There are five words, “the 5 S’s” that are the key to smart borrowing! If your back is against a wall financially you might not be sure which lenders to trust, or which kind of loan of pursue. But if you remember your S’s you might save yourself a lot of money, and a lot of stress at the same time.
- Small Dollar
- Short Term
- Secure
- Stable
- Smart
Small Dollar
In the world of lending, it seems like the term “small dollar loans” is a swear word! Be it with installment loans, payday loans, or title loans, there is a war raging against small dollar loans. Banks would rather over-lend huge amounts of money for a long, slow payback process.
Small dollar loans, however, are a reasonable choice for many borrowers. They loan out hundreds of dollars, not thousands, and allow you to pay the loan back in weeks, not years.
Short Term
Small dollar loans should ALWAYS be short term loans. These kind of loans have higher APR than big-dollar, long-term loans, so the longer you wait to pay them off, the more it will cost you.
Borrow only the minimum amount of money you absolutely need, and pay it off as quickly as you can.
Short term loans are a good things, but don’t let them sprawl and become long term loans!
Secure
When you choose a lender, make sure that security is one of your top priorities. After all, you will be submitting your personal, private, sensitive information to this business. You must make sure their website is secure, to protect your identity and your finances.
Does the lender have history? A good reputation? Does it have an HTTPS url to show you they have taken the steps to secure your information?
Stable
There are a lot of lenders, and when they compete for your business they often times bend the truth. They will offer great introductory rates, and hide extra fees or balloon payments in the fine print.
When you apply for a loan, make sure your rates are stable! Get it in writing that the APR/interest rates are locked in, and will not change for the life of the loan.
Smart
Always borrow smart! Compare the rates between lenders, ask the hard questions, and for goodness sake read all the fine print, and get everything in writing! Make smart choices in how much you borrow, how long you borrow for, and who you borrow from!