When taking up a loan, one of the first things to consider is the interest rate offered. The interest rate is the money you pay the lender for giving you the loan. The lender gives you the loan, then you repay the debt with the interest amount inclusive.
Understanding how interest rates work on a loan can be frustrating especially if you are not financially savvy. You would like to know the implication of interest on the money you borrowed and how you can repay it.
In this article, we will discuss what interest rate is, and then we will look at two common rates (effective and nominal), and what they mean. Then, we will finally discuss how you can get a loan with a good interest rate.
What is an Interest Rate?
Simply put, interest is the amount you pay to take a loan i.e. a mortgage or credit card. When you take out a loan, you will have to repay the main sum of money you borrowed with an addition of a fraction of the original sum; it is this addition that is known as the interest on the loan.
The amount you pay as interest depends on the duration of your loan and whether your rates are variable or fixed. A variable rate as the name implies is subject to change. While the fixed rate remains unchanging. If you would like to know more about fixed and variable rates, read this article.
High-interest rates result in expensive loans, while low rates reduce the expenses of borrowing money. Before you decide to borrow money, it is vital to ensure that you understand how the interest rate will affect your repayment plan.
What is an Effective and Nominal Interest Rate?
You might have heard of effective and nominal rates before. It could have been from your lender or financial institution. If you don’t know what either of these interest rates is, here are some things to know about them:
Effective Interest Rate
An effective rate takes note of the effect of compounding and shows the real cost of the loan throughout the stated period.
Nominal Interest Rate
The nominal type doesn’t include compounding but shows the total interest paid in the loan. It signifies the actual amount you pay your lender.
To further explain what both rates are, you can call the nominal rate the simple interest of the loan as stated in its terms. So if the offer says a 6% annual nominal rate, you are to pay $100 interest a year for every $6000 of debt.
On the other hand, the effective type is also known as compound interest as it considers the compounding nature of a loan. So, if like the above example says, the nominal percentage is 6 ,but the loan term says that the interest compounds quarterly, the effective percentage will be affected by the compound quarterly and differ from what the nominal is.
Knowing the difference between what Norwegians refer to as nominell og effektiv rente (nominal and effective interest) is important when taking a loan for the first time. Some lenders might specifically let you know that the rate in their offer is nominal or effective. Others might not specify. It is important for you to ask any financial service provider you have in mind what sort of interest is in their loan terms before making a choice.
How to Get a Loan with a Good Interest Rate
Whether nominal or effective, it is important to borrow money at the lowest or best rates possible. So how can you do that? The following are some important ways you can get a good loan with the best offer:
Maintain Your Credit Score
Your credit score depends on your creditworthiness and how you handle debts. A good way to improve or maintain a good credit score is to pay off your debts on time. There are other ways you can maintain a good score. Here are some of them:
Set Your Debt Payment to Automatic
If you want to avoid missing a monthly repayment, then set your payment to auto-pay. But before doing this, check your account balance to ensure that you have enough for this. You wouldn’t want to have an overdraft or cause another financial issue for yourself.
Collect a Credit-Building Loan
If you want to build a good score, this loan can help you. You can get it from a credit union. The sole purpose of this is to help you strengthen your credit score.
Keep Your Old Credit Card Account Open
If you have stopped using an account, it’s wise to keep it open. That is because most lenders consider borrowers with long credit histories. Closing such old accounts will reduce your total credit limit.
Track Your Score
Another way to do this is to track your credit score. Ask for your report from credit reporting organizations. You can cross-check how you are graded and see if there are any mistakes in the report.
Set a Budget
To pay off your debts on time, it is wise to create a budget. Doing so will help you determine how much you will repay every month to reduce your debt-to-income ratio. If you would like to know how to set a budget to repay your debt, check here: https://www.gobankingrates.com/
Exercise Patience
You might not have the time to wait for your score to improve, but being patient and following the above-mentioned factors will work for you.
Having a score of around 670 and above will give you a chance to get a loan with a low rate of interest and a better offer.
Maintain an Excellent Repayment History
You need to ensure that you pay your credit card balance and other loans on time. Doing so will help you clear off debts on time. Most lenders check your debt history before lending you money. They want to be sure you will repay your debt on time. You have a better chance of negotiate with creditors better interest rates with a lender if you pay your debts on time.
Compare the Offers of Different Lenders
Another fine way to get a loan with a good offer is to compare the offers from various lenders. Check if they offer good credits with cheaper interest rates. During certain periods, financial service providers offer attractive offers at low rates. It might be wise to borrow money from them during such periods.
Understand the Credibility of Your Employer
The organization you work for can also determine whether you get a loan with better interest or not. People who work for multinational organizations or reputable companies are more likely to get favorable offers. This is due to their employer’s ability to provide jobs for different people. Lenders feel that people who work in such companies are more likely to repay their debts on time.
Check Your Employment History
Have you worked in various places before? How is your financial situation now compared to then? Do you work for the government? Most lenders check your employment history before they offer you a good loan. They may require you to have worked in your current company for about two years.
Lenders will also look favorably at the loan application of government employees so if you work for the government, you are more likely to get a good offer. Also, your financial situation and reputation at work will be taken into consideration by the financial service providers.
Conclusion
Whether you want to get a credit card or a personal credit, it is important that you understand how the rates of interest affect your repayment amount. Both nominal and effective rates are terms used by lenders in their loan offers. It is important you understand how each of these affects your repayment plan.
Also, if you want to get a good loan with the best rates, it is important you keep some important factors like the ones mentioned above.
