Federal student loans are available to almost any U.S. citizen attending an eligible school, without the need for a credit check. The government issues these loans and then contracts with servicers to manage their administration. Private student loans are offered by banks, credit unions, and other nongovernment lenders. As with other loans, you must go through a credit check, and you can be denied.
A mortgage is a loan used to buy your home. You borrow money from a bank or credit union to make your home purchase, then pay it back over time. However, in order to use the lender’s money, you’ll be charged interest. So your total mortgage amount includes the original amount you borrow, plus the interest you pay to the lender as a fee for using their financial resources.
Your savings goal plan should short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. For example, you might build an emergency fund and fund your 401(k) plan in the short term, pay down college debt in the mid term, and save for a house and start a family in the long term. To help you get there, make a realistic budget and stick to it.
The 4 stages of an economic cycle: (1) Expanding from a trough. (2) Peaking at the crest. (3) Descending (“contracting”) from the high point. (4) Hitting bottom and recovering, where the cycle begins anew.
Eagle Base, Bosnia and Herzegovina, October 2000: Sgt. Doug Ashburn, front, attached to 49th Armored Division of the Texas National Guard, reads while waiting for a flight home after a six- month deployment in Bosnia.