Below are the 2 most recent journal entries recorded in annicepondexter's InsaneJournal:

Monday, October 10th, 2011
1:39 am	Debt Consolidation Debt Consolidation Debt consolidation loans allow the consumer to make one simple payment a month as opposed to dispersing multiple payments to all their creditors. In turn, the consolidation company fronts the money to the consumer so they can pay off their creditors in full. In simple terms, taking out a debt consolidation loan implies the process in which a company provides you with money to pay off your debts while clearing the headache of dealing with a number of creditors on a monthly basis. The new “debt you face exists in a consolidated form and owed to the company providing you the loan. And while this has been a popular debt relief option for many consumers facing outstanding debt obligations, there are a number of risks involved in taking out a consolidation loan that need to be recognized before moving forward with such a debt relief option. An initial perk of a debt consolidation loan is a lower monthly payment. The debt consolidation loan company offers a lower, more comfortable payment by extending the time that you have to pay off the loan with them. However, what a handful of consumers don’t recognize is that the interest rates on the balances remain the same as the old interest rates. While the loan may solve your short term troubles, you may eventually pay back more than the original debt amount to the consolidation company because you are paying them back over a longer period of time with interest. In addition, the potential for consumers to pile on more debt after receiving a debt consolidation loan looms in the background. The reason for this lies in the fact that a debt consolidation loan clears your accounts and resets the maximum limit on the credit cards once again. As a result, if the consumer is not entirely responsible with their finances, the debt may once again continue to pile on as financial freedom is often perceived once the original debts are paid off. Essentially, if you are not tight with your spending habits or fail to set up and establish a well balanced budget that suits your necessities and minimizes unnecessary expenses, it is likely that you may end up right back in the situation you started in before receiving the loan. While a debt consolidation loan may allow you to manage your outstanding debt a lot easier than before, it doesn’t eliminate the initial causes of why you ended up in debt in the first place, nor does it prevent those causes from taking root in the future once again. Debt Consolidation Pros and Cons: Pros     One Low Program Payment. The significant decrease in the monthly payment is probably the most alluring benefit.     Reduced Interest Rates. You may be able to get a lower interest rate with a home equity loan because it is a secured loan.     One Single Monthly Program Payment. Consolidating all of the payments into one is easier to manage and pay every month.     Tax Deductions. With a home equity loan, you may see some benefits from the tax deductions that come from paying interest on a mortgage. You can't get that with credit card interest. Cons     Get Into More Debt. It may be tempting to continue to use the credit cards that you've paid off. This is one of the reasons why debt consolidation is not a cure for credit problems.     May Cost More Overall. Even though the monthly payments and interest rate might be lower, you can end up with a longer-term loan in which you end up paying more interest in the long run.     Could Lose Your Home. If you go the route of a home equity loan, the lower interest rate that comes from listing your home as security might not be that beneficial if you default on your loan and lose your home.     One Payment. In some cases, it can be beneficial to pay off smaller loans with higher-interest rates first. You don't have that option if you've lumped all your debt into a single loan.     May not Qualify for a Loan. It's possible that with so much debt, you may not qualify for an additional loan. Or, if you do qualify, the interest rate might be high. (Comment on this)
1:15 am	Universities - A Wonderful Place For Gaining Knowledge I have always considered that a range of college students have a fantastic life. During the daylight, more and more college students are in their course of study, attending lectures by their teachers or professors, learning, taking notes, and concentrating on what is being conveyed. And then in the eve, a multitude of scholars are learning the notes they took and reading any textbooks they may have been instructed to study. Some of the books that scholars are reading from have been books used previously by other scholarly people. At the end of college courses, a number of college students sell textbooks that they might not need anymore. Many college campus bookstores and online used textbook buyback websites offer to buy certain used or new college textbooks, many of which may be sold or resold to other university students who might have a use for those books. Of course, there are some students who like to hold onto certain college textbooks, possibly because they feel they might be able to get some use out of those texts, themselves, and they may want to keep those textbooks handy. Thus, during the day, a number of college students may be attending class, and in the evening, many are studying things that might include the notes they've taken during their course, their college textbooks, literature, study guides, and manuals. There is an awesome and wondrous amount of instructing that takes place at community colleges, universities, and other educational institutions. Professors , graduates, academics, textbooks and lectures all can help facilitate a very good study environment where learning is internalized and acquired. All this learning may help render more understanding for the present, and one's. Colleges and Universities offer a number of classes (some of the courses are instructed during the day, and some in the evening). I've found that scholars appreciate learning topics at college. Some of the educational topics to learn about might include: Architecture and algebra drawing, woodworking, and modern art Business, entrepreneurship and finance Play writing, screenwriting, speech History, and civilizations Retail management, international business Science, biology Technology, engineering, programming I can think of a few more topics. The way I can remember these topics is to think about all the new college textbooks that I saw at a used textbook buyback. I recall seeing textbooks on business and chemistry. And, I recall seeing textbooks on Architecture and algebra, history, and global business. Some of the textbooks were new and some of the books were in secondhand condition ("used books"). I know that I saw quite a few textbooks because I remember thinking that there must have been a lot of students selling textbooks that time, or, at least there must have been quite a few students that had completed using their books, and some of them even wanted to purchase college textbooks they would need for their coming classes.I feel that the pursuit of knowledge, learning, contemplating the the future, and acquiring knowledge are all things that relate to college life, college students, and educational pursuits in general. That's why I feel that quite a few students of higher education have such a good life; it can be full of learning, understanding, and gaining knowledge that may be of use for now and for times to come. I've never thought about education and college in terms of how hard or easy it might be; Instead, I've thought about how learning from professors and instructors and learning from books may be a means for one to acquire knowledge and information so that in the future, the educational knowledge may have a way to be helpful. (Comment on this)