personal loans

Once upon a time, if somebody needed money, they didn't turn to a credit card or opt for a home equity loan. And because payday lending stores didn't exist, they didn't go there, either. Instead, for much of the 20th century, if you needed extra money you went to the bank and asked for a loan --...

Going to a bank for a personal loan for plastic surgery, overextending a credit card to buy Christmas gifts, and borrowing from a 401k retirement plan are some of the dumb ways people borrow money. There's also using a home equity loan to pay for a vacation, but that stupidity has been covered so...

Now that President Barack Obama has signed into law the biggest overhaul of the banking industry since the Great Depression, many Americans are wondering exactly how financial reform will impact them. Officially called The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, the far-reaching...

If you apply for a personal loan but the company you're dealing with wants you to pay them a fee up front, that should raise a red flag. And, it's illegal. That's the scenario some consumers experienced when they tried to take out a loan with a company called Boardwalk Capital Funding, according...

Every day, more than 6,000 American households file for bankruptcy. That's right, 6,000. According to an article earlier this month on CreditCards.com, more than 6,200 bankruptcy filings occurred every single day in February, and almost 6,900 bankruptcies were declared every day in March. At...

With credit card interest rates soaring as high as 30%, people continue to look for alternatives to credit cards, especially when an emergency comes up. Personal loans can be a good option, but only if you have a good credit score; otherwise, the rates can be even higher than credit cards. Just...

The money is not rolling in, but at least there are signs that capital is defrosting, at small banks and credit unions, anyway. If you're in need of a loan, here is a loan primer to help you get started: Personal loan Personal loans are those typically under $5,000 and are meant for, as the name...

It's an age-old problem that's been with us for ages. You raise your kids to be independent adults, but...what if something goes wrong? What if, for instance, they lose their job, suddenly run out of cash and need help? Or what if they got in over their heads financially with credit card debt and...

This isn't your father's banker. Your father's banker was probably human. Today, you can get online loans without ever stepping into a bank -- actually, without even leaving your home. But that facelessness can be either convenient or dangerous. You need to be cautious when shopping for online...

A Money magazine reader asks ethicists Jeanne Fleming and Leonard Schwarz "Is there anything wrong with asking a good friend to secure the loan I'm giving him with the title to his car? Tom really needs the money, but he can be pretty irresponsible, and I don't want my $2,500 to become a...