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When it comes to borrowing money, you may have a lot of questions. The following information can help you navigate the lending process and borrow wisely.

A Step-By-Step Guide to Buying Your Home

The most important day in my life wasn't the day I got married, but the day my husband and I bought our first home. Lest you think I'm unfeeling and materialistic, my husband absolutely agrees with me. We always knew we'd get married, but buying a house was a dream that we weren't entirely sure would come true, especially in our hometown of San Francisco - one of the most expensive housing markets in the country.

How Home Equity Loans Work

Your home may hold the key to achieving many of your financial goals. Ilyce Glink, a syndicated real estate columnist and author of 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask, reports that the younger you are when you buy a home, the wealthier you will be in your lifetime. It's true that the greatest component of personal wealth in America is home equity.

What to Consider Before You Take Out a Loan

Remember when your parents taught you that you could only get that candy or toy you wanted if you saved your pennies? Money-savvy adults know that saving before spending is still a good rule of thumb. Unfortunately, grown-up realities aren't often that clear-cut. While a cash-only approach to managing your money might be an ideal to strive for, opportunities and emergencies crop up -- usually at the times when you're least prepared for them. So how do you know when borrowing is a good idea and when it isn't?

How to Deal with a Loan Denial

You already had the color of your new car picked out or made on offer on your dream home when you got the call - your loan application has been denied. Besides being potentially heartbreaking (when will you find another "perfect" home in your price range?), a loan denial can be a financial wake-up call.

Understanding Your Loan Agreement

Loan agreements can range from simple to complicated depending on the lender and the type of loan you're getting. Home, auto, student, personal and business loans -- they all use their own unique language. Nonetheless, all loans have a few key elements in common. Here are definitions and descriptions of some of the terms and features you're likely to come across in just about any loan agreement.

Where to Find Loans for Your Business

Most businesses need outside funding at one time or another. Even if you don't have wealthy relatives or rich (and generous) friends, you can still get the money you need to keep your business rolling along. Since gaining new credibility as the cornerstone of American commerce, small businesses have been receiving more support from the government and the financial industry.

The Basics of Student Loans

Most parents start worrying about how they're going to pay for Junior's college education before he's done with kindergarten—and with good reason. According to The College Board, a non-profit association of over 6,000 schools, colleges and universities, the average annual cost of attending an in-state public college is about $20,090. Private schools average over twice that—about $45,370.

Scary as that may seem, millions of students manage to attend the college or university of their choice, thanks in large part to the availability of need-based government-guaranteed student loan programs.

Where You Can Find a Personal Loan

When you take out an auto loan you buy an auto. With a home loan you buy a home. So what do you use a personal loan for? Just about anything you please -- a big trip, computer equipment, plastic surgery, a piece of art, you name it. The list of potential sources for a personal loan is not quite as long as the list of possible uses for the money, but there are quite a few options, and each one offers its own advantages.