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Tag: interest rates

Let’s Talk About Credit

Image result for credit cards

With the semester starting to come to a close and the holiday season right around the corner you may be seeing an increase in credit card advertising. These advertisements may be coming to you almost every week by mail, or maybe you’ve seen one or two different Samuel L Jackson commercials telling you to sign up for his credit card.  There are a lot of great long term and short term benefits from using credit, but it’s important to realize the negative costs from using credit as well.  Before using credit, make sure these advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Advantages of Credit

Purchase Power and Ease of Purchase: Credit cards are great to have because you don’t have to carry around as much cash.  This can reduce the ease of theft.  In addition, some credit card companies offer insurance on large purchases.

Building a Credit LineBuilding credit is not only important when applying for more credit cards, it also impacts the ease of obtaining loans, rental applications, and even some jobs. Having a credit card and using it wisely (making payments on time) will help you build a good credit history.

Emergencies- While you should avoid spending outside your budget sometimes emergencies (such as your car breaking down or flood or fire) happen. Having a credit card allows you to make large purchases you may not have the immediate funds for.

Disadvantages of Credit

Blowing your Budget– Credit card companies encourage users to spend money they don’t have.  Majority of credit cards don’t make you pay off your entire balance each month, so if you only have $200 credit card companies may let you spend $500. While it seems great at the time and may seem like free money, that remaining balance of $300 accrues high interest.

High Interest Rates and Increased Debt- This is how credit card companies make their money and this is how most people in the United States get into debt (and even bankruptcy.) “Most credit cards charge you up to 10 times that amount of interest on balances. This means that if you have $100 balance that you don’t pay off, you will be charged 20-25% interest on that $100. This means that you owe almost $30 interest (plus the original $100) at the end of the year. “(Mountain State: Center for Independent Living)

Brett Zapletal – Peer Counselor II
Powercat Financial Counseling
www.k-state.edu/pfc

Understanding Interest Rates

As college students leaving home for the first time and becoming more financially independent from our parents, it is important that we familiarize ourselves with basic concepts when learning to deal with money.  One of the most important concepts to understand is interest rates, and how they can affect our financial lives in good and bad ways.  An interest rate is a percentage at which interest is paid by borrowers for the use of money that they borrow from lenders; in other words the cost to borrow money.  Interest rates are commonly seen in credit cards, student loans, and mortgages.  However, interest rates can also benefit you as a saver when banking institutions pay you for the use of your money, especially when you start saving at a young age.

A Simple Interest Rate is a percentage of an amount, called the Principal, which can be on an annual basis.  Here’s a quick example of how simple interest works.  If you were to put $1,000 into a bank account, and were given a simple interest rate of 5%, the amount of interest you would earn at the end of the year is:

Principal amount * Simple Interest Rate = Amount earned

1000* .05 = $50

You would earn a nice return of $50 dollars for allowing the bank to borrow your money for that year.  As we can see, simple interest is very easy to calculate which is why it is called a simple interest rate.  You would continue to earn $50 dollars each year if you decided to keep the $1,000 in the account.  Over 30 years you would earn $1,500, and over 50 years you would earn $2,500.

The same would apply if you were borrowing $1,000 and paying a simple interest rate annually.  It would cost you $50 per year to borrow that $1,000.

Compound Interest works a little a bit differently. You don’t see a lot of results in the short-term, but in the long term compounding can make a big difference.  Compound interest is calculated on the initial principal amount and the amount of interest built up. Because of this interest build up, compound interest will grow at a faster rate than simple interest. In other words, you are earning interest on both the principal and the interest earned, rather than just the principal as in simple interest.

For example, if you put $1,000 into an account when you are 20 years old and the rate that is paid is 5% per year compounding and you just leave it alone, never adding or taking anything out, after 30 years you will have $4,321.94; after 50 years you would have $11,467.40.  As you can see, with compounding you earn more than with simple interest – an increase of $2,821.94 for 30 years and $8,967.40 for 50 years.

Calculating compound interest is a bit more complicated. You can calculate compound interest on a financial calculator, but there are several calculators available on the internet.  Just search “compound interest calculator”.  One of my favorites is http://investor.gov/tools/calculators/compound-interest-calculator

Compounding can be a great tool to save money easily.  You can really see the benefits of compounding if you start saving early as possible, make regular contributions to the account, and leave the money alone to grow over time.  Even though interest rates paid on savings are very low right now, at some point in the future the rates should rise and understanding the concept of compounding can help you become a more disciplined saver.

Unfortunately, compounding can also work against you especially when you are borrowing money.  Most students run into this through the use of credit cards.   An interest rate you may have heard about before in regards to credit cards is the Annual Percentage Rate (APR).  This rate is the annual rate that is charged for borrowing, stated as a percentage that represents the actual yearly cost of not paying off your credit balance on or before the due date.  Students can use credit cards to establish credit history, it is more convenient than writing checks everywhere and you have a record of all purchases.  However, credit cards are among the most expensive types of debt, with some of the highest interest rates and fees.

The APR on credit cards can be hard to track.  There are different rates charged for various transactions or time frames.  For example, most cards try to give you a low, introductory rate, then after a few months, it goes up.  Also, students without a long credit history will likely be charged a higher rate.  Cash transactions usually are charged a higher APR than regular purchases.  If you miss a payment, you could be charged a penalty APR.

Most credit card companies use a Daily Periodic Rate (DPR) and Average Daily Balance to calculate interest charges.  The DPR is calculated by taking the APR and dividing it by 365 (number of days in the year).  The Average Daily Balance is figured by adding up each month’s daily balance and dividing it by the number of days in the month.  The amount of interest you will pay is calculated using this formula:

Card Balance X DPR X days in statement billing cycle

Because of all the variables involved in differing rates and fees, it is very important to check your credit card’s particular rates and fees schedule on the statement to see how they are calculating transactions and what other fees they charge.  The best advice is to pay off your credit card balance every month before or by the due date!

Understanding interest rates and how you can make them work for you is a great first step in building a strong financial future.   If you have any questions on how interest rates work or any other financial questions, schedule an appointment with Powercat Financial Counseling by going to our website www.ksu.edu/pfc!

Brett Zapletal
Peer Counselor I
Powercat Financial Counseling
www.k-state.edu/pfc

Your Credit Score: the 3-Digit Number

A 3-digit number affects your financial life significantly. This number is called a credit score. A credit score shows your creditworthiness, and it also indicates the possibility that you will not pay your bills. Different lenders use different scoring formulas to create credit scores, so your score can vary from lender to lender. Most scores range from 300 – 850, but you should have a credit score goal of at least 700.

A good credit score brings you several benefits. Some of the benefits include:
• Low interest rate on credit cards and loans. Interest is charged when you borrow money, and so the interest rate is tied to the cost of loans. With a high credit score, you will be qualified for the best interest rate.
• Higher chance to get loans and credit cards approved.
• Get higher credit limits.
• Better auto insurance rate.

Some tips to achieve and maintain a good credit score include:
• Pay your bills on time. One way to do this is to set up automatic payments at creditors’ websites or from your bank’s website. Pay more than the minimum payment if you have the ability to do so.
• Don’t get too close to your credit limit. If you use too much of your total credit line, you will hurt your credit score. Keep your credit utilization ratio less than 30%.
• Don’t apply for too many credit accounts in a short time, otherwise it will affect your credit score negatively.
• The longer the credit history, the better. The longer time you have credit in your name, the more experienced you are, and the more information creditors have to determine whether you can take care of your finances.
• Get your free credit report every year. You can get three credit reports each year at www.annualcreditreport.com . It is necessary for you to read through your credit report to ensure your information is correct and to verify that you have not been a victim of identity theft.

When you have a low or nonexistent credit score, you will get higher interest rates on loans if you are approved, which are more costly in the long run. When you apply for jobs, many companies perform background checks as a part of the interview process and they are going to check your credit. Some companies also check your credit history when you are considered for promotions.

To check your credit score for free go to www.creditkarma.com. If you would like to meet with a financial counselor to discuss your credit report or score, simply request a free and confidential appointment at www.ksu.edu/pfc.

Lei Cao
Peer Counselor I
Powercat Financial Counseling
www.ksu.edu/pfc

Teaser Trouble

Have you recently received an offer for a credit card in your mail? Did the offer promise incredibly low interest rates, maybe even zero percent? That sounds like a great deal! However, remember that if something sounds too good to be true, it often is. The credit card companies are in the business of making money. So make sure to read the fine print before you make a decision.

Teaser rates, also known as introductory rates, are low interest rates that a lender charges you for a few months, or sometimes even up to a year, in the hopes of getting you to apply for and use their credit card. After the introductory-rate time period expires, the balance on your new card will be subject to a much higher interest rate.

Here are some credit card tips you should keep in mind:

  1. Typically the teaser rate will only last a few months, and occasionally up to a year. Before signing up for any card with a low rate, read the fine print to find out what the standard rate will be once the teaser rate period is up. These offers almost never clearly promote the standard rate, so you’ll probably have to look through the full terms to find out. Look for the APR rate, which is a standardized way of comparing yearly credit card interest rates.
  2. The credit card companies do not have to, and most likely will not notify you when the introductory rate expires. Be aware of this date if you intend to carry an outstanding balance on your card, because after this date your balance will be subject to the standard (higher) interest rate.
  3. Many individuals apply for cards with teaser rates so that they can transfer a balance from a higher interest rate credit card and, hopefully, reduce the amount of interest they are paying. However, when the intro period expires on the new card, they often find themselves right back where they started, paying a high interest rate because they couldn’t pay the balance in full.
  4. Consider the impact of repeatedly tapping promotional offers on your credit score. Too many open lines of credit, as well as too many recently opened accounts, can lower your credit score. The same can happen if you often close old accounts and open new ones to take advantage of promotional offers.
  5. If you would like to stop receiving unsolicited credit card offers in your mail, you are in luck! You can do so by following the link below to the Federal Trade Commission’s website, and follow the outlined steps: http://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/0262-stopping-unsolicited-mail-phone-calls-and-email

Credit cards can be very helpful, especially for students that want to start building their credit score. However, make sure to carefully read the fine print of the credit card offers, and follow the above tips to make sure your credit score or your wallet don’t take a hit.

 

Tomaz Bogovic, Peer Counselor I
Powercat Financial Counseling
www.k-state.edu/pfc
powercatfinancial@k-state.edu
785-532-2889