Personal Finance, Loans & Insurance

What’s the best personal finance software to track your money? After all, there are a lot of different products out there now. It can be hard to decide exactly which one is for you.

Fortunately, there are a number of factors you can consider when trying to choose. By the end of this article, you’ll know exactly what to look for to find the best personal finance software.

- Price. You probably want to make sure you get a sweet deal, right? You want to get the best financial software that you can for the cheapest price. Well that’s a great idea, but just make sure you don’t sacrifice quality for cost. You definitely don’t want something too expensive, but if you get the cheapest software, you’ll likely get worse performance too.

- Online reviews. What do people online have to say about this software? Did they love it? Hate it? If you can find some unbiased online reviews, these can really help you decide the best one for your situation. Just be cautious if the “unbiased” review doesn’t have a single bad thing to say about the software. Many times its fine, but sometime they may have a financial motivation to point you toward one particular piece of software.

- Company history. The best personal finance software usually has a very established history. They have thousands of happy customers, been around for a few years, and a sizeable support team. I’m not saying that new companies can’t produce great software – they certainly can! But I am saying to be cautious if the company just sprang out of the ground a few months ago.

- Flexibility. Depending on your needs, you may or may not need a lot of flexibility. Some people own assets in the millions, and need flexible money software to track it. Other people have much smaller portfolios, so the best personal finance software for them doesn’t have to be as complex or flexible.

- Ease of use. Nobody wants to spend all day learning how their money software works! They want to get in, update things, understand what’s going on, and then get out. Try to get software that even a cave man can use!

If you look at each of these different factors, I can almost guarantee you’ll be happy with what you find.

Nearly a decade ago, struggling auto makers began offering 0% financing deals for new car buyers.

The goal of these programs were to sell cars and the auto makers hoped that 0% deals would do just that – and they were right.

Car buyers (currently in the market or not) flocked into auto dealerships seeking these financing deals.  And, while some qualified for them, most did not.  Once the buyer was in the dealership, the hard sell began – making it nearly impossible for the consumer to leave without a new vehicle – regardless if they qualified for the 0% financing or not.

Are these 0% financing deals really all that beneficial?  Maybe?  But, for the majority of auto buyers they really offer very little incentive – here’s why:

Most 0% financing deals are for only 36 months (3 years).  Which is OK if you can afford a very high payment.  Example, Ford is offering a 36 month, 0% financing deal for their Focus product line.  A standard Ford Focus is priced around ,000.  Financing this vehicle, assuming 5% down, puts a payment around 9 for 36 months at 0%. 

A high monthly payment for a low budget consumer.  The only real benefit is that this vehicle buyer would pay no interest over the life of the loan (provided that the dealer or manufacturer has not built some level of financing into the price of the vehicle).

However, Ford is also offering 2.9% financing for 60 months.  The same vehicle (with the 5% down) at 2.9% for 60 months (5 years) sets the payment at about 0 per month.

Much more affordable for consumer who seeking to purchase a vehicle of this nature (meaning that this is a lower priced car, with limited features, geared for the low income buyer – low income buyers who cannot afford 9 per month in car payments).  But, 0 is much more affordable than 9 per month (a monthly cash flow difference of 9).

The one problem with this financing deal is that at 2.9%, the borrower (car buyer) would have to pay interest for the 60 months loan.  But, what does this interest really costs?

A 17,000 vehicle, with 5% down, at 2.9% for 60 months equates too approximately ,300 in financing (interest).  If looked at over 60 months, this is about per month.

But, Ford is also offering, on this same vehicle up to ,000 cash back (not applicable with the 0% financing deal).  This cash back option would more than cover the cost of financing – in fact, this cash back option would essentially pay the borrower some ,700 (in overall benefit) for financing the vehicle and not taking the 0% deal.  That’s ,700 to the buyer’s good (,000 cash back minus the ,300 in financing costs equals ,700).

Interestingly enough, this auto buyer could essentially have their financing rate increase to 6.9% for the 60 months before the cash back of ,000 losses its financial benefit.

The bottom line here is that 0% financing can be a good deal provided that other options do not offer better benefits.  Instead of just looking at the financing rate (where 0% is always better than anything else) one should consider all offers and choose the one that makes the most financial sense.

All the above assumes that the purchaser would qualify for both the 0% financing and the 2.9%, 60 month financing options.

Many insurance agents start out cold calling in an effort to make their first insurance sales. Before long, it usually becomes apparent that cold calling is a very inefficient approach. Indeed, cold calling and door to door approaches were once the mainstay of the industry. But today it is much more time effective and profitable to simply purchase internet insurance leads. Indeed, there are many different insurance lead programs out there offering leads in practically every industry. If you are thinking about buying internet insurance leads as a way to increase your business and improve sales, you are on the right track. But don’t purchase from just any company. Insurance leads are not created equal and different insurance programs offer different products. Some of these might be suitable to your needs, while other won’t be. It is worth the effort to explore various options before you commit to buying. It isn’t always easy to find a quality internet insurance lead program, and sometimes it involves a bit of trial and error. The most important aspect of a provider is that the leads sold are of a high quality. That means they should convert to sales. If you purchase leads from a seedy company that merely sells long lists of names that may or may not have an interest in insurance, then you might as well go back to cold calling. The truth is, anyone can put together a list and sell it for leads. One good approach is to purchase small at first. If the leads lead to a good percentage of sales then you may have found a good source. Conversion rates are important, but so is price. A good lead program will generally be competitively priced. However, competitively priced doesn’t necessarily mean cheapest. Expect to pay for quality. Besides, quality internet insurance leads will transform into more sales than inferior leads. You want fresh leads, people actively looking to purchase insurance, so you can be the first to assist them. Nothing is worse than purchasing a cheap list of leads that have long since found insurance policies. When it comes to insurance lead programs, it is their ability to increase your revenue that makes them worth your investment. So take the time to explore your options. When you have narrowed it down to a handful that you think offer what you want, then go ahead and try them out. But start small, just in case. When you finally find a competitive insurance lead program that offers a superior product, then stick with it. High quality internet insurance leads are worth their weight in gold, and they will make your job so much easier. So what are you waiting for? Stop cold calling; find yourself a quality insurance lead program instead.

Seller Financing/ Owner Financing can provide benefits for both the seller and buyer of real estate, but the seller should be careful to structure the terms of the mortgage to maintain the value of the note. Here are 7 key tips for creating a mortgage note that will maximize the value of the mortgage should you decide to sell it at a later date..

Seller Financing/ Owner Financing can provide benefits for both the seller and buyer of real estate, but the seller should be careful to structure the terms of the note to maintain the value of the note.

For the seller, the best reason for offering seller financing is it allows a much larger pool of eligible buyers for the property. Today there are interested buyers, however many of them do not fit the narrow criteria that would allow them to attain traditional financing. Offering these potential buyers an opportunity to obtain financing privately will dramatically increase the chances of selling the property. Traditionally, seller financing allows the seller to obtain a higher price because of there willingness to extend financing terms to the buyer.

For the buyer, utilizing seller financing means they do not have to pay the points and fees and go through the “red tape” at the bank. Buyers will also consider this because a privately held mortgage does not show up on a credit report or a balance sheet. This allows the buyer to get additional loans that he/she would not be able to obtain through a bank or other lending institution. The bank considers debt to equity ratios and income necessary to repay the loans. Once that threshold is attained, the banks will not lend any further on any other properties.

A common mistake made by sellers when offering seller/owner financing is creating terms that facilitate the sale of the property but result in a mortgage note that does not hold its value should they attempt to sell it. Most people defer to their realtor to make the lending terms, which is great for the sale of the property and the realtor’s commission, but not great for the value of the mortgage.

Jerry D. Remien MBA & CMI, President of Mortgage Buyers Inc., a company specializing in buying seller financed/ owner financed mortgages since 1991, offers the following advice for maximizing the value of a privately held mortgage note, “There are 7 important keys to creating a note that will allow the seller retain as much of their equity as possible and I will go through them in order of importance. Many of these points are adversarial to making the sale, so the ‘art of creating the note’ is to strike a balance between creating terms that will sell the property and terms that will sell the note. The realization of the equity in the property consists of the selling price of the property and the retention of the value of the note in a future sale.”

Seven Keys to Creating a Seller Financed/ Owner Financed Mortgage Note

1/ CREDIT SCORE This is a very important point. You are about to lend a stranger a large sum of money and their credit score is a measure of their past financial performance on their other financial commitments. This is the best indication we have as to how they will pay our note. In addition, depending on the number of commitments, or the total dollar value of their debt, one may want to see a financial statement to see if they have the income and/or the equity necessary to pay the note and still meet their other financial obligations. It is a measure of the potential risk and the terms of the note should be adjusted accordingly to that risk. Common sense dictates that you should see a person’s financial track record prior to lending them money. The best advice is not to lend to anyone with a credit score under 600 with any of the three rating agencies.

2/ DOWN PAYMENT This is the most important point in creating a note. Get at least 10% down in cash, 20-25% is ideal. The equity in the down payment makes it much more difficult for the buyer to stop making payments and get the property taken from them in foreclosure. It is a measure of the buyers’ commitment to the property and the principal source of repayment for the loan. Be certain to document the down payment with the closing title company or attorney. Make a copy of the check whether you close at a title company or on your own. If you do close on your own, deposit the entire amount of the down payment in your bank account as a single deposit. Do not accept the down payment in cash and only record the balance in the Mortgage or Deed of Trust. Provide an auditable trail of the full amount paid including down payment and mortgage note. People attempt this to lower the taxes for the next owner, but it dramatically lowers the purchase price of the note. There is no credit given for a down payment that was actually paid at closing, but not properly documented.

3/ BALLOON DATE The balloon date is a date specified in the note where the balance of the loan is to be paid in full. Balloon payments are an effective means for shortening the duration of the loan and will raise the pricing for the loan as long as it is achievable. Many people create balloon payments based on their personal timeframe and need for the cash. The balloon payment should be set at a time when it is feasible that the loan could be refinanced by the outside lending community. A rule of thumb is to set the balloon date to one third of the amortization duration. For instance, if you have a 360-month amortization, set the balloon for 120 months from the inception of the loan. This will give the balance a chance to decrease and the property value to increase, which gives the lending community a realistic chance to make the loan to your payor. If you want a shorter balloon time period shorten the amortization accordingly.

4/ AMORTIZATION This is the time period it would take for the note to fully pay out and reach a zero balance. Generally, the shorter the amortization period the higher the price for the note. Avoid making an interest only loan. These loans never amortize and require an alternative source of financing to replace them or face foreclosure of the property to repay the equity in the note. In addition, it is best to make the pay periods on a monthly basis rather than quarterly, semi-annually, or annually. Monthly payments are much more widely accepted and easier for the servicing companies to track.

5/ INTEREST RATE A typical seller-financed note should have an interest rate that is 250-300 basis points higher than the banks are currently lending its best qualified customers. For example if the banks are lending at 5.00% to well qualified individuals, seller financed notes should be written at 7.50% to 8.00% or greater. After all, you are not in the lending business and if they do not like the rate, they are welcome to apply at their local bank to see if they can get a loan for less. Real estate sellers make this classic mistake and it can have an enormous impact on the pricing of the note.

6/ PAY HISTORY DOCUMENTATION An actual pay history that can accurately be tracked is very often the difference in getting the loan sold or not. Make photocopies of the checks when they arrive and deposit them in full as a single deposit in your bank account. This will give the buyer of the note the confidence necessary to buy the note. Do not accept cash under any circumstances have them go to the post office and get a postal money order if they do not have checks.

7/ PERSONAL GUARANTEE This is only necessary when the buyer of the property is an organization and not an individual. Have the head of the organization personally guarantee the transaction. This will immediately have a negative impact on the pricing if there is not a personal guarantee. Many buyers attempt to sign as an LLC, Corporation, or Limited Partnership specifically to avoid personally liability.

Remien concludes, “Do your own due diligence, do not rely on other opinions when it comes to your money. Create the terms of your own note. Many people allow their real estate agent or attorney to make the terms and conditions of the financing. Both of these individuals have a vested interest in having the deal closed so they can receive their fees. I hope that these tips will help you create the best note that you can and attain the best balance between selling the property and selling the note. If both are done correctly you will realize the most equity possible out of the transaction.”

For further questions about structuring a mortgage note or service in purchasing or selling your note after it is created, contact Mortgage Buyers, Inc. toll free 800-949-0888. Mortgage Buyers, Inc. has over 20 years of experience as a mortgage note buyer and will be happy to answer any questions you may have.