How does Lost or Stolen Credit Cards Hurt Your Credit Score?

How the times have changed to where it's not about who wears the pants in the family and instead about who carries the credit cards! Some husbands, however, feel very relieved on the thought of their lost or stolen credit card, since, of course, a stolen or lost credit card will mean much lesser expense than the expenses their wife does! The thing that actually bothers many of us is that how a lost credit card would hurt our credit score.

How do we handle a situation of lost or stolen credit card? 
Let's suppose that you've reissued your credit card. Beyond any doubt, the new credit card will have a different number. The old card will be cancelled. Will the credit score also vanish along?

First things first, when you lose a credit card, or unfortunately get it hacked, you must flag the transactions as fraud. You get your account credited back in a couple of days. When the thief tends to use your credit card again, even the credit card company cancels the transaction and the credit card can no more be used fraudulently in future.

Further, you basically have two options. Remember that each card company may handle the replacement of credit cards differently.

• You can change your account to a new number.
  This way the original trade-line remains in your credit report. Your account's open date will be preserved and the payment history will remain under one account.


• You can also cancel the current account and open a new account.
  Let your original account show 'lost and stolen' with zero balance and still retain all your payment history. The entirely new account will use the same open date with an outstanding balance as your original one. This will lead you to two credit cards – one closed and another opened. So, you'll have one trade-line closed and the other is opened.

Do not worry. This eventually leads us to the good news - as long as you preserve your original account's open date as well as the credit limit, the replacement of the account shall only be a piece of cake. This will not hurt your credit score and you can easily have a credit check Australia after that.

How to Save Money on your Mortgage

Well, it’s not a rocket science and anyone can do it. Moreover, we are just sharing the simplest of ways here that can help you save some dollars on your mortgage. If you are planning to buy a new home and willing to take a home loan, you need to consider various aspects related to it. The ideal thing to do is to seek assistance from a financial broker or else you can also use a Home Loan Repayment Calculator to know how much it would cost.

You need to set a budget first
Yes, that’s the most important one and you need to work on your expenses to manage your mortgage repayments conveniently. There could be things that you might need to cut, especially related to your spending to stick to your budget.

Next comes lowering your debts
Cancel the unnecessary number of credit cards you own. Instead of having multiple credit card payments, consolidate them to make one single payment every month. Moreover, it is wise to reduce your credit card limit as well and use it only when needed.

Think of paying more than the minimum
Another good thing you can do is splitting the mortgage payment and paying them fortnightly, as it will help to save money on interest charges. Doing this will take the principal amount down and you will save thousands of dollars in paying interest throughout the loan term. If you get some extra funds, put them in your mortgage account. It will make a difference in the long term.

Arrange for direct debit
Direct debit of your mortgage repayments from your bank account will help in making them always on time. This way, you will not miss any of your repayments and there will not be any additional charges incurred to you due to missing payments. Make sure the bank account you select is the one where your pay comes in.

For any financial hurdle, speak
That’s true; if you are facing any difficulties in meeting your mortgage payments, speak to your lender first. Do not wait until you get in real trouble as the way out is so much harder.

If you need more personalised assistance related to your mortgage, speak to our financial brokers. They are always ready to help.

Do You Know About Construction Loans and How You Can Get One?

Before we start explaining about everything, you need to know about construction loans, just know that a construction loan is entirely different from a mortgage. People may use them interchangeably, but they differ, and using them to mention the same thing is incorrect. Continue reading to know how.

Proceeding ahead, are you looking for loan opportunities to purchase a house and land package. That's when you need to know about construction loans.

What is a Construction Loan?
A construction loan, as we call it, is the financial aid for you to build your new home. Unlike a mortgage, a construction loan covers all the costs – from the purchase of the land, the material it will take to build the home and all the costs included until the end of the construction. As we all know, mortgage covers only the costs of purchasing the home, and there is no aid included for the renovations and any additional construction.

How to Use the Money of a Construction Loan?
The money of a construction loan is used at different stages. The first time you'll draw the money will be when the flooring will be laid. The second can be when the walls are set upright and the third can be when the house is secured in good order and when the construction of your house is actually finished. It goes as the builders, the contractors, and you have planned to use the amount.

How Do You Qualify for a Construction Loan?
First of all, you select a financial institution. You can select a bank or a lender. Next, you go with the entire documentation of the construction from the starting to the end. You have to mention the amount of money needed to purchase the land, the materials and the money needed to be paid to the labour. Documentation of the sale of the land as well the building contract along with the drawings shall be provided. Your construction loan gets qualified when the bank's or the lender's maths is lined up with yours.

You can compare construction loans, and get the best possible construction loans that suit you.

Are You Saving Enough for Your First Home?

Do you know the secret to buying your first home? Maybe, saving for it might not sound as exciting as you want it to, but what is needed to be done will eventually get done.

Further, saving for your mortgage payment or for the home loan may get a wee bit laborious too. You may always want to make it easier, in which case, you should consider following the tips given below.

Know how much you should be saving
Have you ever heard of saving 10% of your pre-tax income? Do you know your goals and objectives? Well, any rough kind of guide regarding the savings for your home will suggest you to save 10% of your pre-tax income. However, the savings conditions may vary when we consider the different needs of different people. So, keep reading ahead.

Where does all your money go?
Once you write down the expenses on your notebook, you won't believe the purchases you've made lately. It's very important to know 'where' and 'how' you are spending your money. Are you aware enough? You can consider doing it for a month or a period longer than a month, until you get aware of the purchases you frequently make.

Why do you need to write down your each expense?
We often make purchases that we don't really need in the first place. Window-shopping often turns out to be real life purchases. We see shoes we like, we buy them. The end of this story might not take a great turn, though. Differentiate between your needs and your wants. A set control over your finances is the first step towards saving for your mortgage repayment or your loan.

How often do you pay your credit card off?
You should pay your credit card off once in a month. This ensures that you get rid of all the credit card debt, within time. What trouble would be a bigger than a snowballed debt? Better not to pile it up, and peel it off before it becomes a climb up to the Mount Vesuvius.

You'll be welcomed in the mortgage market provided you are able to save. Be ready to commit some sacrifices in order to save a legitimate amount of money that you can use as proof of your reliability before the lender. This surely builds up a positive outlook of yours regarding the savings you can make. Preservation will help you reach your target. After all, even a river cuts a rock with its persistence.