We hear many horror stories about personal loans. As it’s Halloween here’s a bit of advice for beginners.

If you’re looking to borrow a sum of money then the chances are that you’ll look to take out a personal loan rather than any other type. The term personal loan is simply used to describe standard types of borrowing – i.e. a loan taken out by a consumer rather than a business for general purposes (but not for a mortgage which is obviously dealt with by a mortgage loan).

The majority of personal loans can be used for any purpose and the chances are that your lender won’t even be hugely interested in what you want the money for. Their primary concern is checking that you’ll be able to repay your loan! This situation can be different with specialist loans (which also fall under the banner of personal loans) such as home improvement loans and car loans, for example. These loans are expected to be used for their specified purpose – i.e. a major DIY project or a car purchase.

Apart from this fact the majority of personal loans work in much the same way. You apply for your loan, get your money and then spend it as you intended. You will then make a regular payment (usually on a monthly basis) to your lender to repay the money you borrowed for the period of time in your loans agreement. This payment will be made up of a sum of money that goes to pay off the original sum you borrowed plus a sum that goes towards paying off the interest you’ll be charged. So, at the end of your loan term you’ll have repaid your original borrowings and the interest attached to your particular loan.

One difference worth noting here is that between unsecured and secured personal loans. Unsecured loans are given to consumers without security (or to those that choose not to use available security to get a loan). These loans will generally have higher interest rates attached to them than secured loan options and you may be restricted in how much you can actually borrow here. Secured loans, on the other hand, will have lower interest rates and can be taken out for higher sums. The reason behind this is the fact that this kind of loan will use your property (usually your home) as a guarantee against your loan. So, if you default on your repayments your lender has a cast-iron guarantee that they will get their money back via the property you used as security.

If you aren’t a home owner then you will generally be restricted to taking out unsecured loans here but, if you do own your own property, then you’ll have to make a choice between a secured or unsecured loan. This really boils down to personal preference and how comfortable you are using your home as security in order to get a better deal. In the majority of cases this isn’t an issue and most people will opt for secured loans to get the right kinds of rates and loan amounts for their purposes.

Do be careful to make sure that you understand both how personal loans work and how to get the best rates for the loans you take out before you sign up to anything. There are hundreds of sites on the Internet that can give you more detailed information or that can even help you apply for a loan – take a look online for personal loans in a UK search engine (such as msn.co.uk for example) before you start for some useful information.

Our guest writer, Gary Tallon, is a UK finance author with over 10 years of journalistic experience behind him. To read some more of his wisdom visit his http://cheap-personal-loans.blogspot.com & http://life-insurance-cover.blogspot.com blogs.

The Money Blog has no connection with the author or the websites.

What are the best strategies for saving money on mortgages? Here Seymore Hennigan gives us the lowdown.

We all like to save money. Why pay more for something, when you can pay less? We could all use an extra few dollars in our pockets, couldn’t we? Most people don’t realize that there are a number of ways to save money on their mortgage. If you were to take out a mortgage on a 25 year term, chances are that by the time you repay the entire loan you will have paid the bank double the amount you borrowed. And you wonder how the banks are making record profits?

One of the best ways to save money on your mortgage is to put down the biggest down payment you possibly can. This way, the initial amount you are borrowing from the bank is lower and the interest you are paying back will be less than if you borrowed a larger amount. Most of us do not have tens of thousands of dollars sitting around. If possible, why not consider borrowing your down payment from a family member? The banks are not particularly keen on this practice, but if someone in your family can afford to loan you the money without interest it can be very helpful in the long run.

Another thing to consider, once you have been approved for a mortgage, is your repayment frequency. Most people opt for a simple monthly payment. There are other ways, however, to approach this. Why not increase the rate of repayment? If you can manage making a mortgage payment either weekly or bi-weekly, you will save thousands of dollars over the term of your mortgage. Many banks will also allow you to make an annual lump sum payment on the principle of your mortgage. It is wise to take advantage of this opportunity, as you are paying directly on the principle amount of your loan.

For most people, purchasing a home is the single greatest investment they make in their lifetime. Owning a home provides stability for your family, and in time you will have a significant amount of equity tied up. Buying a house can be considered an investment, and you should look at ways to maximize your investment. There are ways to save money on your mortgage, and you would be wise to consider all of your options. Wouldn’t you rather make your money work for you, than to always work for your money? Short term compromises can lead to long term savings. Think ahead!

Our guest author, Seymore Hennigan, has worked in finance for many years. When he is not crunching numbers or advising his family and friends on investments, he writes freelance articles for mortgageguide101.com – an independent mortgage guide filled with extensive information about buying a new home - http://www.mortgageguide101.com/buying-a-house.aspx, home buying tips - http://www.mortgageguide101.com/articles/when-you-shouldn’t-buy-a-house.aspx, first time home buying - http://www.mortgageguide101.com/first-time-home-buyers.aspx and more.

The Money Blog has no financial connection with the above websites and businesses.

There are many ways of finding a loan. Nowadays many people go online to dig out the crucial details of both lenders and loans. Here, John Mussi takes us through the process:

Researching the options available to you for a loan can be a long task, especially if you don’t take advantage of some of the features available to you on the internet. In addition to simply finding out basic loan information, you can whether certain types of loans are right for you and in the case of some lenders actually apply for your loan directly from the lender’s website.

In order to find out whether researching your loan options online is right for you and to learn how to do your research so as to optimize your experience, here is some information on online loan research options that you might find helpful.

Starting your search
When starting a search for loan information online, you should always use your preferred search engine to find the sites that may provide you with the information that you’re looking for. Use keywords for the type of loan or lender that you want information on, and you should receive several pages worth of results for potential lenders and financial information sites. Generally, the first page of results will offer you the most pertinent results for your search keywords, though some may also appear on the second page.

Of course, if you’re looking for a specific lender, you can search for their website or go directly to it if you have the website URL.

Researching physical lenders
If you’re looking for additional information on physical lenders in your area, you can likely find out about them and the loans that they offer form the lender’s website or from a portal website that has links and information on several different lenders of the same type.

Depending upon how complex the website is, you may be able to find either a large or a smaller amount of information on lender specifics or on certain types of loans. Even for those websites that are primitive and don’t offer much in the way of specific information, you can still find phone numbers and ways to contact customer support and make information requests.

You can also take time to research other methods of finding information, such as service reviews from online newspapers and e-zines as well as “best of” competitions that some communities have to determine which businesses in their area provides the best services.

Finding an online lender
In addition to simply finding information on physical lenders, you can use the internet to find a lender that does their business exclusively online. These lenders tend to offer competitive if not lower interest rates than their physical competitors, in large part due to the reduced overhead of doing their work online.

To find an online lender, you should begin in much the same way as you would begin your search for information on any other lender… utilize your preferred search engine or enter in the URL of an online lender’s website that you’ve seen advertised in newspapers, tabloids, or on the television.

Online lenders usually have large amounts of information on their services available on their website, though if you don’t find the information that you’re looking for then you will also have a variety of contact options available with which to request the information that you want.

When you can’t find the information that you want
It’s important to realize that a website, no matter how complex it may be, might not have the information that you’re looking for. If this is the case, feel free to use a contact form, send an e-mail, or call a provided phone number with your specific questions. That’s what they’re there for… to answer whatever questions you might have.

Our guest author is John Mussi, founder of Direct Online Loans which help homeowners find the best available loans via the www.directonlineloans.co.uk website. The Money Blog has no connections with this website.

Shopping around for a mortgage in the UK is not as simple as it seems. To begin with, it’s important to understand how mortgages are regulated and sold. There are some things you need to know and consider before you can go out looking for a mortgage.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) requires lenders to show you a special document called keyfacts. Make sure you read the keyfacts before getting a mortgage or choosing a financial adviser. The keyfacts will help you see the features of the mortgage product, how much it will cost you and also help you understand what service you are being offered. You’ll also be able to use this document to compare mortgage products or services from different lenders.

Also, check that the firm you are dealing with is authorized by the FSA. If they are not authorized you will not have access to complaints procedures and compensation schemes if things go wrong.

Some of the things you should consider when choosing a mortgage lender includes:

* Competitiveness of the lender’s rates,
* Mortgage fees and penalties,
* Customer service and the lender’s reputation.
* Trust (You’ll want a lender you can trust, and a company you can work with effectively since you’ll have to deal with this lender for many years to come.)

Ask your friends or family for recommendations of potential mortgage lenders or brokers. Then contact some of the lenders and discuss your needs with them. Using keyfacts to compare different mortgage packages and services will help you get a better deal. Read expert opinions in national newspapers and magazines. These publications usually publish editorials that rate mortgage and loan deals from various banks and lenders. This information will give you a better idea of what to expect when you start shopping around for a mortgage.

Take time to choose a lender so that you can save money on your mortgage. There are hundreds of mortgage deals available out there so don’t be tempted to settle for the first offer before finding out what deals are available elsewhere. Shopping around for a mortgage will help you to get the best financing deal. If you don’t have the time to do it yourself, you can use the services of a broker or use an internet site that offers a mortgage comparison facility.

Finally, think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.

Bwalya Mwaba manages the UK Council’s Directory at http://www.council-right-to-buy-mortgages.org.uk/ and he’s also webmaster for a home loans guide website.

Disclaimer: Information in this post does not constitute financial advice and should not be used as such.