Advantages of a Home Equity Line of Credit

In the mid 1990s, home equity loans became hugely popular and once they did, it wasn't long before home equity lines of credit weren't too far behind. These lines of credit differed from the loans because they offer small amounts of money over a longer period of time to be used for whatever you need, whenever you need it.

They became popular because of certain advantages they have in comparison to other mechanisms for consumers to borrow money, specifically credit cards or personal loans. The benefits of home equity lines of credit are mainly centered around taxes and your interest rate.

Today, this form of revolving credit is still widely popular, and for many of the same reasons as they were when the HELOC boom first started.

Advantages of Home Equity Lines of Credit

(1) Tax deductibility
You can deduct the interest you pay on the home equity line of credit. There are certain conditions that apply that usually pertain to the maximum amount of the line of credit and deductibility. The interest on credit cards or for a car loan is not tax deductible. Usually you can deduct the interest you pay on your home equity line of credit up to 0,000 of the amount you borrowed. But, that 0,000 amount can be increased if you use the additional money for improvements to your home. For more details talk to your bank or tax professional.

(2) Lower interest rate
Home equity lines of credit usually offer lower interest rates than traditional credit cards and car loans. The reason for the lower rate is that the credit is based by your asset, your home. Since it is a secured loan, whereas credit debt is unsecured, they can offer lower interest rates. This rate is usually below the Prime rate.

(3) Safety net
Home equity lines of credit offer a safety net for home owners. Since they are like credit cards in that they are credit available to you for whatever purpose you deem fit, it is accessible to you if a major purchase or emergency arises. And once you've been approved for your home equity line of credit, you'll be fully prepared when that emergency does rise. No waiting for the paperwork to go through on a second mortgage, or waiting for that credit card to arrive in the mail. Because you've set yourself up ahead of time with a home equity line of credit, you're ready for whatever life has to throw your way.
There are certain necessities in life: food/water, shelter and to pay taxes. Food and water do not offer tax deductibility and applying for a loan to pay for them won't either. But your shelter, your home, can. Remember to always try to make your money stretch and work for you. One way to do that is to take advantage of the many benefits that come with a home equity line of credit all of which let you borrow money at a much lower rate and save you more money over any other type of loan!

Ie Advantages And Disadvantages Of Recurring Authorisation Payments

One of the greatest stresses in life is having to pay your monthly bills. Dealing with the financial burden and having to take time out to take keep track of all the different bills and due dates is not something any one looks forward too. Thankfully, with the advent of credit cards, an option that makes bills payments less stressful is now available.

Credit cards now offer what is usually called recurring authorisation payments, or automatic payments. Recurring authorisation payments work by allowing your service provider, such as the electric company or your life insurance company, to automatically charge your credit card each time a bill is due. The charge then reflects on your credit card balance so that you do not have to worry about paying the service provider, but instead take care of your credit card bill.

The most obvious advantage of this set up is that, as long as they have this option, you can set up recurring authorisations with as many of your service providers as you want. This has the effect of consolidating all your bills into just one, your credit card bill. Instead of having to keep track several due dates, which almost always means missed payments for a bill or two, you just have to make sure that you make your credit card payment on time.

Another advantage is that it can make keeping track of your expenses a bit more easy. Since recurring authorisation payments are reflected on your online credit card account, you can easily see if the service provider has already billed you and how much. You also do not have to keep receipts for future reference since they will all be reflected on your statement of account, which you can always recheck if there is any need for it. Furthermore, some of the best credit card providers also allow you to export your financial details to a financial or budgeting software to help you manage your finances. Since you are paying your bills via credit card, they will automatically be part of the expenses, so you won't have to plug them in manually.

As good as it sound though, recurring authorisation payments does have some disadvantages. The same way that it can help you keep track of your bills payments, having this set up can make you lax in keeping track of bills that can soar, like phone bills. Since you do not have to look at your phone bill, knowing it will be taken care off by the credit card company, you can end up with an enormous bill without realising it. This leads to the other disadvantage, which are over the limit charges. If you do not keep track of your spending, this can lead to your going over your credit limit, which can lead to expensive penalties.