Do you need to refinance your student loan? There are millions of former college students out there stuck with student loans that have annual percentage rates (APRs) that are just way too high. When we signed up for the loans, we just wanted to get into college and we weren't worried about paying them off. After all, we didn't have to pay them back until we were out of school and by then we would have a great job and be rolling in money. Well, now the time has come to pay the piper. The good news is that there are a few ways that you can ease the burden of your student loans.
APR Is The Key
What you want when you go about refinancing a student loan is a lower APR, or annual percentage rate. Your APR is essentially what it costs you to get credit from a lender. Your APR is a percentage of your loan and the amount of money it represents diminishes as your total loan amount diminishes when you make payments. Lenders profit by charging APRs for their loans.
Fees For Refinancing?
Another vital thing you have to think about when you go to refinance your loan is the actual cost of refinancing. While there are some lenders that won't charge you an upfront fee, there are some that will. Avoid lenders that want to charge you an upfront fee that will end up costing you more on a monthly basis, as that totally defeats the purpose of refinancing in the first place. If a lender wants to charge you a small upfront fee that saves you money via lower monthly payments, you can consider it but just know that those fees will cost you more in the long term.
Will The Bank Help?
The first place you should look to refinance your student loan is your bank. The bank in which you do your personal banking is a great place to begin because you already have a financial relationship with that institution and they know you. Your bank has records of all the business you've done with them and has a good picture of your financial situation. Your bank check your credit report just like any other lender, but banks often enjoy having customers participating in several of their "products," as it gives them stronger bonds with individuals that are less likely to default on their loans because of their strong relationship with their bank.
Conclusion
There are certainly other ways in which you can refinance your student loan, but you must always be suspicious of some lenders, especially those that you have never heard of. Some of these lenders often will write loans with excessive jargon that ends up putting the borrower in a really bad situation. If you decide to try one of these lenders, make sure you go over all the fine print and thoroughly examine everything loan before you sign on the dotted line. You may even want to have an accountant or financial advisor look over it for you. You can save a lot of money if you refinance a student loan, but you have to make sure you get the right loan.
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