What Is a Line of Credit?

This is a good question and not one in which people understand very well when thinking about their financial lives. When you think about your finances and you think about buying different products in your life, you have the need for a loan at times and you will need for a line of credit at times.

This article explains when you will use a loan and when you will use a line of credit.

To give the technical definition, a loan is money lent to you for a certain period of time with a fixed interest rate and a fixed monthly payment. You know when you will have the loan paid off at the time that you take out the loan and your paperwork will reflect this fact. Your mortgage is a good example of a loan.

When purchasing a car you obtain a loan. You can discuss with the car dealer or your banker the terms that best fit you and what you want the life of the loan to be. Of course the shorter the life of the loan is the less you will pay back in interest.

Of course, all of your monthly payment is not going toward paying down the principle of the loan. Much of that payment is applied to interest.

At the outset, the majority of the monthly payment you will be applied to interest. As time goes by this changes and you begin to pay more towards the principle each month.

A line of credit is for any purpose which you may not know at the time. You may use a line of credit check to pay off a monthly bill. The interest that you pay will be variable and is based upon the prime rate. The prime rate is an interest-rate set by the Federal Reserve.

Knowing the difference between a line of credit and a loan is helpful in your financial planning. It will help you to make good decisions as to which is best to choose to handle your financial needs.