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For the past few years, interest rates have been quite low, causing many people to borrow large amounts of money for a variety of different expenses. Now these interest rates are about to rise, and they will have a large effect on the personal finances of many borrowers. How do these interest rates affect you? What can you do to prepare for rising interest rates? In this article I will answer both of these questions.

When Do Interest Rates Rise?

When the Federal Bank increases the interest rates, the cost of mortgages, loans, and credit cards are also increased. Because the average American household owes at least 10,000 in credit card debt, they will be heavily effected the rising interest rates. If you are having a difficult time making your payments every month or are only making the minimum payments, it can be very difficult to pay down the principle when the interest continues to increase. In a situation like this it could take many years to pay off a loan.

Dont Be Depressed

Even worse, if the economy suffers a major depression similar to what occured in 1929, banks and loan companies may begin calling in debts in order reduce their losses. This means that customers will be forced to pay back everything they owe up front, and if they can’t their homes, cars, or other valuables could be taken from them. While this may sound extreme, history has a way of repeating itself. It is important to make sure you do everything you can to protect yourself and reduce the amount of debt you owe.

Try To Pay Your Debt Early

One thing you will want to do is start paying more than just the minimum payments. As the interest rates continue to rise, making only the minimum payments will do nothing to reduce your debt. If you don’t have enough money to make more than just the minimum payments, look for ways to cut back on your expenses so that you will have more money left over to pay on your loans. You will want to reduce your spending and set aside a budget that will allow you to make larger payments towards the principle rather than just the interest.

Get On A lower Interest Rate

Don’t listen to credit card companies that advertise credit cards at a fixed rate. By law, credit card companies have to give you a notice before increase the interest rate on the credit cards, and very few loans are exempt from the interest rates that are increased by the Federal Bank. It is best to transfer your balances from high interest credit cards to those that have a much lower interest rate. Look for companies that offer 0% interest rates for a set period of time. Home equity loans or lines of credit are tools that can also be used to consolidate and pay of your debts.

Consider A Cheaper Mortgage

If you have a mortgage that features an adjustable interest rate, consider switching to a fixed rate before interest rates begin to rise. This could keep you from getting into a situation where you could lose your home. If you are looking to buy a house, it is important to remember that the cost of houses will greatly increase once the interest rates start to rise. This means you will want to find a house before this happens so that you will avoid paying inflated prices.

Lease Or Buy a Car

If you are thinking of a getting a car, it may be a good idea to buy used instead of leasing a car from a dealership. It doesn’t make much sense to get a car loan at a time when interest rates are about to rise. Buying a used car has many advantages, but you will want to do your research to make sure you get a good deal.

If youve ever opened up your credit card statement and been shocked at the balance staring back at you, youre not alone. More and more, Americans are stretching their credit to the max. The trend toward using credit cards to pay for regular expenses such as utility bills, grocery bills, gas, and fast food illustrates the increased dependency on credit. And credit cards are far from the only type of debt. Student loans, mortgages, IRS debts, and other indebtedness can leave you wondering how you can stay in control.

Know what you spend. When using a credit card, its quite easy to spend much more than you realize. Even small transactions add up rapidly into large balances with high interest rates. For this reason, it can be useful to keep a transaction register for your credit card similar to the one you keep for your checking account. Write down each transaction and add up your spending. If you want to make sure to spend no more than a certain amount per month or in total, write that amount in as a balance just as you would note the balance in your checking account. Subtract the transactions you make from that balance up to the full amount and then stop using the card until youve paid the amount back down. To make this work, you may need to take the card out of your wallet and put it away somewhere.

Know what you are really paying. How much debt are you comfortable with carrying? If you are unsure, ask yourself how much interest you are wiling to pay each month. Then calculate how much debt you can have at that level of interest by taking the number youve come up with and dividing it by the decimal form of the interest rate youre paying. For example, if you would like to pay no more than 25 in interest each month and your interest rate is 12.9%, divide 25 by .129. (For 9.9%, the decimal form would be .099. Dont forget to put in the extra zero for single digit interest rates.) Youll find you should carry no more than about 195 as a balance on your card each month to stay at this interest level.

This rule also applies when shopping for a home. The price tag on the house itself is only the beginning. Consider the total amount you will actually have paid by the time you own the home free and clear. The way interest is calculated for a mortgage is somewhat complex, so ask your loan officer to add it up for you before making a purchase decision. As a general rule, you should never take on a mortgage payment that is more than 30% of your income, and certainly no more than you get after taxes from a bi-weekly paycheck.

Remove the option to use your credit card if you need to. If youve tried several methods of controlling your credit card spending and find that you lack the discipline to stick with the plan, you may need to hide or destroy your card. Hiding the card from yourself may work if you can put it somewhere that keeps you from using it. If you find yourself frequently retrieving it and using it despite the fact that you had put it away, then it may be time to destroy your card to curb your spending. One solution is to put your cards in a bowl and fill it with water. Freeze the bowl and the cards, that way you have to chip away to get to your cards and hopefully any passing urges will be gone by the time your cards are thawed out.

Controlling your debt begins with being aware of it. Everyone finds it easy to pass the credit card across the counter, but when you know what that swipe will actually cost you, youre more likely to think twice about reaching for a card.

Debt is a Product in America
The #1 sickness in America concerning finances right now is debt. Debt is a product in our culture and it is vigorously aimed at you and me everyday, everywhere. As a society, we borrow more money than the last two generations times two and your online credit report reflects these habits! Some companies like Sears make more profit from their credit department than from all the physical products they sell.

But It’s the Norm Isn’t It?
We are programmed from childhood to make automatic decisions regarding our personal spending habits thus negatively affecting our online credit report. A few ‘real world’ examples are listed below:
∙ leasing a car instead of paying for it in cash (unheard of right?)
∙ 90 days same as cash (NOT… really the same in more than 75% of the cases)
∙ rent-to-own (translation = paying 2, 3, 4 times the actual value of the product)
∙ 30 year vs. 15 year mortgages (an accepted lengthy and very costly way of purchasing a house)
What to do? Well, I hate to give the obvious answer here but how about saving money! Try saving money in a money market account for a couple years and then paying for a slightly used car in cash or with a 50 to 75% down payment. Wow, imagine having that extra money every month that most people dump into their lease or high rate loan. Try saving money for 3-6 months interest and risk free for that thing that you needed and you might find that you can get it cheaper with hundreds OR even that you want to use your hard-earned money for something more practical. Your credit report will thank you as well.