A personal loan is money you borrow from a bank or other financial institution with a set repayment period and consistent monthly payments. Most personal loans are unsecured, which means that you won't have to put down collateral to borrow the money.
Personal loans are a form of installment credit. Unlike a credit card, a personal loan delivers a one-time payment of cash to borrowers. Then, borrowers pay back that amount plus interest in regular, monthly installments over the lifetime of the loan, known as its term.
If you need a quick influx of cash to pay for necessary expenses, a personal loan may be a good option. Interest rates for personal loans are usually lower than those of credit cards, especially if you have an excellent credit score. Of course, you should always weigh the benefits with the drawbacks.
1) To Pay Off Higher Interest Debt
Personal loans typically have lower interest rates than credit cards. If you have a lot of existing credit card debt, you could use a personal loan to pay off what you owe.
It's not hard to get a personal loan in general, but some personal loans are much more difficult to get than others. Unsecured personal loans often require a credit score of 660+, and some are only available to people with scores of 700+.
The monthly payment on a $50,000 loan ranges from $683 to $5,023, depending on the APR and how long the loan lasts. For example, if you take out a $50,000 loan for one year with an APR of 36%, your monthly payment will be $5,023.
Defaulting on a personal loan could result in:
Trouble securing credit in any form for years to come. Difficulty locking in a good interest rate even if you're able to secure credit in the future. Wage garnishment, if the loan was unsecured. Seizure of assets, if the loan was secured.
You can generally find personal loans from $2,000 to $50,000 though some lenders offer personal loans as large as $100,000. Even if a lender offers up to $100,000, you might be eligible for that amount. How much you can borrow depends on several factors, including your: Credit score.
The amount and age of a loan can affect your credit scores. But it's not only the loan itself that affects your credit scores. How you actually manage the loan also affects your credit scores. It's important to make payments on time and avoid late payments or missing payments altogether.
One of the best reasons to get a personal loan is to consolidate other existing debts. Let's say you have a few existing debts to your name—student loans, credit card debt, etc. —and are having trouble making payments. A debt consolidation loan is a type of personal loan that can yield two core benefits.
The easiest loans to get approved for would probably be payday loans, car title loans, pawnshop loans, and personal installment loans. These are all short-term cash solutions for bad credit borrowers in need. Many of these options are designed to help borrowers who need fast cash in times of need.
You'll have to begin paying the loan company back in monthly installments within 30 days. Most lenders provide repayment terms between six months and seven years. Both your interest rate and monthly payment will be impacted by the length of the loan you choose.
In most states, the debt itself does not expire or disappear until you pay it. Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, debts can appear on your credit report generally for seven years and in a few cases, longer than that.
Once you submit the application, the lender will review the information you've shared and check your credit reports and score. It may also calculate your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio—your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income—to see whether you can afford to take on more debt right now.
Once loan proceeds have been deposited into your account (or a check delivered into your hands), there's no real way to give it back. From the moment you sign loan papers, you're a borrower. As such, you're on the hook to respect the terms of the loan, including the repayment plan.
Personal loans generally aren't taxable because the money you receive isn't income. Unlike wages or investment earnings, which you earn and keep, you need to repay the money you borrow. Because they're not a source of income, you don't need to report the personal loans you take out on your income tax return.
You can use personal loans for almost any type of expense, including financing a new car. Personal loans generally come with higher interest rates than auto loans because personal loans are unsecured vs. secured. While you typically don't need to make a down payment, your lender may charge an origination fee.
A personal loan term length is the amount of time you have to pay back the loan. You can find personal loans with term lengths anywhere from 12 to 60 months and sometimes longer. A longer term length means lower monthly payments, but higher interest costs in the long run.
The monthly payment on a $30,000 loan ranges from $410 to $3,014, depending on the APR and how long the loan lasts. For example, if you take out a $30,000 loan for one year with an APR of 36%, your monthly payment will be $3,014.
You will likely need a credit score of at least 660 for a $20,000 personal loan. Most lenders that offer personal loans of $20,000 or more require fair credit or better for approval, along with enough income to afford the monthly payments.