If a friend or family member asks for a private personal loan, a promissory note will serve as a written contract that will protect you and help you to recover the money should the borrower fail to pay you back. A promissory note or loan contract will also serve as written proof of the personal loan should you need to sue your friend or family member in small claims court to get your money back.

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     Type the promissory note. A typed promissory note is more professional and easier to read. You do not want the loved one who borrowed from you to ever claim that he or she did not understand the terms of the personal loan contract because it was illegible.

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A credit report is a record of your credit history. It tells potential creditors, landlords and sometimes employers how you pay your debt obligations. There are three major credit bureaus --- Equifax, Experian and TransUnion --- that handle the majority of credit-reporting activities. You can request a copy of your report by mail, but you must provide certain information in your request letter so the credit bureau can positively identify you as the person named on the report.

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     Write the date at the top-left side of the paper. Write the name and address of the credit bureau you are requesting a credit report from. Address the letter "To whom it may concern" or "Dear Sir or Madam."

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Grant requests or proposals are composed in order to solicit funding from a state, federal, or private source. Writing an effective grant proposal can be painstaking, time-consuming work. However, if you can successfully craft a persuasive and compelling grant request, you may be eligible for thousands of dollars that you can use to support artistic endeavors, educational growth, or many other needs.

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     Research available sources of grant money. Money is available from numerous organizations that are privately owned or operated by state or federal agencies. You may be able to turn up a small number of grants using an Internet search, and then turn up additional grant programs in specific publications. For example, grants for writers might be listed in publications for writers such as "Poets & Writers" Magazine.

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In researching home mortgages, you may have run across the phrase, no equity mortgage. A no equity home loan is a type of second mortgage rather than a first or initial home mortgage. It is simply a loan where some or all of the principal is unsecured by the equity of the borrower's home. The total value of the loan may be as much as twenty-five percent higher than the actual value of the property. Obviously, this is a very risky proposition for both the lender and the borrower, and should be entered into only after careful evaluation, and knowing all the facts. Recent events have clearly shown the risks involved with home loans that fall outside the norm.

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Using a mortgage prepayment calculator may seem like a very hard task to some. Understanding sometimes confusing terms like adjustable rate mortgages, loan amortization schedules, and biweekly mortgage payments is enough to make your head spin. The reality is, if you are a homeowners or plan to purchase one, you need to know this information.

There is too much money to be left on the table by ignoring the potential savings you can reap by paying off your mortgage early. In order to truly conceptualize these numbers, you need to leverage applications like a mortgage prepayment calculator, loan amortization schedule, among other tools.

If you are interested in taking control of your personal finances, saving thousands of dollars, and owning your home sooner - pay attention to the following steps.

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