Free, independent guides to banking, investing, loans & credit

EduFinance
The library

All articles

Every guide we have published, newest first. Filter by topic to focus on what you want to learn next.

42 articles

Personal Loan Prequalification and Origination Fees Loans & Financing

Personal Loan Prequalification and Origination Fees

Shopping for a personal loan involves more than finding an advertised interest rate.

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
SBA 7(a) vs. 504 Loans: Comparing Small-Business Financing Programs Loans & Financing

SBA 7(a) vs. 504 Loans: Comparing Small-Business Financing Programs

Small businesses often need financing for more than one reason. A company may need working capital to hire employees, purchase inventory, acquire another business, or man...

Samuel Mensah Samuel Mensah
Home Loans & Mortgages: Financing Options for Buyers Loans & Financing

Home Loans & Mortgages: Financing Options for Buyers

Buying a home is one of the largest financial commitments many households will make, and the mortgage chosen at the beginning can affect monthly cash flow, total interest...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Comparing Personal Loan Rates and Terms Loans & Financing

Comparing Personal Loan Rates and Terms

Personal loans can provide a fixed amount of financing for debt consolidation, home improvements, major purchases, unexpected expenses, or other qualifying needs. But two...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Mortgage Preapproval: How Buyers Prepare for Home Financing Loans & Financing

Mortgage Preapproval: How Buyers Prepare for Home Financing

Buying a home often starts long before a buyer makes an offer. One of the most important early steps is obtaining a mortgage preapproval, which gives a prospective buyer...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Auto Loans: Rates, Terms, Monthly Payments, and Preapproval Loans & Financing

Auto Loans: Rates, Terms, Monthly Payments, and Preapproval

Buying a vehicle with financing involves more than finding a monthly payment that fits the household budget. The interest rate, annual percentage rate (APR), loan term, d...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Private Student Loans: A Guide to Education Financing Loans & Financing

Private Student Loans: A Guide to Education Financing

Paying for college, graduate school, or professional education can require more funding than scholarships, grants, savings, and federal student aid provide. When those re...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Secured vs. Unsecured Loans: Key Differences Explained Loans & Financing

Secured vs. Unsecured Loans: Key Differences Explained

Borrowing money involves more than comparing interest rates. One of the most important structural differences between loans is whether the debt is secured by collateral o...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Invoice Factoring vs. Business Lines of Credit: Managing B2B Cash Flow Loans & Financing

Invoice Factoring vs. Business Lines of Credit: Managing B2B Cash Flow

B2B companies can generate substantial sales while still experiencing cash-flow pressure. A customer may receive an invoice with 30-, 60-, or 90-day payment terms, while...

Samuel Mensah Samuel Mensah
Bad-Credit Car Loans and Auto Refinancing Options Loans & Financing

Bad-Credit Car Loans and Auto Refinancing Options

Buying a vehicle with a weaker credit profile can be more complicated than simply finding a car and applying for financing. Credit history, income, existing debt, down pa...

Lucas Vance Lucas Vance
Asset-Based Lending (ABL): Financing Against Accounts Receivable and Inventory Loans & Financing

Asset-Based Lending (ABL): Financing Against Accounts Receivable and Inventory

For businesses with substantial accounts receivable, inventory, or other working-capital assets, traditional cash-flow lending is not always the only way to obtain financ...

Samuel Mensah Samuel Mensah
Debt Relief, Settlement, and Credit Counseling Options Loans & Financing

Debt Relief, Settlement, and Credit Counseling Options

Debt can become difficult to manage when balances, interest charges, and minimum payments consume an increasing share of monthly income. When making the required payments...

Rachel Bernstein Rachel Bernstein