Lender Tips
12 articles in this category
How to collect on a promissory note when the borrower dies
The borrower's death does not erase the debt. Here is how a lender confirms the death, files a creditor's claim in probate, meets the strict deadlines, and handles collateral, insolvency, and co-signers.
What to Do When a Borrower Wants to Renegotiate the Payment Terms
A borrower asking for lower payments or a short pause is not bad news by itself. Here is how to change the terms the right way, in writing, without accidentally weakening your position.
When a Borrower Stops Responding: Demand Letters and Next Steps
The payments stopped and the texts go unanswered. Here is how a written demand letter works, why the deadline matters, and how to protect your options before the clock runs out.
What Interest Rate Should You Actually Charge a Family Member?
Charge nothing and the IRS may still tax you on interest you never collected. Charge too much and you may break your state usury law. Here is how to find the safe middle.
The Real Cost of Lending $5,000 to a Friend, With and Without a Note
Two versions of the same $5,000 loan to the same friend. One is written down. One is a handshake. Here is exactly how each one plays out when the payments stop.
Do You Need a Promissory Note when Lending Money to your Parents?
Lending money to a parent is one of the more emotionally loaded financial situations an adult child can navigate. The power dynamic is reversed from what you grew up with. The person who used to take care of you now needs your help, and asking them to sign paperwork feels like rubbing their nose in it. So most people skip the documentation, hand over the money, and tell themselves it will work out...
How a Promissory Note Protects You When You Lend to Family
Lending money to a family member feels different from any other financial transaction. The person asking is someone you love, the situation usually feels urgent, and saying yes feels like the right thing to do. The paperwork feels like an insult...
How a Promissory Note Protects You From a Bad Business Partner
Business partnerships go sideways more often than people expect. What starts as a shared vision and mutual trust can deteriorate into disputes about money, responsibilities, and who owes what to whom. When one partner has lent money to the other or to the business, and the repayment stops, the question of whether you documented that loan suddenly becomes the most important financial question you face...
What to Do the Moment a Friend Says "Don't Worry, I'll Pay You Back"
It happens fast. A friend needs money, the situation feels urgent, and before you have had time to think it through you hear the words that have preceded countless lost friendships and unrecovered loans: "Don't worry, I'll pay you back." Maybe you have already said yes. Here is exactly what to do in that moment, and why doing it right protects both the money and the friendship...
Why "We're Family, We Don't Need Paperwork" Is a Red Flag
You have heard some version of it. Maybe it was softer, maybe it was more direct, but the message was the same: we are close enough that a piece of paper is an insult. We trust each other. Loans between family do not need contracts. Only strangers need documentation...
Your Options When a Family Member Doesn't Pay Back a Loan
Lending money to a family member is one of the more emotionally complicated financial decisions a person can make. You wanted to help. You probably did not expect to end up here. But the loan is outstanding, payments have stopped or never started, and you are now trying to figure out how to recover what you are owed without blowing up a relationship or spending the next decade in resentment. Your options depend heavily on whether you have documentation, how much is owed, and how much of the relationship you want to preserve. Here is an honest look at all of them...
Promissory Notes as Investments: What Private Lenders Should Know
Here is what private lenders need to understand before treating a promissory note as an investment...