compound with greater frequency will have a higher Annual Percentage Yield, or APY. Your APY is the effective annual rate of return once the effect of compounding interest is factored in. Most CDs restrict access to the funds until the CD reaches its maturity date.
A certificate of deposit (or CD) is a savings instrument offered by a bank or credit union that has a fixed date of maturity and a fixed interest rate. A credit union might use the term Share Certificate, Term Certificate or just Certificate to refer to the same product. Most CDs require a minimum deposit amount and may offer rates contingent on the size of the deposit. Certificates of Deposit are insured by the FDIC for bank deposits, or by the NCUA for credit union deposits, up to $250,000 per individual depositor. As a CD depositor, you are committing to leave your funds in the CD for the term of the CD. As a result of that time commitment, rates offered on CDs are typically higher than traditional savings or money market accounts. Keep in mind that an early withdrawal of funds will likely come with a financial penalty.
It is always a good idea to have savings tucked away for a rainy day. Emergencies such as legal or medical bills or loss of a job can all force you into 'rainy day' mode. Planning can make these types of events easier to handle. Determine how big your rainy day savings need to be by factoring in emergency spending needs and essential spending needs if your source of income is interrupted. Once you know what you will need, put together a plan based on your current savings, monthly savings and the number of months you want to take to build your rainy day fund.
The future value of your savings plan is dependent on the starting balance, additional monthly savings and the rate of return you receive on those savings. For the most accurate valuation, you will have to separate taxable accounts such as savings and CDs from your tax-deferred accounts such as 401(k)s and college 529 plans.
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