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Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

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Anonymous
Not applicable

Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

Greetings,

 

It has been 2.5 years since i visited this board. Back in 2015 - i was in a pretty bad financial situation. (a lot of credit card debt and i needed a new car). Needless to say - my credit situation has greatly improved over the last 2.5 years.

 

PROS:

- I have a roughly $21,000 credit limit between all of my credit cards.

- All credit card payments have been made on time for the last 2 years.

- I have 824 FICO score , per Chase.

- I have a 800 CreditWise score, per Capital One - TransUnion.

- My takehome pay is $684 weekly.

- I have $11,900 saved.

- My rent is pre-paid through May 2018.

- I have $9019 in my 401k.

- My auto insurance is paid in full through June 2018.

 

CONS:

- I am 32 and i still live at home with my parents, $200 rent monthly. (i know i should be paying more)

- 2 credit inquiries. 

- I owe $2600 on a credit card that has a 0% APR rate.

- I owe $13,829 on a auto loan at a 5.29% interest rate - $347 monthly payment.

- I owe $2080 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $25 monthly payment.

- I owe $4092 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $49 monthly payment.

- I owe $3300 on a student loan at a 4.5% interest rate - $41 monthly payment.

 

Conclusion -

The above is not bad. Unfortunatly, the worst part is... i was laid off by my employer. I worked there for over 10 years. I now work for the outsourcing company. I will have employent with them through September/October of 2018. Afterwards, i will be let go. I want to start my own business this year. This busness venture might cost around $10,000 to get off the ground.

 

I am having a tough time now deciding on the below options:

 

A) Continue to pay the minimum payments on my auto loan, student loans and the credit card? Meanwhile, i will have a good amount of money to start up my business venture now.

B) Pay off a lot of the above debt now. (If so, which should i target?) and not have much money to start my own business venture in the coming days/weeks ?

 

@Forum Mods - I do not know if this thread should be in this forum, or another sub-forum.

 

Thanks~

 

 

Message 1 of 12
11 REPLIES 11
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

That is a lot of info to take in.....

 

Have you consolidated all of your student loans already? It may be wise to consolidate all three into one loan. I would consolidate them into one loan (if you can) and pay the minimum each month plus the interest. Your loans are small enough that when you start earning more you can pay them off rather quickly but in the meantime enjoy the tax benefit.  I'd continue to pay the monthly payment on the car.

 

My best advice would be to save as much now as you can as you should have 6 to 12 months worth of living expenses saved up just in case.

 

What kind of business will you be opening? Will it be viable? Would you have investors? What if the business does not do well; are your parents going to be okay with you living at home another few years? What about you; at 32 don't you want to bring a girl (or guy) home? Have friends over? Have some privacy? Please understand that I am not trying to be rude or make you feel bad...and I have rewritten this like ten times because I was coming across to harshly..but I just feel that by living at home (at 32) things are too safe for you. I think you should use your degree, get a new job, get your own place and then start your business small at first and then as it grows leave your 9 to 5 and focus only on the business. I am a little sensitive to this situation because I have a sibling your age that is still at home and my parents really want my sibling to move on but they cannot for a muriad of reasons. My sibling being at home is holding my parents back and it really upsets me. Not saying you are holding your parents back, just explaining why I am giving you advice that you did not ask for Smiley Wink

 

Anyway, back to your original question: I would seriously just make the scheduled payments on your loans (principal and interest) and car payment and focus instead on saving as much as you can for living expenses for the year just in case. Oh, and pay off the credit card once the 0% interest expires. 

 

No hard feelings and good luck with your business!

 

 

Message 2 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

Like the other commenter, I'd advise saving like crazy, making minimum on time payments, and get my business off the ground.

 

This is based on the assumption that you have a solid business plan and you can see that you will almost certainly succeed if you invest in the business up front. 

 

I'd include in my plans getting my own place down the road -- that will make you sane and happy.  But until everything gets stable with the new business, getting your own place will be a huge extra expense, so I can see why you might postpone it for a year.

Message 3 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

I'd also suggest pulling all three of your credit reports and FICO 8 scores.  It sounds like you only have access to one, which is not good.  One bureau can look very different from another.

 

FICO 8 scores and credit reports are available free nowadays.  Let us know if you'd like to know how to get them.

Message 4 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

I'm a big fan of living at home at any age. I did until 27 and only wish I had been dumping boatloads of cash in savings instead of blowing it all. Lesson learned. The general mentality we have about living w/ family being bad past a certain age is weird compared to many places in the world where it is commonplace. My parents and I were a big help to each other in those years and without me there, half of a big house would have just been sitting empty. 

 

I was with my ex for 10 years and he was un/under-employed for most of it. My parents would have been thrilled to have us, but he refused. Thinking back, I essentially financed his pride for a number of years.

 

I'm 37 now and just moved in with my current partner and his parents. They're in their 80s and he moved home with them a few years ago to help them and to get a business off the ground. We have 1/3 of a great house to ourselves and they often spend weekends at one of their other properties. I'm on track to be debt free this summer and put a minimum of $30,000 in savings this year. 

 

I think living at home can be great, but have it be an option and not a necessity. A help to everyone involved and not a burden. I have the cash sitting in the bank to pay first/last/security/brokers fee and furnish a place from scratch, but I'm not spending it by choice. I think that's the difference.

 

I would only pay minimums on your debt and build your emergency fund as much as you can since your job outlook is so uncertain. Have plans to drive Uber, work part time retail, basically anything when your contract ends. Keep the cash flowing in no matter what. Hammer down the debt when everything is stable.

 

 

Message 5 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?


@Anonymous wrote:

Greetings,

 

It has been 2.5 years since i visited this board. Back in 2015 - i was in a pretty bad financial situation. (a lot of credit card debt and i needed a new car). Needless to say - my credit situation has greatly improved over the last 2.5 years.

 

PROS:

- I have a roughly $21,000 credit limit between all of my credit cards.

- All credit card payments have been made on time for the last 2 years.

- I have 824 FICO score , per Chase.

- I have a 800 CreditWise score, per Capital One - TransUnion.

- My takehome pay is $684 weekly.

- I have $11,900 saved.

- My rent is pre-paid through May 2018.

- I have $9019 in my 401k.

- My auto insurance is paid in full through June 2018.

 

CONS:

- I am 32 and i still live at home with my parents, $200 rent monthly. (i know i should be paying more)

- 2 credit inquiries. 

- I owe $2600 on a credit card that has a 0% APR rate.

- I owe $13,829 on a auto loan at a 5.29% interest rate - $347 monthly payment.

- I owe $2080 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $25 monthly payment.

- I owe $4092 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $49 monthly payment.

- I owe $3300 on a student loan at a 4.5% interest rate - $41 monthly payment.

 

Conclusion -

The above is not bad. Unfortunatly, the worst part is... i was laid off by my employer. I worked there for over 10 years. I now work for the outsourcing company. I will have employent with them through September/October of 2018. Afterwards, i will be let go. I want to start my own business this year. This busness venture might cost around $10,000 to get off the ground.

 

I am having a tough time now deciding on the below options:

 

A) Continue to pay the minimum payments on my auto loan, student loans and the credit card? Meanwhile, i will have a good amount of money to start up my business venture now.

B) Pay off a lot of the above debt now. (If so, which should i target?) and not have much money to start my own business venture in the coming days/weeks ?


OK, the very first thing standing out to me is your awesome FICO(?) score.  With a score and history like you have, I'd certainly consider applying for a great premium 0% credit card to transfer all of your other CL's to if you haven't already done so (I saw the 2 inquiries you mentioned so I don't know if you've already tried this?).  If you could get, say, a $15000+ 0% card for 12+ months I'd think that'd help give you a bit of peace of mind while you start your business, PLUS a great premium card with no other debts owed *might* help you with obtaining business credit.  I've owned 5 corporations and started them out with just a dream, a prayer (actually, many of them) and blind faith in myself to overcome the risks and I'd personally advise anybody else to do the same with a few "safety nets" (i.e., mom and dad's house, some money in the bank, etc.)... just as you are contemplating and ALL were successful until I got bored with them and let them implode (WARNING: Do not try this at mom-n-ems!!!).

 

If my CREDIT (vs bidness) advice has a hole or three in it, someone much smarter than I will be along to correct me shortly.  BEST OF LUCK WITH YOUR BUSINESS!!!!  We need all of you entrepeneurs to succeed as possible!

Message 6 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

I started my own business in July and it is just starting to take off... little by little. It's a lot of work and one thing I didn't plan on is an advertising budget -- this is quite expensive. I really think that owning a business can be wonderful and if you have a good plan -- go for it but I would try to do it WITHOUT dumping cash into it. Save your cash. USE your credit and pay it monthly rather than all your cash. Medical insurance without a job is INSANELY expensive, it can be $$600-1500 a month with a $13,000 deductible if you're healthy! I think that your best bet is to get some sort of job and do the business on the side around the job. Unless you already have clients lined up. Maybe share a little of what your business is. Good luck!
Message 7 of 12
SouthJamaica
Mega Contributor

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?


@Anonymous wrote:

Greetings,

 

It has been 2.5 years since i visited this board. Back in 2015 - i was in a pretty bad financial situation. (a lot of credit card debt and i needed a new car). Needless to say - my credit situation has greatly improved over the last 2.5 years.

 

PROS:

- I have a roughly $21,000 credit limit between all of my credit cards.

- All credit card payments have been made on time for the last 2 years.

- I have 824 FICO score , per Chase.

- I have a 800 CreditWise score, per Capital One - TransUnion.

- My takehome pay is $684 weekly.

- I have $11,900 saved.

- My rent is pre-paid through May 2018.

- I have $9019 in my 401k.

- My auto insurance is paid in full through June 2018.

 

CONS:

- I am 32 and i still live at home with my parents, $200 rent monthly. (i know i should be paying more)

- 2 credit inquiries. 

- I owe $2600 on a credit card that has a 0% APR rate.

- I owe $13,829 on a auto loan at a 5.29% interest rate - $347 monthly payment.

- I owe $2080 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $25 monthly payment.

- I owe $4092 on a student loan at a 3.4% interest rate - $49 monthly payment.

- I owe $3300 on a student loan at a 4.5% interest rate - $41 monthly payment.

 

Conclusion -

The above is not bad. Unfortunatly, the worst part is... i was laid off by my employer. I worked there for over 10 years. I now work for the outsourcing company. I will have employent with them through September/October of 2018. Afterwards, i will be let go. I want to start my own business this year. This busness venture might cost around $10,000 to get off the ground.

 

I am having a tough time now deciding on the below options:

 

A) Continue to pay the minimum payments on my auto loan, student loans and the credit card? Meanwhile, i will have a good amount of money to start up my business venture now.

B) Pay off a lot of the above debt now. (If so, which should i target?) and not have much money to start my own business venture in the coming days/weeks ?

 

@Anonymous Mods - I do not know if this thread should be in this forum, or another sub-forum.

 

Thanks~

 

 


1. I don't think you should use the money you're going to need for the business to pay off your personal loans at this time; obviously you're managing the debt well or you wouldn't have an 824 FICO score (Are you sure it's a FICO score, not a Vantage score? Vantage scores are meaningless).

 

2. If you want a good source of backup borrowing, in case you get into a pinch, my suggestion would be for you to become a member of a credit union which has either (a) a low interest, no cash advance fee, no balance transfer fee, platinum credit card (e.g. PenFed or Langley), or (b) a low interest personal line of credit.

 

3. When you set up your business checking account, do it with a bank that offers a business line of credit. Don't apply for one, though, until you've been in operation for awhile.

 

4. When you start operating the business, open up a few "Net 30" accounts to start building a business credit history.

 

5. If at some point you apply for a business credit card, stay away from Capital One and TD Bank; each reports to your personal credit.


Total revolving limits 741200 (620700 reporting) FICO 8: EQ 703 TU 704 EX 687

Message 8 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

Thank you everyone for your thoughts and suggestions, i appreciate it a lot. So many people replied in such a short amount of time. All of your thoughts and suggestions have been read and it made me think about a few things.

 

Since posting this thread -

 

I contacted my student loan provider (myfedloan). I signed up for direct deposit. Thus, when the next bill is due later this month - it will be automatically deducted from my checking arround. This granted me a 0.25% rate reduction on all 3 of my student loans. Its not a huge rate reduction, however every little bit helps.

- At this time, i have not fully committed to consolidating them all into one loan yet. I am not really sure what my rate would be if i did that.

 

I contacted my auto loan provider (fifth third bank). About 2 months ago i tried to refinance this loan through Chase. Chase actually denied me! When i asked Chase why - they told me that i basically owe more on car then its currently worth.  I owe $13,829.... and the car is only worth like $8,500. I understand their concern in regard to that. However! With someone who has such a great credit score - how could they think that i would be a high risk candidate for an auto loan re-finance through them? lol... its their loss if you ask me !

 

----

 

I know that there are many credit cards out there that offer consumers a 0.00% interst rate for "X" months. I have two options in regard to this i think.

 

A) Say i am approved for a 0.00% APR rate for "X" months. Thats great. However, this student loan provider does not allow people to pay with credit cards. Thus, this option is not feasible for me.

B) Say i am approved for a 0.00% APR rate for "X" months. I dont know if any credit cards would allow for a balance transfer towards a student loan(s)?

 

Another option would be to apply for a personal loan. However,  Citibank, Wellsfargo and Bethpage Federal Credit Union do not provide that great of rates compared to what i would need.

 

A) I checked CitiBank. Their "Competitive Rate" is : Get a fixed rate ranging from 7.99% APR - 17.99% APR (assumes $10,000 loan).

B) I checked Wellsfargo. Their website says: "Repay a Personal Loan in terms of 12-60 months. Interest rates range from 6.99% to 23.99% Annual Percentage Rate (APR)."

C) Bethpage Federal Credit Union - Their website says "Bethpage offers unsecured personal loans and personal lines of credit"

 

 

In regard to my "FICO Score"  (824) from Chase - it is derived from my Chase Slate card. The perk from this is that it tells me my FICO Score. This FICO scure is derived from my information on my Experian report. It says "Your monthly credit score, based on data provided by Experian"

 

Overall, being laid off is very unfortunate and sad. Going through this experience and talking to my former coworkers - so many people have told me how they worked for other companies prior that did the same thing. I want to be my own business owner one day, so that i can provide jobs to people and who can rely on said jobs for years to come.

 

Thanks for reading~

Message 9 of 12
Anonymous
Not applicable

Re: Finance Decision - What Should I Do ?

I noticed last night that i had a promotional offer on my Bank of America credit card.

 

The offer was:

- 0.00% APR for 13 months.

- After the 13 months, the APR will be 23.24% 

- I was allowed to max out my $6,000 credit limit. However, I opted to charge only $5,000

- Transaction fee - 3%  ($150)

- Balance transfer or a direct deposit to my checking account

 

I will be receiving a direct deposit in 2-3 business days to my checking account. Im not crazy about the idea of having a credit card that has a $5,150 balance out of $6,000. However, i will have this fully paid off within the next 12 months. In addition, i decided that i will be applying this $5,000 towards my auto loan that has a 5.29% interest rate.

 

Message 10 of 12
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