Bimethyls

Determining help to finance a college degree can be difficult and will take time. University scholarships are unlike a student loan because these are a grant for education, and therefore, do not need to be paid back. While researching means of funding your further education, investigate some of the special options, for instance funding for southpaw scholars. Lefty Scholarships: — A lefty scholarship may seem out of the norm, however it’s worth considering this: Bill Gates is left handed, so is the president of the US, Barack Obama. Michelangelo, Da Vinci, Jimi Hendrix also J.F. Kennedy were left handed as well. Current statistics suggest up to eleven percent of individuals are lefties. Although in the past lefthanders experienced significant discrimination, now they are frequently believed to be more intelligent and more artistic. Discrimination is not an issue any longer and southpaws are no longer thought to be unusual, as a matter of fact they are frequently associated with the great individuals noted previously.

There are numerous scholarships available for left-handed scholars when you look carefully. A Beckley Scholarship for a thousand dollars is presently available at Juniata College stuated in Huntington, PA. For students of Juniata College and it was established in 1979, this grant helps a lot of students in their pursuit for a college degree. Numerous grants do have requirements and restrictions. Sometimes particular grades can be involved or certain financial requirements must be met. Multiple applications will step-up your prospects of financing a university education with as little debt upon graduation as possible. You might also look at community organizations, societies and even hobby related groups. Bursaries for left-handed scholars are just an example; grants are also obtainable if you’re a child of a ex-serviceman or suffer from a handicap, for instance. Many scholars need to invest quite a bit of your time exploring college bursaries, yet the return will always be valuable. The debt accrued by a university education can be decreased via these funds used alongside a student loan. Ensure you enquire into each scholarship. Left-handed funding is only one of many options – and do be imaginative! Apply for everything you believe you are qualified for, keeping any debt to a minimum, also you will likely be able to expect better prospects on finishing school.

To learn more, you are advised to check out this excellent source for getting a lacrosse scholarship to finish your college facts

If you are struggling with ever-increasing credit card debt, a 0 APR credit card could be the magic wand for you. There are a number of 0 APR credit cards in the marketplace. These 0 Interest credit cards offer cardholders zero percent on new purchases and certain 0 APR credit card offers also allow balance transfers, lowering the interest burden even further.

The Truth About 0 APR Credit Cards

These types of 0 APR credit cards are offered by popular credit card lenders including American Express, Citibank, Chase, HSBC, and Discover. These cards have many benefits to offer if you have a good to excellent credit rating.

Keep in mind, that the zero percent offered with these cards is not permanent. It is an introductory rate and is typically offered for ninety days to as long as 12 months. At the end of the interest-free or zero percent periods, cardholders will have to pay a higher ongoing interest rate. Generally, these rates could vary between 10 % – 14% and sometimes can be as high as 24%.

A 0 APR credit card is ideal when you want to purchase something expensive but cannot find another way to finance it. There will be no interest charges for the in and you will have the introductory buffer period to pay off the expense. But buyer beware … make sure you can pay the purchase off before the introductory APR expires.

Most 0 Interest credit cards allow balance transfers from your existing higher interest cards and many will waive the transfer fees. This is one of the best methods to pay off debts at a faster rate, leading to substantial savings on the interest charges incurred.

It is possible that a single credit card can have multiple APRs including the following:
1) One APR for balance transfers, one for purchases, and one for cash advances – the APR normally would be higher for cash advances compared to balance transfers and purchases.
2) Tiered APRs – Different APR levels can be assigned for different account balance levels or tiers, e.g., 15% for balances between $1 – $500 and 17% for balances higher than $500, etc..
3) Introductory APR – 0 APR as the introductory offer and a higher rate upon expiration of the introductory period.
4) Penalty APR – A penalty APR rate may apply if you are late with your payments.

The Traps to Watch Out For:
A 0 APR credit card is an attractive proposition, and often is too tempting an offer to resist. However, it is essential to be informed about the often-untold catches in these lucrative offers.

1. The 0 APR is a Limited Time Offer – In general, the 0 APR offered is only for a limited period. The period could vary from 3 months to 12 months. This implies that purchases made during this period will not attract any interest. You need to be cautious about the expiry period and remember to pay off before the period ends inorder to avoid hefty interest charges.

2. Once the introductory period is over, the 0 APR credit card may have a ridiculously high interest rate like 20% or higher.

3. On-Time Payment – Most of these 0 Interest credit cards require you to pay the minimum payment on time every month during the introductory period. Late payments will result in penalties that include shifting the remaining balance to a much higher APR.

4. Complete Payment – Certain 0 APR cards require you to pay off the balance entirely before the expiration period of the introductory offer. If not, the default high interest rate could be applied to the entire balance. Ensure that you understand these credit card terms clearly.

5. Applicability of the 0 APR – Most of the 0 Interest cards offer the 0 APR on new purchases and balance transfers in the introductory period. However, there are some cards that offer 0 APR on balance transfers only with higher applicable APR’s on new purchases.

6. Other Fees – Some credit card companies compensate the 0 APR by charging high annual fees or transfer fees on balance transfers.

7. Cap on Balance Transfer – Certain cards may have a cap or limit on the balance transfer amount. This means that the 0 APR will apply only for the amount within the cap limit and anything more will be charged the default higher APR.

While it may be an attractive offer to go for 0 APR credit cards, it may not be a wise decision in certain scenarios. So, before you seriously consider a 0 APR credit card, it is essential to compute credit balances, interest rates, and your pay off capability. Read the terms and conditions carefully to avoid credit traps. Understanding the fine print could have substantial savings apart from trouble free credit rating.

For more information on what to watch for in 0 APR credit card offers, Robert Alan recommends that you visit CreditCardAssist.com

How will credit card balance transfers affect my credit score and rating?

Transferring balance from a high interest credit card to a new lower interest
card can definitely save you money on interest, if nothing else at least until
the introductory rate ends (if applicable). We all receive those infamous credit
card offers in the mail, urging us to apply for a new card and transfer our high
interest balance over, in order to take advantage of the lower interest rate
that this new card has to offer.

This seems like a logical thing to do, right? I mean, lower interest rates on
your credit accounts equals more money in your pocket, true? Yes,
transferring your credit card balance from a high interest credit account to a
lower one is an excellent way to save money on interest, especially if you carry
a lot of debt on your credit card(s).

But how does this affect your credit rating and credit score?The answer to that question really depends on your
situation, and how you go about it.

A closer look

Lets say you have $5,000 in debt on a credit card account from “ABC
Credit Services”, which has a total credit line of $10,000. For this
example, lets just say this is currently your only open credit card
account. Since your debt takes up half of your total credit line, this would put
your percentage of debt compared to your credit line, for this account, at 50%.
We’ll call this your “debt percentage”.

You’re making payments to ABC with no problems and you seem happy with the
account and the interest rate. That is, until one day you check your mail, and
there it is, a credit card offer from “XYZ Credit Services” with a
fixed interest rate set at half of what you’re paying now with ABC! Suddenly
dollar signs start popping up in your head, and you start trying to figure out
how much money you could save by transferring your $5,000 balance to XYZ. You
then decide you’re going to apply for the account at XYZ. Your credit is good
right? No problem! You receive the card in a week or so, and go ahead with the
balance transfer.

So how does this affect my credit score?

How this balance transfer affects your credit rating and credit score really
depends on what you do from this point on, and also what your credit line is on
your new card from “XYZ”. If your credit line on your new card is
lower than that of the original “ABC” credit account, then your
“debt percentage” will be higher, which generally will lower your
credit score. This would be true if you closed the original account at ABC, and
kept your new account as your only open credit card account.

If you’ve had your “ABC” credit card for a while (maybe 2 years or
more), and you have a good payment history with them, then it will most likely
be in your best interest to keep that account open, even if you don’t use it.
Especially if your credit line with your new lower interest card is below
$10,000. Usually for the sake of your credit score, you don’t want to
increase your “debt percentage”, you want to decrease it.

For example, if you keep both accounts open, you will have a total credit
line of $20,000. With your $5,000 in debt on your new card, and your original
account at ABC having no balance, your debt percentage would only be 25%,
which is a good percentage and your credit score will reflect that.

Now reverse that and say that you closed your credit account from
“ABC”, given that your credit line at “XYZ” stays the same,
you would have a debt percentage of 50%, which is what you started out with in
the beginning. Add to that a newly acquired credit card with little or no
payment history on it, and you’re credit score would almost surely decrease, at
least until you establish a longer payment history on your new account.

So for this example, it would probably be best to keep both accounts open.
Your lower debt percentage could possibly offset the hit your score took from
obtaining your new credit card. And looking to the future, it should
look better on your credit report this way too.

Avoid increasing your debt percentage

When trying to keep your credit score as high as possible, try to avoid doing
anything to increase your debt percentage. Even though the amount of debt you
are carrying on your “revolving credit” is the same, it will always
look better if you’re using 25% of your total credit, compared to using up 50%
of it.

But don’t try too hard to decrease it either

Be sure not to take it too far by applying for more credit than you need,
just because you think it will help your credit score by having an even lower
debt percentage. Obtaining any new credit will generally bring down your credit
score slightly, at least for a short period of time. Applying for credit too much and too
often will almost always have a negative impact on your credit score, which
is exactly what you don’t want. Your time would be better spent on trying to
pay down this debt instead.

As with anything, being informed is the key

Balance transfers such as this can and will save you money on interest, if you do it
right. Stay informed about how things like this affect your credit, and you should be just fine!

Jake Rustenhoven is the webmaster of http://www.freebiecreditreport.com and the author of many other self-help and how-to articles related to credit reports and credit scores.