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Credit and Its Cost
What is Credit? It enables the borrower to pay for things immediately, even if they cannot afford to pay for it themselves. Interest is the compensation required by the lender for the use of his/her money. There is a time value to money because of inflation, by way of an interest charge. What is the Cost of Credit?
What happens is that there is a compounding effect, so that interest is charged on the interest. The result is that the lender receives a higher and higher return because the interest charge is levied, not only on the amount originally lent, but also on all interest due on the amounts over the term of the loan. APR - Interest Rate The APR is the cost of credit measured on a yearly basis and expresses a yearly rate. By comparing the APR of loans or credit cards etc you can work out which card is likely to cost you the most. You need to find out what the correct annual percentage rate being charged to you is so you can make decisions on your lending situation because it will affect the selection of credit cards or other loans you are looking at taking on. Using the APR to your Advantage All the time you carry a balance on the card, the interest adds up. A credit card balance can actually increase considerably when you only make the minimum payments. This is because the balance on your card is left to accrue interest over time and so it just keeps growing. Check out what the APR is because the lower your APR, the lower the fees charged to you. What's the Difference Between a Fixed and Variable Rate?
When shopping for a loan, make sure you understand clearly the difference between a fixed and a variable rate.
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