wedding gift: cash toward

MSN Money - A practical wedding gift: cash toward a home MSN Home My MSN Hotmail Shopping Money People & Chat Sign In W eb Search: Money S earch MSN Money: Help Home News Banking Investing Planning Taxes My Money Portfolio Loans Insurance Planning Home Retirement Savings Insurance Family/College College Tools Scholarship Search College Search Resources Decision Centers Commentary Index More Tools Related Links Message Boards Print-friendly version Send this to a friend Get market news by e-mail See if refinancing works Personal finance bookshelf Find It! Article Index Finance Q&A Tools Index Site map Related Articles Marriage means updating important documents Romance can wait; first, talk cold, hard cash Tie the knot without busting your budget Related Resources Decision Center: Essential homebuying guide Decision Center: Love, money and marriage See if youre carrying too much debt Stay at home or work? Try our calculator Related Sites Bankrate.com The Basics A practical wedding gift: cash toward a home advertisement If anyone asks what you want for a wedding present, you might try 'cash for a down payment.' Its legal, if you follow the rules, and asking for cash even meets the Emily Post test for politeness. By Bankrate.com June is the busiest month for weddings, and a forest's worth of invitations either already has been mailed or soon will be sent. A lot of couples want money for wedding gifts. A wedding-day cash infusion can make putting a down payment on a home easier. With prices appreciating rapidly in much of the country, lots of couples need all the help they can get. There are formal and informal rules governing gifts of money to help newlyweds buy a house. First, the informal rules: Is it OK to ask one's wedding guests for money? "It's not rude to request money as a wedding gift," says Peggy Post, author of Emily Post's Wedding Etiquette. "However, it's extremely important to ask politely." Peggy Post is Emily's great-granddaughter-in-law, the wedding etiquette expert for WeddingChannel.com and the main spokesman for the Emily Post Institute. She says one of the most common challenges that couples face is how to request money as a wedding gift. Doing so is acceptable, if done politely. If you seek down-payment money, get the word out through family and friends, Post recommends. Just don't include that info in the same envelope as a wedding invitation. "If you are asked point-blank what you would like for a gift, you might say, 'Whatever you choose will be wonderful, I'm sure, but money for a house down payment is on the top of our wish list,'" Post says. It's OK to say what it's for Go ahead and tell people what you want the money for. Who knows? If you let people know that you plan to spend the money on a down payment, rather than on a honeymoon in Tuscany, they might be more willing to open their pocketbooks. Wedding guests who insist on giving you yet another toaster or wicker picnic basket or a set of rosewood corn holders should be thanked anyway, even though they aren't helping you buy a house. "You should always accept any gift graciously, and remember that the choice of what to give really belongs to the gift giver," Post says. With the etiquette question out of the way, that brings up how to get the money from your guests' pockets and into the hands of the folks who eventually sell you their house. It's not simple, because mortgage loan programs have differing rules on the use of gift money in making a down payment. So know the gift rules Generally, you are expected to be able to make a down payment of at least 5% from your savings, excluding gifts. But what if you are too impatient to wait that long? Some mortgage programs allow you to use gift money if you can't scrape together that 5%. Loans insured by the Federal Housing Administration allow you to use money from gifts to make a down payment of as little as 3%. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the two biggest purchasers of home loans, offer similar programs through lenders. Fannie Mae's program is called "Flex 97" and Freddie Mac's is called "Alt 97." If there is a problem with these loan programs, it is that they limit whose money you can use. The FHA, Fannie and Freddie allow you to use money from family members. In the FHA's case, givers have to be members of your "immediate family." It's up to the loan officer to figure out who is family and who is immediate family. What about friends? Can you use gift money from, say, the woman who has been your mother's best friend since kindergarten? Technically, no. The money has to come from family (or from a nonprofit or government agency, but they don't give wedding gifts). It wasn't always this way. In 1996, the FHA encouraged lenders to offer "bridal registry accounts," where couples could stash gifts from friends and family. "Then, when the newlyweds purchase their new home, the money will be available and documented through a lender-supervised account," the FHA said. A few lenders responded enthusiastically, establishing account programs specifically for newlyweds complete with gift cards that could be returned to the bank with a check enclosed. One such lender is SunTrust Mortgage, a subsidiary of SunTrust Banks. Through SunTrust Mortgage, you can open a bridal registry savings or checking account at SunTrust Bank. When a wedding guest makes a deposit, the bank sends a card to the bride and groom to let them know. Ready to find a mortgage? "When they're ready to go ahead and make that first home purchase, they access those funds and we get a mortgage for them -- and we hope they remain a SunTrust banking customer," says Cheryl Nolda, senior vice president of marketing for SunTrust Mortgage. In the last few months, about 500 brochures have been given to prospective couples, Nolda says. The lender usually sees an upsurge in interest in the two months before June and October, which tend to be the busiest months for weddings. Despite their success at SunTrust, bridal registry accounts never really caught on. You can always open a regular old savings or money market account to hold your down payment fund, but you might need to document where the money came from. That's easy enough when the money comes from your paycheck. If some of the money comes from gifts, be prepared to document the source. Encourage gift-givers to give checks from their personal accounts. And don't forget to write those thank-you notes. Editor's Choice 3 legal papers you can't live without Your own business, your tax shelter Brush: The 5 most overpaid CEOs Are seniors gambling away retirement? Cut your taxes by going solar Readers' Choice Ratings Top 5 Articles 9.34 Zombie debt collectors dig up your old mistakes 9.33 10 ways to stop identity theft cold 9.31 10 ways to avoid outrageous hospital overcharges 9.22 The tricks and traps of debt consolidation 9.17 Safeguard your Social Security number View all top rated articles More Resources · E-mail us your comments on this article · Post on the Your Money message board · Get a daily dose of market news S earch MSN Money tips advertisement MSN Money's editorial goal is to provide a forum for personal finance and investment ideas. Our articles, columns, message board posts and other features should not be construed as investment advice, nor does their appearance imply an endorsement by Microsoft of any specific security or trading strategy. 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Listmania! Essential books - and great gifts - for new lawyers Your Store See All 31 Product Categories   Your Account | Cart | Wish List | Help Improve Your Recommendations | Your Amazon Home | Your Profile | Learn More Search Amazon.com Books Popular Music Music Downloads Classical Music DVD VHS Apparel Yellow Pages Restaurants Movie Showtimes Toys Baby Computers Video Games Electronics Camera & Photo Software Tools & Hardware Office Products Magazines Sports & Outdoors Outdoor Living Kitchen Jewelry & Watches Beauty Gourmet Food Beta Musical Instruments Health/Personal Care Travel Cell Phones & Service Outlet Auctions zShops Everything Else Scientific Supplies Medical Supplies Indust. Supplies Automotive Home Furnishings Lifestyle Pet Toys Arts & Hobbies Web Search Listmania! Essential books - and great gifts - for new lawyers by TheCapitol.Net , DC Publisher E-mail this list to a friend 1. Common Sense Rules Of Advocacy For Lawyers (Communication Series) by Keith Evans (Hardcover- April 2004) Average Customer Review: List Price: $35.00 Buy new : $35.00 Availability: Usually ships in 3 to 5 weeks Used & new from $35.00 TheCapitol.Net's comments: As Roxanne Barton Conlin (first female Pres of ATLA) said, "If new advocates could have only one 'how to' book this would be it." 2. Mcelhaney's Trial Notebook: Trial Notebook by James McElhaney, James W. McElhaney (Paperback- September 2005) List Price: $64.95 Buy new : $40.92 You Save : $24.03(37%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Used & new from $40.92 TheCapitol.Net's comments: The latest edition of a classic. 3. Black's Law Dictionary, Eighth Edition (Black's Law Dictionary (Standard Edition)) by Bryan Garner, Bryan A. Garner (Editor) (Hardcover) List Price: $64.50 Buy new : $64.50 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Used & new from $49.02 TheCapitol.Net's comments: Black's Law Dictionary is essential 4. 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The Complete Guide to Contract Lawyering by Deborah Arron, Deborah Guyol (Paperback- November 2003) List Price: $29.95 Buy new : $29.95 Availability: Usually ships in 6 days Used & new from $29.95 13. Leading Lawyers: Managing Partners From Akin Gump, Kilpatrick Stockton, King & Spalding and More on Becoming a Senior Partner & Leader in Your Law Firm (Inside the Minds) by Aspatore Books (Editor) (Paperback) List Price: $37.95 Buy new : $37.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Used & new from $30.33 TheCapitol.Net's comments: If you're thinking of working - or are going to work - in a larger firm. Create your own list! See the Best Lists Top 100 Listmania lists Search Listmania lists More about TheCapitol.Net Related Listmania! Add your list Top 10 Law School Career Books : A list by formerlawclerk, Been there, Done that Supplements for Law School : A list by Andrew Hagen, recent law graduate Tool of the Trade: Books for an Attorney's regular use : A list by Michael Bryan, Attorney Beating Traffic Citations Without a Lawyer : A list by Keith Kimmel, Traffic Court Warrior Add your list Related So You'd Like to... Create a guide do well in law school : A guide by J. Marsala, current 2L Switch to a new career quickly : A guide by Chris Salida, Career counselor Lead the Pack in Law School : A guide by Melinda B., 3-L student Why was my IT Job outsourced : A guide by sc181369, Chief Technology Officer survive your first year of Law School. : A guide by charliechillout, Third-year law student. Read the Best Strategy and Management Consulting Books : A guide by Avinash B. Sharma, MS, MBA (Candidate) Do Some Preparatory Reading in the Summer before Law School : A guide by John Paschetto, Harvard Law grad and practicing lawyer go to law school : A guide by tom_bund, law school survivor Create a guide Where's My Stuff? • Track your recent orders . • View or change your orders in Your Account . Shipping & Returns • See our shipping rates & policies . • Return an item (here's our Returns Policy ). Need Help? • Forgot your password? Click here . • Redeem or buy a gift certificate. • Visit our Help department . 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