Overview of the Ministry of Education
The MoE is New Zealand’s main state education organization.Originally there was a huge state department covering all aspects of educations, aptly named The Department of Education. This DoE was disbanded in 1989 and converted into more specialized organizations.The Ministry of Education does not teach per say but tries to set education standards in New Zealand as well as develop and expand policies.The ministry offers many services to education providers, parents and the government.They offer a wide range of services as well as information. Some of areas are listed below;Help for Education OrganizationThey get involved with education organizations to help ensure they are following the teaching guidelines and policies.They also provide support to these organizations to make sure they have all the information they need to provide a quality teaching experience to their students.Helping ParentsThey also do a great job helping parents directly.They help the parents make the right decision regarding which education organization is right for them and showing them all their options to help them make an informed decision when it comes to educating their child.Researching EducationThey also are very much involved with researching the current and future state of education systems in New Zealand. They can use this research to better help them make the right policy decisions and other aspects of education leadership.Developing PoliciesAnother responsibility of the ministry is to develop policies for the education systems in New Zealand. The aim of these policies is to help raise the standards of education.Resources for TeachersThey also provide an immense offline and online research resource for teachers. The teachers can refer to this information resource to ensure they are following the correct standards of education, ways to determining their progress as a teacher and learning about how they can further themselves by taking part in advanced scholarships.Providing Help for StudentsThey also help students directly especially for students with special learning needs. This can be a great help to the student who is having problems keeping up or following a particular education program.As well as the areas listed above they also offer a number of useful resources online including a directory listing of early childhood education and childcare providers.This is useful for parents as they can choose a certain location (region and city) and the type of service they are looking for (playcentres, casual education providers etc) and it will show them a list of providers in that area.You can click here to find the ministry’s website which has a vast array of education resources for parents, teachers and education providers.
Debt Consolidation Loans: Home Equity or Unsecured Loan?
According to the Federal Reserve, Americans carry around $5,800 in credit card debt from month to month. Making the minimum monthly payment on that debt would take 30 years to pay off, and include an additional $15,000 in interest. According to the Administrative Office of the Courts, 2,078,415 bankruptcies were filed in 2005–the largest number of bankruptcy petitions in the history of the federal courts. With the new tougher bankruptcy laws, people are looking for alternative ways of managing their debts.Debt consolidation loans are a popular way for people to free up money each month by consolidating several monthly credit card payments into a single lower interest loan. But, the question is whether it’s best to consolidate those debts into a home equity loan or an unsecured debt consolidation loan.Debt Consolidation Home Equity LoansA home equity loan is a one-time lump sum of money you receive in the form of a second mortgage that is secured by the equity in your home. Equity is the difference between how much the home is worth and how much altogether you own on it.A second mortgage loan is usually a fixed interest loan with rates that runs slightly higher than those of a first mortgage loan, unless it’s a 125% Loan To Value (LTV) loan that allows homeowners to borrow beyond the value of their homes. Those rates usually run much higher that other second mortgages and origination fees can be as much as 10% of the loan balance.Home equity loans usually are repaid in a shorter time than first mortgages, with repayment periods typically being between 5 and 20 years. Like a first mortgage, you have to pay off the balance of a home equity loan when you sell your home, so it’s best to find out if there are any prepayment penalties or balloon payments on your loan in case you decide to pay the loan early or sell your house before the loan matures.Benefits and Drawbacks of Home Equity LoansThe main benefit of a debt consolidation home equity loan is that most states allow you to deduct up to 100% of the interest you pay on your taxes. Other benefits include the fact that home equity loans typically have a lower interest rate than unsecured loans, and borrowers can get relatively large amounts of money.While home equity loans have attractive benefits, there are also major drawbacks. One is that if you fail to meet the payment schedule required by the loan, the lender can foreclose on your home and you will lose it even if you go into bankruptcy. Secured loans are not dischargeable by Chapter 7 bankruptcy.Another major drawback is that exploitative lenders target homeowners, especially those with low incomes or poor credit. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), there are many predatory scams, including:· Equity Stripping: The loan is based on the equity in your home, not on your ability to repay it.· Credit Insurance Packing: The lender adds credit insurance to your loan, which you may not need.· Bait and Switch: The lender offers one set of loan terms when you apply, then pressures you into higher charges when you sign to complete the transaction.· Deceptive Loan Servicing: The lender doesn’t provide you with accurate or complete account statements and payoff figures. That makes it nearly impossible for you to determine how much you’ve paid and how much you owe.If you are not sure whether a home equity loan is right for your needs, you may want to consider an unsecured personal debt consolidation loan.Personal Unsecured Debt Consolidation LoanIf your credit is relatively good, and you are employed, you may be able to obtain an unsecured personal loan to pay off some or all of your high-interest credit card debts. With a personal unsecured debt consolidation loan, there is no collateral against the loan. This means that the lender is relying only on your promise to repay the loan according to the loan’s terms and conditions. While the loan amounts are not as much as those of debt consolidation home equity loans, they can amount up to $10,000. Loans up to $1,000 may not even require a credit check.When shopping for a personal unsecured debt consolidation loan, it is important to shop around for the best rates and loan terms. Unsecured debt consolidation loans have lower interest rates than credit cards, but they generally have higher interest rates than secured personal loans like home equity loans. Some loans allow you to take anywhere from one to five years to repay, which can ease financial stress.Benefits and Drawbacks of Personal Unsecured Debt Consolidation Loans
The main benefit of getting an unsecured debt consolidation loan is that if you are forced into bankruptcy, the unsecured debt may be discharged in the bankruptcy proceedings.The main drawback is that you must have good to excellent credit to get an unsecured debt consolidation loan, and the loan amounts are typically less than a home equity loan. The interest rates on unsecured debt consolidation loans are typically much higher than that of a home equity loan, and it is not unusual for a debt consolidator to obtain a commission of 10% or more on your new loan.In ConclusionThe answer to the question of whether you should get a debt consolidation home equity loan or unsecured personal loan all depends on your financial circumstances. If you have relatively good credit, are employed and only a few debts you need to consolidate, you may benefit from getting an unsecured personal loan. However, if your credit is not so good or you have a lot of debts, a home equity loan may your best answer.
Student Loan Consolidation Companies – How to Choose the Right Company For You
Student loan consolidation is a way for graduates to have all their student loans combined into one loan. This loan is handled by one creditor. The creditor pays the multiple loans in full, leaving the student to pay for one new loan. Students no longer need to pay multiple student loans with separate billing cycles, dates or interest rates. They now have one loan and one interest rate, to be paid to one creditor.When considering loan consolidation. You should do the research. First know the terms of agreement, monthly payments, and interest rates for each loan and creditor before looking for a loan consolidation company or program. When selecting a company or program, make it a point to compare them; know their terms of agreement, interest rates and obligations. Once you have carefully selected a company or program you feel is suitable for you provide them the information you had gathered.There are Federal and Private Student Loan Consolidations. Federal Student Loan allows a student to have all their Federal loans combined into one new loan.The government provides Federal programs such as:o The Federal Family Education Loan Program (FFEL). FFEL will soon be replaced by the Direct Loan program and Pell Grant and the Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDLP). These programs allow students to have their loans from Stafford Loans, Federal Perkins Loans and PLUS Loans combined into one Federal loan. These are fixed-rate loans backed up by the U.S. Government, offered to students and parents.o The Federal Direct Student Loan Program (FDLP) was created by the U.S. Department of Education in effort to assist parents and students with their loans.Private Loan Consolidation is combining private student loans into one new loan. Before considering private loan consolidation, apply for a federal loan, the reason for this is to better maximize federal loans that are available. Private companies such as Sallie Mae recommend it.Here are several Federal Loans:
o Perkins Loans are funded by the government. They carry a very low interest rate but are need-based, a financial officer would determine if a student is eligible.o PLUS Loans are for parents of undergraduate students. There are also PLUS Loans for students as well. Payments on this plan will begin once this loan is approved. PLUS loans allow you to take up to 10 years for repayment. Commercial banks and online lenders offer PLUS Loans for both parents and students.o Stafford Loans offer a low interest rate. They do not raise their interest rates any higher. Stafford loans do not require a student to pay any interest while at school and are not required to pay the loan in the six months after graduation. It offers 10 years for repayment.Here are a few private companies that offer Loan consolidation:o Loan Approval Direct offers interest rates as low as 3 percent. Reducing a student’s monthly loan to as much as 60 percent.o SLM Corporation or commonly named Sallie Mae. Sallie Mae offers a range of options depending on the type of school or what education program a student would have. Such programs include Federal Stafford Loan, Parent PLUS Loan, Graduate PLUS Loan, Sallie Mae Smart Option Student Loan, Continuing Education Loan and Career Training Loan.o Citibank provides programs such as CitiAssist Undergraduate and Graduate Loans, CitiAssist Health Professions; CitiAssist Residency, Relocation and Review Loans; and the CitiAssist Law and CitiAssist Bar Exam Loans. Students receive a 0.25% interest rate reduction in their auto-debit payment program. These programs take up to 20 to 25 years to repay.o EdFed is another private company. By selecting one of their plans a student can lower their monthly payment by as much as 60 percent. They also provide interest-only payments. The fixed interest on EdFed is the weighted average of the interest rates of the loans a student consolidated, rounded to the nearest 1/8th percent.