Although financial knowledge is critical for life skills, a gap remains among young adults when it comes to understanding key financial concepts, especially relating to loans. Lack of knowledge or poor loan literacy causes people to make poor borrowing decisions leading to higher debts and financial insecurity. As people who will have to make the best borrowing decisions to grow their long-term financial wellness, young adults need education on loans.
Important loan terms — interest rates, credit scores and repayment terms — are alien to young adults. Because they do not even understand these fundamentals, they may also end up taking loans with worse terms, leading to deeper financial pain.
A loan is made up of the principal and the interest that a lender charges. Interest rates vary by creditworthiness, loan type and lender policies. Not knowing how interest stacks up can result in expensive surprises. Repayment terms — such as monthly installments and the life of loan — also greatly affect the cost of borrowing.
Without a certain level of loan literacy, young adults are prone to making expensive mistakes. Some common pitfalls include:
? Debt to Income Ratio: Many young adults do not understand the concerning relationship between their debt and income ratio and their way of life.
? Ignoring the terms of the loan: A few borrowers will get the loan without viewing the fine print and find themselves facing hidden charges and penalties.
? Late or Missed Payments: Failing to meet deadlines results in missed revenue, and can negatively impact credit scores and borrowing ability.
Teaching youths the importance of financial literacy teaches them to borrow funds wisely. Partly because in many countries there are not yet strong financial education strategies implemented in schools and universities, meaning students struggle with a highly complex financial system alone.
To gain knowledge young adults must seek out financial literacy in books, online courses and financial advisors. Government and nonprofit resources are also available for free to support people in learning about loans and debt management.
We can work on improving loan literacy by doing two things, taking action to learn more about money and money habits. Here are some key strategies:
? Understanding the Percentage of Loans to Young Adults: You can read about the difference between student loans, mortgages, personal loans and a line of credit to the best option to approach them as a young adult has so many options however it is important that you do some research first before making your choice.
? Compare loan offers — Young adults should not accept the first loan offer.
? Budgeting for Your Loan Repayments
? Professional Help: Financial advisors, also referred to as a loan counselor, can provide tailored strategies and advice based on individual financial needs.
With financial technology (fintech), it has become easier for young adults who fall under the age group of two decades for access to resources that push them into loan literacy. Apps that help budget, that calculate loans and that monitor credit give real-time snapshots of financial health. Other loans and debt lessons are available through educational platforms and interactive courses.
In the long run, loan literacy is a skill that should be in every young adult’s tool kit. This type of awareness can help mitigate situations of a financial roadblock that often are not understood until after the fact or worse, contribute to financial devastation. Young adults can bridge the information gap and make the right loan decision by accessing financial knowledge, gaining hands-on experience, and learning good loan habits. In this long run, loan literacy lays the foundation for a stable financial base.
