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Personal Loan vs. Payday Advance Which is Better

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So youve found yourself in a bit of a financial bind, and need a little help to get through it. Dont be embarrassed; its happened to just about everyone at some point or another. What you need to do now is figure out how to deal with it in the best way.

And if your credit cards are maxed out, and your family members or friends cant help, there are only a couple of real options: 1) a personal unsecured loan, or 2) a payday advance.

Both Personal Loans and Payday Advances may help get you out of a short term financial jam. So now comes the very valid question: Which is better? Well, that can depend a lot on your personal situation, and what you hope to get out of the situation (besides the obvious cash). So lets take a quick look at both.

PAYDAY ADVANCE (LOAN): Its a cash advance, not a loan!
Many people refer to this option as a payday loan. However, the more accurate description is “payday advance.” It is not a loan. It is a cash advance with a large fee. You write a check to the Payday Advance company. They typically give you 80% of the check amount in cash, and then they hold the check until your “payday” which is typically when the money to cover the full amount of the check will be in your checking account. The Payday Advance company then deposits the check and keeps the 20% as their fee for the cash advance.

Odds are youve seen the brightly lit signs of a Payday Advance shop next to some liquor store or in a strip mall, or you have seen them advertised on TV, in e-mails or in banner ads online. The amount of money Payday Advance companies can provide is limited by state law and is typically a maximum of about $500. In California, the maximum advance is $300.

So, the advance may be enough to get you through small cash emergencies when youre between paychecks. If you need a quick couple of hundred bucks for groceries, if your cars alternator goes out, you chip a tooth, etc a Payday Advance might be a viable, but very expensive, option.

However, very often a Payday Advance is only enough to delay the cash emergency for a few weeks, and not enough to get you totally out of it. As a result many people find themselves getting multiple Payday Advances, which can be extremely expensive when each advance costs you a 20% fee. Ten payday advances over the course of year would equal an effective interest rate of over 200%! A very expensive way to go.

And, since a payday advance is not an actual loan, it can do nothing to help your credit status.

PERSONAL LOANS: Get much more money at a much lower cost.
A personal loan is actually a loan that you repay over time via affordable monthly payments. You can get much more cash than you get from those payday advance places – and you dont pay a 20% fee over two weeks!

Of course, if your credit isnt perfect, your bank will turn you down very quickly. However, CashCall makes personal unsecured loans, up to $5,000, to people in a cash jam, who have less than perfect credit! This is the kind of money that can really help if youre facing major car repairs, medical issues, looming bills, etc. The loan money is placed directly into your checking account in about a day, and there are no limitations on how you can use your cash. Its up to you.

A personal unsecured loan from a company like CashCall doesnt require any collateral or security. You dont need to be a homeowner, you dont need to turn over the title to your car you dont need to do anything except apply, and provide some simple paperwork. The cash can be in your checking account the next day.

You use the money to get out of the jam youre in. And then, you can either make the affordable monthly payments or repay the loan when you can. There are never any fees or penalties for repaying the loan early, and you will minimize the interest you pay by repaying the loan sooner rather than later.

Another benefit of a personal loan from CashCall is that you can actually improve your credit score by making your monthly payments on time. Thats right, you can rebuild your credit because CashCall provides all three credit agencies (Experian, Transunion, and Equifax) with your payment information because it is an actual loan, not a cash advance! And in the long term, thats the kind of thing that can truly get you back on your feet.

CashCall Personal Loans offers high-interest-bearing, unsecured term loans to qualified borrowers who typically use the loans for one-time purchases and debt consolidation. These loans of up to $5,000 are processed entirely over the Internet, phone and fax, and funds are wired into the borrowers checking account typically within 24 hours. CashCall Personal Loans are a good alternative to Payday Loans for borrowers. While interest rates are high, they are typically much lower than those of payday lenders, and CashCall Personal Loans have the potential to help customers rebuild their credit score by making payments on time.

Things To Keep In Mind When Hiring A Car In Malta

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One of the most popular summer holiday destinations for tourists is the Mediterranean island of Malta (Europe). Car hire in Malta is affordable and is a much more practical alternative to local public transport. The fact that the island offers a variety of attractions to visit in very close proximity makes that hiring a car pays off, as less of your precious holiday time is wasted on unnecessary trips with public transport.

If you decide to hire a car on your Malta holiday there are a few things you should keep in mind as regards driving in Malta. Although the core information provided in these tips is truthful, they’re a little exaggerated and should definitely not be interpreted as discouraging you from hiring a car in Malta. Driving around Malta is fun, but more so if you’re informed about what to expect!

Warning – Parts of this article are purely fictional. You can easily figure out which parts I’m referring to though, with a little sense of humour!

1.Where do the Maltese drive?

The usual answer that the Maltese give you when you ask them what side of the road they drive is something along the lines of “On the shady side of the road”, or “On the side that doesn’t have potholes”. The correct answer is really “On the left hand side”. Malta is a former British colony (but has been an autonomous republic since 1964) and adopted the left hand drive system and Highway Code used in the United Kingdom.

2.Right of way depends on the size of your vehicle

Although the Maltese do actually have a Highway Code similar to the one used in the UK, the rules tend to be interpreted in a creative way by a lot of Maltese drivers. That’s not necessarily unique to Malta, but these creative interpretations of road law are probably more noticeable there. What’s most often ignored is who is supposed to be given the right of way in any given situation. In Malta, it’s generally the size of your vehicle that determines who has the right of way. If you hire a van or a Jeep you’ll get from A to B much faster compared to most road users in their economical tins on wheels. If, however, a yellow monstrosity from the Iron Age (public transport bus) crosses your path you’d better play safe and stop – the bus driver won’t. This rule applies to private coaches, lorries and mini-buses (red Ford Transit vans used as private transport).

3.Baking an egg on the dashboard

In times of economic downturn it’s tempting to go for the budget option when hiring a car on your holiday, but in the case of Malta there’s an important luxury you will not want to pass up on during the summer months: Air conditioning. Summers in Malta are HOT with temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius sometimes. Perfect for sunbathing, swimming and baking an egg on the dashboard, but not much fun when you’re on the road. A/C? YES PLEASE!

4.The moon’s surface is smoother

Maltese roads stretch to all parts of the island and getting to even the remotest of places is pretty easy, with plenty of tarmac having been laid over the years. What you’ll find, however, is that the quality of the roads in Malta is well below par compared to European standards. It does get quite bad in some parts, giving you that rollercoaster ride adrenaline rush or making it seem as if you’re driving a tumble dryer. Thankfully the roads aren’t so bad that driving becomes dangerous.

5.Parking, parking, parking

Malta is a pretty small island, and there are almost as many cars as people on the island, so you can imagine parking is a challenge in the busier areas. Problem areas in summer are Sliema, St. Julian’s, St. Paul’s Bay, Bugibba and Qawra.

6.Parking skills

Some nearly faint at the idea of having to parallel park a car, and are relieved to find a regular parking bay back home. No such luck in Malta though, where parallel parking is a necessary skill to posses since most parking spaces are pavement side slots which are pretty small compared to abroad. Surprisingly, exchanging paint is not something that happens often in Malta.

7.Learning Maltese – a beginner’s course

The Maltese are known to be passionate and expressive in their ways, and that comes forward most easily behind the steering wheel, in situations where they believe they have the right of way (but don’t). Maltese isnt an easy language to learn but the best way to start picking up a few words is by hiring a car on your Malta holiday. Dont expect the vocabulary to be the kind to boast about back home, however.

8.Navigation is key

What could be more frustrating than going out for a drive around Malta in your hired car and getting lost? Being Maltese and almost hitting a tourist stopping in the middle of the road who’s trying to figure out whether they should take the turn or not. Driving in Malta is much more fun when you know where you’re going, both for you as a tourist as well as the Maltese. If you decide not to pre-plan your trips chances are you’ll be getting a complimentary intermediate course in Maltese swearing as well. Congratulations.

9.The men (and women) in green

Now as I mentioned before, the Maltese tend to take the rules of the road as guidelines really, but it took a while for the Maltese government to realise that they had a cash cow with udders the size of a horse’s… head. The result? Local wardens, sporting their sexy green uniforms (with cap and all mind you), handing out fines left right and centre. The best tip to follow? Make sure you abide by parking rules by parking your hired car within the white lines only (and not the yellow or green ones) and you’ll avoid having to deal with citations (and wardens).

10.Avoiding being taken for a ride

Scientists spent years trying to figure out the phenomenon encountered on Maltese public transport buses and a study proved what many had thought for years: Time passes slower when you take the bus in Malta. Now, under normal circumstances it would probably be a plus – longer holidays. However, if you’re trying to get from one place of interest to another and you didn’t book a holiday that lasts for eternity, you’ll find that riding the bus in Malta is a waste of time. It is cheap though. Very cheap.

Malta car hire

Don’t be worried too much by this advice – Hiring a car and driving around in Malta is fun and not expensive, especially considering the amount of precious holiday time you save by going around in a hired car. Shop around for good car hire prices and you’ll be sure to find a bargain to suit your budget.

Third Party Insurance Is A Vital Coverage Offered By Car Insurance Policy

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When driving car on the roads, you can never be sure about the hassles that might come upon you in the form of car damage, accidents, injury and so on. It is possible to get into traffic congested roads and bump against another car. Even a small accident can result in huge expenses because repair costs are on the rise. A car insurance policy will help reduce the loss by providing compensation. This is one of the many situations in which it comes to your aid and there are many more.

What Protection Do You Get From A Car Insurance Policy?
A basic car insurance policy will pay out if there is any damage to the vehicle in the event of an accident. If the car is damaged due to man-made or natural disasters, the policy will pay for losses. One of the critical areas where it comes to your aid is third party liability. If your car accidently happens to hit another vehicle or someones property, they can sue for damages. You can cope with liability expenses through compensation offered by the third party insurance coverage. It will help pay for damage caused to third party which can put a severe strain on your finances. In the event that you car collides with another vehicle which results in damage to that vehicle or injury to the driver, it can be used to meet expenses arising from the situation. In the event of a personal accident which causes loss of life or permanent disability to the driver it will pay out a lump sum.

Car insurance offers many add-ons that can be used to reduce expenses even further. These include on-road repair in event of minor breakdown, towing expenses, assistance for lock out or lost key, emergency fuel expenses and flat tyre change. You can also opt for benefits such as depreciation cover, invoice price cover, medical expenses, daily hospital cash and coverage for personal accident to fellow passengers. These additional benefits help bring down so many different types of losses, making them easier to bear.

Important points to note about car insurance
In the event that you sell your vehicle, existing insurance policy can be transferred to the new owner. You can also transfer it to the new car that you have purchased to replace the old one. Policy coverage is applicable only for a period of 12 months after which it has to be renewed. Policy renewal can be easily done online, which saves time and efforts. When you renew the policy without fail every year, your car will not be inspected. You can also avail the no claim bonus which gives a reduction on the premium cost. Premium costs will also be reduced if you have an ARAI approved anti-theft device installed in the car. Car insurance claim process is easy and can be completed online by filling the claims form and submitting it along with required supporting documents.

Car Seat Groups And Stages Explained

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Which car seat is right for your baby or child at each stage of development can be confusing. There are four stages ( 1-4) that correspond to four groups (0-3). Your child will move through these stages (or groups) as they grow. Each is designed to suit a specific weight for child and position in the car. Many of these convert to work within several groups, so you don’t necessarily have to buy a new seat every time your child out grows a stage. When possible car seats should be always used in the rear where they are safest. NEVER place a child in a car seat in a front seat where there is an airbag.

Stage One:

group 0 and 0+

Group 0 seats are suitable for infants up to 10 Kg (22 lbs) which is typically around age 6 – 9 months.

Group 0+ is the same as group 0 but is suitable for a bit more weight so may last few month longer. The age and weight recommendations for this group are 13Kg (29 lbs) which is typically to the age of 12 – 15 months.

Both groups are suitable from birth.

These are rear facing seats. It is advised that they be used in a rear seat whenever possible. While it maybe hard to hear your baby cry and not be able to reach over to them in the front, the safest placement really is in the back.

An infant should only be moved to a group 1 seat when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat.

Stage 2:

group 0

Group 1 seats are suitable for children 9 – 18 Kg (20-40lbs) which is typically between the ages of 9 months up to 4 years old. So, choose wisely, this seat could be with you for a while.

These are forward facing seats. It is, however, still recommended that they be used in the rear seat whenever possible and NEVER in the front seat if there is an airbag.

Harnesses should always be checked and adjusted with growth to insure that the child can not slip out of the seat either through the legs or arms.

As with the group 0 and 0+ seats, a child should only be moved to the next stage when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat.

Stage 3 and 4:

group 2 and 3

These are grouped together because adjustments can be made to a group 2 seat to make it suitable for stage 4.

Group 2 seats are designed for children between 15 – 25 Kg (33 – 55 lbs) or approximately 4 to 6 years.

Group 3 seat are designed for children from 22 – 36 Kg (48 – 79 lbs) or approximately 6 to 11 years.

These seats are boosters seats. They are grouped together because group 2 seats can be converted to use when a group 3 seat is necessary. In many cases the back can be removed from the booster seat moving it from a group 2 to a group 3.

Boosters seats do not have a harness system. Instead they are designed for use with adult seat belts. When properly fitting the diagonal part of the seat belt should be across the chest and NOT across the neck.

Once again, as with all stages of car seats, a child should only be moved to the next stage when they have either exceeded the weight limit or the top of their head is above the back of the seat and it is always recommended that any car seat be used in the rear seat whenever possible and NEVER in the front seat if there is an airbag.