Posts Tagged ‘Life Span’

Your Attention Span and Refinance Home Loan

Sunday, February 7th, 2010

Just before you got your refinance home loan, you could stay put up hours listening to the financial mumbo-jumbo. Your attention span was at a high when you received the money. Four years into your refinance payment, you can’t keep track of the thread of conversation with your mate. But ears perk up when you hear the word MONEY.

Can’t Concentrate?

Attention span is the amount of time you can stay focused on an activity, subject, or idea. The average attention span of an adult is 20 minutes. During lectures, you’ll find the audience restless beyond 25 minutes. They’ll be doodling, shifting in their seats, fiddling with their laptops, or raring to take a break. In their jobs, people take long breaks when they easily get bored doing the same task for hours.

One of the reasons why people don’t perform well on their jobs is their short attention spans. If they can pay attention for 15 minutes, that’s good, but not good enough to finish their work on time. If they can focus on a singular task for 30 minutes, better, but having an attention span of 45 minutes is sheer grit, especially if there’s a refinance home loan hanging in the balance.

Other culprits for poor attention span are:

* Lack of sleep

* No breakfast

* Too much noise or distractions

* Too much TV and Internet

* Money problems

* Troubled love life

Check Your Attention Span

There are three types of attention deficit disorder – inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive, and the combination of the two. If you cannot follow instructions, are talkative, can’t sit still, or are always ready to take up something, you are a likely candidate for the disorder.

If you’ve been thinking too much lately of your problematic refinance, home loan arrears, or the drastic rise in interest rates, you’re a sitting duck for a short attention span. Here’s what you can do to find out if you’re having problems with focusing. Before starting to work on a pile of papers on your desk, or entering data on a web-based file, note the time. The moment your mind begins to wander, check the time again. If you have spent only 15 minutes on your task, you are it.

If the problem is financial, a refinance home loan that’s threatening to open the floodgate of telephone calls from the lender, credit card woes, or a difficult in-law, there’s nothing you can do but face the problem squarely. If the problem is none of the above, better take up a new lifestyle:

* Take long leisurely walks whenever you can.

* Eat a healthy breakfast before rushing to work.

* Get enough sleep.

* Read interesting books.

* Learn how to relax.

* Meditate.

Get Help

If your problem is your floundering refinance home loan payments, don’t sit on it. Instead, call the company and explain your situation. They will give you consideration, especially at a time like this when money is getting scarcer. Talk to your partner and put the cards on the table.

Talking the problem over with your mate can release some of the tension, and you can always come up with lifesavers 99.9%. Both of you can take part-time jobs or organize a yard sale, anything to come up with extra money before the red-letter day. You’ll be amazed at the improvement of your attention span when solutions are on the way to solve your refinance home loan problem.

Getting the Best Home Loan Rate Through Refinancing: Reduce Payment or Shorten Loan Terms?

Sunday, October 25th, 2009

You may have observed how your adjustable home loan rate has been at its all time low in the recent years. Many people have started to resort to refinancing in order to cut down on mortgage costs. However, with refinancing, there might still be an element of risk involved. As such, some people find it wiser to shorten the mortgage payment terms instead of merely reducing monthly payments.

Home refinancing is a good option for those who would like to have better control of their finances. It is an excellent way to get a better home loan rate, lower monthly payments or shorten the duration of the mortgage itself. It is undeniable how refinancing is popular mainly because it is an opportunity to lower home loan rate while at the same time get better monthly payment deals. Though shortening mortgage duration is an option when refinancing, there are not as much people who go down this road.

Refinancing to Reduce Monthly Payments

The benefit of refinancing in order to reduce monthly payments is obvious and self-explanatory. When you refinance, you lower your interest rate and consequently lower the amount you need to pay. Who wouldn’t want this deal? The amount you save may be used to pay off other bills, or you can save this to pay for a part of your principal. Of course, you should never fall into the lure of spending some more just because you have extra money on hand.

Reduce the Life of Your Home Mortgage

Refinancing can allow you to shorten your mortgage terms while maintaining your monthly payment. For example, you can lower your home loan rate by refinancing, and then reduce your mortgage life span from 20 years to 15, while maintaining the same monthly payment. It might be more difficult to see how your financial burden is lessened this way, since you still need to pay the same amount. However, if you think of it in a larger perspective and in longer term, you can see how this may be a better deal for you.

You can look at it this way. Imagine a home loan rate of 5% on a 30 year mortgage. This will most likely cost you almost twice the amount that you borrowed. On the other hand, a rate of 5% on a 10 year mortgage will only cost you about 30% more of your principal as payment for interest. With the 20% difference in these two, along with the fact that you free yourself from the financial burden faster, it is easy to see how this option can generate far better deals.

Needless to say, if you still find it more practical and manageable to reduce your home loan rate by reducing your monthly payments, then by all means, do so. However, if you can get by without the extra savings refinancing can provide you; it may be financially wiser to reduce your mortgage duration instead. In the end, the choice will depend on your circumstances and financial goals.




By: Alan Lim