Live Debt Free

Pay off debt. Save. Give. Live your mission.

Lending Club Review

by //

At a time when investors are making record low interest rates of little more than 1-2%, there is an opportunity to earn much higher returns through peer-to-peer investing with Lending Club.

And for would-be borrowers, the news is almost as good. They can borrow money from Lending Club investors at rates generally below those offered by credit cards. They can do so without putting up collateral and without all the red tape that comes along with borrowing from a bank.

Note: A few years back Matt used Lending Club to consolidate his debt and has been investing with them ever since paying off that loan. Over the last three years he has averaged an interest rate of over 10% on his investments with Lending Club.

What is Lending Club

Lending Club is a “peer-to-peer” lending company, matching borrowers directly with lenders.

The model removes banks from the process, enabling the borrower to pay a lower interest rate, and the investor to earn a higher rate of return. The company is the first peer-to-peer lending organization to be registered with the Securities Exchange Commission.

The company began operations in 2007 and has originated over $1 billion in loans.

According the company’s website, the latest statistics–as of November 23, 2012–include:

  • Loans funded to date: $1,348,306,700
  • Interest paid to investors since inception: $114,375,168

77.32% of Lending Club borrowers report using their loans to consolidate debt or pay off their credit cards. Can I get an Amen?

How does Lending Club work

Both investors and borrowers can go to the Lending Club website, sign up and investigate the loan programs available, including loan requirements and grades, interest rates, terms and any other factors connected with the transaction.

Loans sizes range from $1,000 to $35,000 (the maximum loan amount), and are unsecured, personal loans. If a borrower is determined to be credit worthy, Lending Club assigns them a credit grade that determines the interest rate charged. Credit grades are determined by the borrower’s credit characteristics, including credit history and credit scores, loan amount and debt-to-income ratios.

Loan (or note) listings are provided on the Lending Club website that reveal the loan grade, loan amount, and loan purpose. Investors can choose loans to invest in from the listings, deciding, for example, what loan grades and interest rate terms they deem acceptable – then they can save the filters and use them later to find and fund more notes.

How investors benefit from Lending Club

According to the site, Lending Club has over 45,000 investors who have funded more than $1 billion in loans. And they have collected over $114 million in interest payments.

Lending Club Notes ($20,000 denominations) have a net annualized return that is determined by loan grade. For an A note, the net annualized return is 5.66%, ranging up to a G note with a return of 12.07%. The nominal average interest rate is 14.21%, with an average default rate 4%, and an average net annualized return of 9.64% (Matt is currently earning at 10.23%).

Lending Club itself makes money by charging a service fee to investors and a loan origination fee to borrowers, similar to points charged by a mortgage lender.

Investors start by opening a account with Lending Club and depositing their money. They then choose the loans they want, based on the expected rate of return on investment and the level of risk they’re comfortable with. Higher rate loans also carry higher risk, while lower risk loans offer lower interest rates.

How Borrowers benefit from Lending Club

Borrowers can borrow money through Lending Club for less than they’ll pay for most other loans. Since there’s no “middle man” in the Lending Club process, they can see a loan approval in less time and with much less documentation. Borrowers can get debt consolidation loans to pay off credit cards charging, say, 15% with a loan from Lending Club carrying a rate well under 10%.

Which is exactly what Matt did. He consolidated three credit cards and an auto loan, then paid it off in seven months.

Lending Club isn’t a “no other way” lender, and there are some stipulations that keep loans primarily to higher quality borrowers. According to the website, fewer than 10% of loan applications are approved. The credit standards are pretty stiff, with a minimum credit score of 660.

This is because Lending Club likes to deal with borrowers who are going to pay off the loans. Makes sense right?

Some statistics on the profile of the average borrower from the site:

  • 715 FICO score
  • 14.98% debt-to-income ratio (excluding mortgage)
  • 15.21 years of credit history
  • 68,831 personal income (top 10% of US population)
  • Average Loan Size: $12,159

Even with the high credit standards required by the program, Lending Club offers tangible advantages for borrowers who do qualify.

As mentioned above, 77.32% of Lending Club borrowers report using their loans to consolidate debt or pay off their credit cards. How cool is that?

Reasons To Pay Off Your Car

by //

It’s better to be debt free than owe money.

I’m talking everything: your credit cards, student loans – even on your home.

It can be done – if – we make the right choices.

Regarding auto loans: if you have a choice, pay it off ASAP!

Here’s why.

Owning a car is expensive enough without a loan

Owning a car comes with many expenses: gas, insurance, registration, taxes, maintenance, care, and repair. Together these can total several thousand dollars per year. But throw a monthly car loan on top, and you have thousands more.

The secret to success? Pay cash for cars and save money for their regular care. If you take care of them they’ll take care of you.

If you lose your job, it’s one less payment

Living light never feels better than when you lose your job. Suddenly income evaporates (or is lowered to the level of an unemployment check) and one of your primary new tasks is to cut spending. If you own your car, one major expense is already out of the way.

In today’s unstable job market, this is a goal worth making reality!

The RISK of not making your payments

Most of us take the risk of auto loans a bit too lightly. After all, stop paying your credit cards and you may get nasty phone calls and a series of threatening letters, but nothing will be taken from you, at least not for a while. Stop paying on your mortgage and you’ll get to stay in the house for as long as the slow wheels of the foreclosure process will allow.

But – stop making payments on your car, and you’ll lose it, and quick!

If you lose your car you’re probably not able to earn a living. Do you see the vicious cycle here?

Never take this risk of borrowing money lightly.

Own important things free and clear, whenever possible

Call it peace of mind or whatever you want but owning things without debt is as a sanity issue.

If everything you own has a loan attached to it, life can be maddening. Debt is everywhere you look—even when you’re out driving your car.

A debt free car is like a mental and emotional oasis, it’s one very important asset you can own free and clear, and we all need as many of these victories as we can get.

Keep your options open

Few things in life are constant.

As we go through life, our circumstances change,  our directions change, and even we change. Even if you have no intention of it, your future can hold an unexpected life change.

If change does come – trust me – you’ll be better served by having all of your financial ducks in a row. And owning your car free and clear is one great way to prepare.

Benefits of owning your vehicle

Owning your vehicle free and clear benefits you in several ways, including but not limited to:

Sell your car. A car loan is a limiting factor if you should decide to sell. Auto loans reduce the amount of money you’ll clear on the sale ,and (if the loan is large enough) could even render the sale impossible.

Buy your next car. A loan means less money from a sale or trade-in, and that means a lower down payment on your next car.

A lower down payment means an even larger loan on the new car, and the cycle of ever higher car debt to continue. By being debt free on your car, the cycle is broken.

Start a new business. If you want to start a new business, being debt free on your car makes it easier. It’s not just one less bill to pay, it’s also one less obligation to worry about. If you start your own business you’ll want the fewest obligations possible.

Accept a lower paying job. There are at least two reasons this could happen, 1) you’re laid off and forced to take a pay cut, or 2) you move into a job that you really like but it pays less. The car loan, so easy to handle at your current pay level, may be impossible to manage in a lower paying job. By owing your car you’re in a position to move when you need or want.

Raise children at home. How much easier would this be to do if you owned your car debt free?

Just to take some time off. Each of us need to do this from time to time, especially between jobs or before starting a new career or business venture. It’s a way of clearing our heads before the next big move. Whatever the reason, it’s easier to do with no car loan to worry about.

We should work to be debt free in as many areas of our lives that we can – but – your car is one asset to be especially motivated to pay off.

Once you do, many risks and burdens go away, trust me!

Can you see why being debt free on your car is so important? Do you see why it should be one of the first debts to pay off?

Finance Reminders Worth Passing On

by //

$25 bonus for new Capital One 360 Savings Account at Capital One 360

Are you tired of your current bank?  I never enjoyed a bank until I opened my first Capital One 360 Savings Account at Capital One 360.  Since that day I have opened eight additional Capital One 360 Savings Accounts and one Capital One 360 Checking Account.  I can honestly say that I enjoy banking with Capital One 360.  I use their Automatic Savings Plan (ASP) to funnel monthly contributions to all my savings accounts.  ASP makes fast growing savings a no-brainer, which is how I like it.  Once you commit to automatic savings, you’ll never miss the extra amount from your budget.

If you are ready for a switch, would like $25 free money, and think Capital One 360 sounds like a good deal… visit the Capital One 360 Savings Account page and follow the instructions to open a new account today.

Lending Club – invest at 10% and borrow as low as 8%

I have both borrowed and invested with Lending Club.  My opinion?  I am impressed enough to promote them on both fronts.  Back in 2009 we borrowed from Lending Club to pay off our credit card debt and auto loan debt.  The loan was on a 3 year term and we repaid it in just 7 months.  w00t!  Since then, I have been investing with Lending Club to help fund the debt consolidation of other fellow debt haters.  I really dig it.  I am currently earning 10.86% return on about $2,200… and I keep investing every month.  There are currently so few options (if any) for the average Joe to earn high rates of return on his investments… making Lending Club another no-brainer in my book.

If you need to borrow or are looking to earn decent returns on investments, read my review of person to person loans with Lending Club and check it out for yourself.