Insights, guides, and updates to help you navigate loans and agreements.
Lending money to a family member with bad credit? Use a 3-stage plan that caps your risk, pays bills directly, and lets them prove the pattern has changed.
Borrowing money from parents for a security deposit? Split it in two: repay the deposit from the refund and the rest monthly. Worked $3,700 example.
Borrowing money from multiple family members? Set up one agreement per lender and compare pro rata vs one-by-one repayment on a real $30,000 example.
Lending money to a family member who lost their job? Size it to the monthly shortfall, release it in draws, and tie repayment to their next paycheck.
A balloon payment family loan cuts monthly payments but leaves a lump sum due. See 4 structures on a $40,000 loan and when each one backfires.
Lending money to a family member with an addiction? Why cash backfires, what to offer instead, and how to structure a loan for someone in recovery.
Lending money to in-laws? The 3 rules that protect your marriage, who should ask and who should collect, plus a worked $15,000 loan example.
Lending money to family when your spouse disagrees? Find the real objection, set a walk-away number, and agree on terms you can both live with.
How to write a promissory note for a family loan: the 9 terms it needs, who signs, a worked $30,000 example, and what to do once it is paid off.
How long should a family loan be? A $20,000 loan costs $1,257 over 3 years or $2,964 over 7. Use the 3-clock test to pick a term that fits.
A family loan to pay off a car loan can beat your bank's rate by double digits. See the real math, the lien step people skip, and when to walk away.
A family loan to pay off IRS tax debt can beat the IRS's payment plan cost of nearly 10% a year. See the Q4 2026 math, the AFR floor, and the gift tax risk.