07/04/2020
Day 14/21 Living
*GOLDEN RULES BEFORE TAKING ANY LOAN*
1. *DON’T BORROW MORE THAN YOU CAN REPAY*
The first rule of smart borrowing is don’t live beyond your means.Car EMIs should not exceed 15% while personal loan EMIs should not exceed 10% of the net monthly income. Your monthly outgo towards all your loans put together should not be more than 50% of your monthly income.
2. *KEEP TENURE AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE*
The maximum home loan tenure offered by all major lenders is 30 years. The longer the tenure, the lower is the EMI, which makes it very tempting to go for a 25-30 year loan. However, it is best to take a loan for the shortest tenure you can afford. In a long-term loan, the interest outgo is too high. In a 10-year loan, the interest paid is 57%
20-year loan, the interest paid is 128%.
If you take a Rs 50 lakh loan for 25 years, you will pay Rs 83.5 lakh (or 167%) in interest alone.
But for Young person with low income it is not possible hence advisable to increase the EmI amount every year in line with increase in income.
If a person takes a loan of Rs 50 lakh at 10% for 20 years, his EMI will be Rs 48,251. If he increases the EMI every year by 5%, the loan gets paid off in less than 12 years. If he tightens the belt and increases the EMI by 10% every year, he would pay off the loan in just nine years and three months.
3. *ENSURE TIMELY AND REGULAR REPAYMENT*
It pays to be disciplined, especially when it comes to repayment of dues. Whether it is a short-term debt like a credit card bill or a long-term loan for your house, make sure you don’t miss the payment. Missing an EMI or delaying a payment are among the key factors that can impact your credit profile and hinder your chances of taking a loan for other needs later in life.
4. *DON’T BORROW TO SPLURGE OR INVEST*
This is also one of the basic rules of investing. Never use borrowed money to invest. Ultra-safe investments like fixed deposits and bonds won’t be able to match the rate of interest you pay on the loan. And investments that offer higher returns, such as equities, are too volatile. If the markets decline, you will not only suffer losses but will be strapped with an EMI as well.
5. *TAKE INSURANCE WITH BIG-TICKET LOANS*
If you take a large home or car loan, it is best to take insurance cover as well. Buy a term plan of the same amount to ensure that your family is not saddled with unaffordable debt if something happens to you. The lender will take over the asset (house or car) if your dependents are unable to pay the EMI.
6. *KEEP SHOPPING FOR BETTER RATES*
A long-term mortgage should never be a sign-and-forget exercise. Keep your eyes and ears open about the new rules and changes in interest rates. Keep shopping around for the best rate and switch to a cheaper loan if possible.
Also, switching will be more beneficial if done early in the loan tenure. Suppose you have a loan at 11.75% and are being offered a new rate of 9.9%. You can save up to 52 EMIs if the loan still has 18 years to go. But if the loan only has five more years to go, the new loan tenure will be only three EMIs shorter.
7. *UNDERSTAND THE FINE PRINT*
Loan documents don’t make for light reading. Paragraph after paragraph of legalese printed in a small font can be a put off. Yet, read the terms and conditions carefully to avoid unpleasant surprises. If you are unable to understand the legalese, get a financial advisor or chartered accountant to take a look at the agreement before you sign it.
8. *SUBSTITUTE HIGH COST LOANS*
If you have too many loans running, it’s a good idea to consolidate your debts under one omnibus low-cost loan. Make a list of all outstanding loans and identify the high cost ones that can be replaced with cheaper loans (see table). For instance, an unsecured personal loan that charges 18-20% can be replaced with a loan against life insurance policies.
A loan against property can be used to repay all other outstanding loans. You could also consider other options like gold loans and loan against bank deposits. It is also a good idea to prepay costly loans as soon as possible. Divert windfall gains, such as annual performance bonus, tax refunds and maturity proceeds from life insurance policies towards repayment of these high-cost loans.
9. DON’T NIX RETIREMENT BY AVOIDING LOANS
Indians are emotional about certain financial goals, especially when these relate to children. Given a choice, no parent would want to burden their children with a loan, especially for the purpose of education. While securing your child’s future is important, you need to also assess if it impacts your own future.
Your retirement is as important as your child’s education, perhaps even more. Do not plan for your children in isolation. Let all your goals be a part of your expense planning, it will help you balance better.
10. *KEEP SPOUSE, FAMILY IN LOOP ABOUT LOAN*
Before you take a loan, discuss it with your family. This is important because the repayment will impact the overall finances of the entire household. Make sure your spouse is aware of the loan and the reasons for taking it.
To know more about Loan mangement , please Contact -Your True Financial Planner @+91-8007639503
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