Co-signing for a Loan

When co-signing on a loan you enter into an agreement to become responsible for the re-payment of the loan, including the late and legal fees, if the borrower defaults. However, the financial institution can lawfully go after the co-signer at any time.

If you do agree to co-sign on a loan for someone, you can request that the lender agrees that it will refrain from collecting from you unless the primary borrower defaults. Additionally, you can request that your co-signer agreement includes that your liability is limited to the unpaid principal and not any late or legal fees.

Upon co-signing you may have to provide financial documents to the lender just as the primary borrower and you will assume the same legal responsibility for the repayment of the debt as the borrower. Remember that any late payments will affect your credit as well.

Qualified Retirement Plans: Know the Rules

The IRS annually releases its Required Amendments (RA) list, which includes changes that individually designed retirement plans may need to make in order to remain qualified under the Internal Revenue Code. The most recent RA list was released via Notice 2017-72, which contains changes not only to the qualification requirements for individually designed plans but also to the deadline for amending the plans. There are two categories: Part A and Part B.

Part A: Likely Amendments

Two changes were made in 2017 to:

  • Cash balance/hybrid plans
  • Eligible cooperative plans or eligible charity plans

Part B: Unlikely Amendments

The 2017 RA list addresses: partial annuity distribution for defined benefit pension plans

Read the entire article here >>

Fares recalculated in local currency

The following countries may recalculate fares to their own currency when purchasing with American Airlines®: Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Mexico, U.K. The other countries’ fares are calculated in USD. If you buy fares on the AAdvantage® website using your credit card and you aren’t an AAdvantage® member, you should choose the country where your credit card was issued, as local currency and applicable fares may be used.