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The DollarVisor Blog

Short guides that answer one money question at a time, across insurance, credit cards, loans and investing.

400 guides (page 12)

Loans Student Loan Forgiveness: Which Programs Are Real Real student loan forgiveness exists, but only through a short list of federal programs: PSLF, income-driven forgiveness, teacher fo… Read the guide → Loans How to Get a Cosigner Released From a Loan A cosigner release takes your cosigner's name and legal liability off the loan while the loan itself stays open. Lenders advertise i… Read the guide → Loans Car Repossession: What Happens and What’s Next A car repossession takes the car, sells it at auction, and then bills you for whatever the sale did not cover. That last bill is the… Read the guide → Loans Upside-Down Car Loan: How to Fix Negative Equity An upside down car loan means your payoff is bigger than your trade-in value. Every fix is a version of three moves: pay cash into t… Read the guide → Loans How to Get Out of a Car Loan You Can’t Afford You can get out of a car loan you can't afford, but which door opens depends on one number: your equity. If the car is worth more th… Read the guide → Loans Title Loans: Why They’re Risky (and 5 Alternatives) Title loans charge a monthly fee of up to 25%, which is about 300% a year, and they are secured by your car. The federal government'… Read the guide → Loans Family Loan Agreements: Rules, Rates and Taxes A family loan agreement is a written promissory note between relatives. Above $10,000 the IRS expects at least the Applicable Federa… Read the guide → Loans No Credit Check Loans: What’s Legit, What’s a Trap Some no credit check loans are legitimate and cheap: payday alternative loans capped at 28%, savings-secured loans, credit-builder l… Read the guide → Loans Can You Get a Loan Without a Job? Real Options Yes, you can get a loan without a job: if you can show income from another source. Unemployment benefits, Social Security, a pension… Read the guide → Loans Credit Union Loans: Rates vs Banks Compared Credit union loans priced below bank loans on every loan product federal regulators tracked in December 2025: 5.44% vs 7.41% on a 60… Read the guide → Loans Personal Line of Credit vs Personal Loan A personal line of credit is a reusable pool of money: you draw what you need and pay interest only on the balance, usually at a var… Read the guide → Loans How Much Can You Borrow With a Personal Loan? US lenders advertise $1,000 to $100,000. Almost nobody gets the top of that range. Three separate ceilings apply (the lender's produ… Read the guide → Loans Can You Pay Off a Personal Loan Early? Yes. Almost every US personal loan can be paid off early, and most lenders charge nothing to do it. What changes is the size of the… Read the guide → Loans Do Personal Loans Hurt Your Credit? Briefly, and by less than most people fear. Do personal loans hurt your credit? The application itself costs most borrowers under fi… Read the guide → Loans What Can You Use a Personal Loan For? Almost anything. The question of what can you use a personal loan for has a short banned list: margin stock, gambling, illegal activ… Read the guide → Loans Why Was Your Loan Denied? 8 Reasons and Fixes If you are asking why was my loan denied, federal law gives lenders eight standard reasons, and your credit score is not the most co… Read the guide → Loans Personal Loan Requirements: What Lenders Check Personal loan requirements run through two gates, not one. Your credit file decides whether the lender will read your application at… Read the guide → Loans Secured vs Unsecured Loans: What’s the Difference Secured vs unsecured loans comes down to one number. A secured loan is backed by something you own; an unsecured loan is backed only… Read the guide → Loans Fixed vs Variable Interest Rates: Which to Pick Fixed vs variable interest rates is not a personality test. It is a size-of-discount question. A variable rate is only worth taking… Read the guide → Loans What Is a Prepayment Penalty? How to Avoid One A prepayment penalty is a fee for paying a loan off early. On a standard mortgage, federal rules cap it at 2% for two years, 1% in y… Read the guide → Loans What Is an Origination Fee on a Loan? An origination fee is an upfront charge for setting up your loan. Most lenders take it out of the money they send you, so you receiv… Read the guide → Loans What Is Loan Amortization? (Chart Included) Loan amortization is the schedule that splits every fixed payment between interest and principal. Interest is charged on what you st… Read the guide → Loans How Is Loan Interest Calculated? The Simple Math How is loan interest calculated? Your unpaid balance multiplied by your rate, multiplied by the time the balance sat there. Most US… Read the guide → Loans APR vs Interest Rate: What’s the Difference? The interest rate is what the lender charges on the money. The APR is that rate plus the fees you pay to get the loan, quoted as one… Read the guide →