Cheryl Zhao

Cheryl Zhao

Cheryl Zhao, a financial expert, has been a part of our team for five years. After earning her MBA from MIT Sloan School of Management, she worked as a real estate broker before turning to blogging. Cheryl’s extensive knowledge of the housing market and trends, coupled with her passion for financial literacy, makes her blog posts an essential read for anyone considering becoming financially independent.

How to Repair Bad Credit

Credit ratings are a decisive factor for any financial emergency, so to repair bad credit is essential. Repairing bad credit is something you should definitely look into, if you need to get approved for a new loan, shop for car…

How to Get a €2500 Loan in Finland?

Do you need quick cash in your bank account? We all have moments in our lives where we need money in a hurry. Whether it’s to settle an urgent medical expense, furnish your lounge, buy a new car, or go on holiday, a loan can help you find the funds you need. So, what are the credit facilities on offer in Finland? How can you source a loan at the best rate possible? Unsecured Loans An unsecured loan describes a loan that does not require any collateral from your lender. These loans are typically for amounts of €2500 or less. Be careful when you select your choice of financial provider for these loans. Only work with reputable lenders that are licensed by the local monetary authorities. There are various financial vehicles available to consumers that offer unsecured credit facilities. Credit Cards Dig through your spam folder, and you’ll probably find credit card companies and banks offering you a credit card. This type of credit facility provides you instant access to cash, based on your current credit profile and income. It’s possible to receive an interest moratorium on any credit you spend with the card. However, this moratorium will end around 55 to 60-days after purchase and interest added to any payments after that. Cash Loans Are you in need of cash in a hurry? Instant cash loans are available for a multitude of credit providers. The most common type of unsecured cash loan is a payday loan, where credit providers loan you money against your next paycheck. Hire Purchase Facilities These credit facilities are available for people that want to purchase a new car or another consumer product such as a lounge suite. These credit agreements are typically structured over anywhere between a 6-month to 5-year period. Interest can be […]

7 Reasons not to Borrow from your 401(k)

Can you think of any reasons not to borrow from your 401(k)? Having a traditional retirement savings plan in place often triggers the temptation to borrow from it. After all, it’s your money! Before making any financial mistakes though, consider…

Pay off Debt or Save Money?

US families face 2 main financial problems: low savings and huge debt. After years of trying to pay off debt or save money, most people ask themselves: ‘Which should come first? Debt payment or savings?’ There is no clear answer…

6 Retirement Planning Steps to Make Before It’s Too Late

Retirement planning – if you shudder hearing these words, don’t. While it’s stressful to think about this, if you take care of the basic steps starting from today, you stand a great chance to retire earlier and also enjoy your golden years. Don’t rely on anyone to care for you, you can set yourself for retirement. In most countries the state pension plans are almost bankrupt or not looking great anyway. We both know that the baby-boomers generation won’t happen to soon anymore, as most of us have no kids at all or have 1-2 the most. This means that, when we’ll grow old enough to retire, there will be fewer young people to pay taxes for our pensions. Hence the reason why we should all consider the state pension to be amazing and wonderful, if we get any, but don’t expect anything from it anyway. We’ll get older, there’s nothing to do about this, so, if we cannot avoid retirement, we should get financially ready for it. Here are 6 steps to consider for your retirement planning 1. Curb your spending and get control over your money If you routinely overspend and have absolutely no idea about where your money goes, I have bad news for you – when you retire, you’ll get into bigger troubles than now. At least today you have your salary, most likely, imagine your reckless spending with a fraction of what you earn today. Not pretty at all, right? Start budgeting, even if it’s a very simple system, like we already showed you on Pftoday, and see if you can start saving some money this way. Having an emergency fund ready will also make it easier for you to further achieve your financial goals. 2. Pay off debt as much as possible If you […]