Every guide, in one place
35 guides on borrowing costs, lenders, credit and consumer protection. Each is reviewed on a schedule and lists its sources.
35 guides
-
VICredit & EligibilityExplainer
Before You Cosign a Loan: A Letter to the Person Being Asked
If someone is about to ask you to cosign, this letter tells you what you'd really be signing. If you're the one asking, send it to them first.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionStep by step
Behind on a Loan Payment? Make This Call Before the Due Date
A missed payment gets more expensive by the week, but most of the damage arrives on a schedule. Here is that schedule, and what to ask for at each step.
-
IIPersonal LoansDecision guide
How Much to Borrow: A 7-Line Worksheet That Covers the Fee and Tests the Payment
Seven lines to fill in, a formula for the fee, and a payment test built for uneven income, worked through for one hypothetical borrower so you can copy the method.
-
VICredit & EligibilityExplainer
Gig Pay, Benefits, Child Support: The Income Lenders Count and How to Prove It
Most people with uneven income under-report it. This field guide takes each income type in turn: how lenders tend to see it, the paperwork that proves it, and what to watch for, plus the federal rules that protect benefits and part-time pay.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionExplainer
Your Bank Account and a Loan: What You Agree To, and How to Stop a Debit
Most online lenders pay the loan into your checking account and ask to collect from it too. Here's a sample payment authorization with each part numbered and explained, and the right way to change or stop a payment.
-
ILoan BasicsQuestions answered
Paying Off a Loan Early: When an Extra Payment Saves the Most
The questions people actually ask about paying a loan off early, answered bluntly: prepayment penalties, how lenders count interest, the Rule of 78s, and when an extra payment saves the most.
-
IIPersonal LoansWorked example
At 99% APR, a $3,000 Loan Costs $3,981 in Interest: The Full Cost Table
The same $3,000 loan costs about $1,251 or about $3,981 in interest depending on the APR. Here is the receipt, the full table, and the two-minute check to run on any offer.
-
IIPersonal LoansStep by step
Approved Friday, Paid Tuesday: When Loan Money Really Reaches Your Bank
One approval followed from Friday afternoon to the deposit, with the rule behind each delay, the questions that expose a misleading "funds in minutes" claim, and the calls to make if the money doesn't show.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionDecision guide
Before You Borrow: Alternatives That Can Cover a Short-Term Gap
A loan is one way to cover a gap. Often the cheaper move is to change the bill instead: its due date, its size, or who helps pay it. Here is what to try first, matched to the most common situations.
-
IIIDebt ConsolidationDecision guide
Consolidation Loan, Counseling, Settlement or Bankruptcy: How to Choose
These four routes solve different problems and carry very different costs. Here is what each one does, who it fits, the rules that protect you, and how to find legitimate help.
-
VICredit & EligibilityStep by step
Turned Down for a Loan? What to Do Next, Step by Step
A denial comes with rights and with information. Here is how to use both, and the moves that tend to make things worse.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionExplainer
How to Read a Loan Agreement, Section by Section
An annotated tour of the parts of a typical consumer installment loan agreement, what each one means for you, and the five numbers to find before you sign.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionStep by step
How to Check Whether a Lender Is Licensed, Step by Step
A license check takes about ten minutes and tells you who you would really owe, which rules apply, and who to call if something goes wrong. Here is the order to do it in, and what each database can and can't tell you.
-
IIIDebt ConsolidationComparison
Balance Transfer Card or Consolidation Loan: Which Costs Less?
A 0% intro card can be the cheapest way to clear a balance, or an expensive detour. The difference is mostly whether you can pay it off before the promo ends.
-
IIPersonal LoansDecision guide
Need $200 to $2,000 Fast? Your Options, Compared by Real Cost
A decision guide for a short-term gap of a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars: the lower-cost options to check first, what payday, title and high-cost installment loans really cost, and the rules that protect you.
-
IIIDebt ConsolidationWorked example
Does Debt Consolidation Actually Save Money? Three Worked Cases
Run the numbers on three hypothetical debt mixes and you see the pattern: the rate, the term and what happens to the empty cards decide whether consolidating pays off.
-
IIPersonal LoansExplainer
How Loan-Matching Sites Work, and What Happens After You Submit
A plain account of what a loan-matching service does with your request, who may contact you, what you agreed to, and how to check, decline or opt out.
-
IVAuto LoansExplainer
72- and 84-Month Car Loans: What the Lower Payment Costs
Long car loans make the monthly number smaller. Here is what they do to total interest, to how fast you build equity, and to your next car purchase.
-
VICredit & EligibilityExplainer
Hard vs Soft Credit Inquiries: What Counts and for How Long
Which credit checks touch your scores, how long they matter, and how to compare loans without piling up inquiries.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionWarning signs
Predatory Loan Red Flags: Price, Structure, Sales and Collection
A predatory loan isn't always a scam. It's usually a real loan built so that you pay far more than the money is worth, or keep paying long after you meant to stop. These are the signs, grouped by where the harm sits.
-
IIPersonal LoansWorked example
Origination Fees Explained: What They Cost and How to Size Your Loan
Worked examples of the two ways lenders charge an origination fee, the math for sizing a request so you net the cash you need, and how to tell whether a no-fee loan at a higher rate is the better deal.
-
IVAuto LoansWorked example
Refinancing a Car Loan: Two Worked Examples, One Trap
Two hypothetical refinances of the same car loan: one that saves real money and one that only looks like it does. Plus the fees, penalties and equity problems to check first.
-
IIPersonal LoansComparison
How to Compare Personal Loan Offers When the Lowest Payment Misleads
A method for putting two or three real offers on one page, plus a worked example where the smallest monthly payment turns out to be the most expensive loan.
-
VHome ProjectsChecklist
Contractor Financing Checklist: What to Ask Before You Sign
Financing offered at the kitchen table is convenient, and sometimes a good deal. Run through these questions first so you know what you're agreeing to and how to back out.
-
ILoan BasicsExplainer
Fixed vs. Variable Rates: How Variable Rates Move and When Each Fits
A variable rate is a formula, not a mystery. Once you know the formula and the caps, you can price the worst case before you sign.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionExplainer
Why "Guaranteed Approval" on a Loan Deserves a Second Look
A lender can't know whether it will approve you until it knows who you are and whether you can repay. Here is how to read the word "guaranteed" in loan ads, and what an honest version of the promise sounds like.
-
VICredit & EligibilityQuestions answered
Prequalified, Preapproved, Approved: What Each Actually Means
Answers to the questions people ask when a lender says "you're prequalified" or a letter says "you're preapproved," including what can still change before you get the money.
-
ILoan BasicsComparison
Secured vs. Unsecured Loans: What You Pledge and What You Risk
A secured loan can mean a lower rate or an easier approval. It also means a specific thing you own is on the line. Here's how to weigh it.
-
IVAuto LoansStep by step
How to Finance a Car Without Losing the Deal in the Finance Office
A step-by-step plan for car financing: what to do before the lot, what happens in the finance office, and the numbers to check before you sign.
-
VHome ProjectsComparison
How to Pay for Home Repairs: Every Option Compared
The right way to pay for a repair depends on how fast you need the money, whether you'll put your home up as collateral, and how long you'll take to pay it back.
-
VIIBorrower ProtectionWarning signs
Loan Scam Warning Signs: How Fake Lenders Get Paid First
Real lenders make money when you repay. Scammers make money before you get anything. Here is how to tell the difference, and the steps to take quickly if you already sent money.
-
VICredit & EligibilityExplainer
What Lenders Look At When You Apply for a Loan
A plain map of the factors behind a loan decision, the arithmetic of debt-to-income, and the characteristics a lender is not allowed to hold against you.
-
ILoan BasicsComparison
Loan Term and Total Cost: What a Lower Monthly Payment Really Buys
The same $15,000 loan across five terms, what each extra year of payments costs, and a practical way to pick a term you can live with.
-
ILoan BasicsWorked example
APR vs. Interest Rate: Why the 11% Offer Can Cost More Than the 13% One
The interest rate is the price of the money. The APR adds certain fees. Here's how to use both, and when even the APR points you the wrong way.
-
ILoan BasicsStep by step
How a Personal Loan Works, From the First Quote to the Last Payment
One hypothetical loan, followed from the moment the money is needed to the day the balance hits zero, with the decisions and paperwork at each stage.
