Many people even borrowed money to allow them to buy even greater amounts in the belief that the good times were bound to continue. They ignored all the warnings and speculation drove prices ever upwards regardless of common sense. Naturally any boom based on speculation is doomed once people sense that the market is overheating. Since it is the bank that will be paying you the interest, you have to select the bank that provides you the highest rate of interest. This should be one of the primary points that you should be looking at, but certainly it should not be the only point. (ii) The second thing you need to check is the amount that the bank needs you to deposit so that you can open the account. And what happens when you forget your monthly credit payments? Those nice friendly guys at the loan company who wanted to increase your credit card limit only last month now turn into Don Corleone and the boys from Mob! They start to slap on late charges and the exorbitant interest now starts to attract interest on itself and, and Well you get the picture. " Many newcomers to the world of investments think only of stocks and shares but there are of course many more options out there. Some of which are possibly far better for beginners. For anyone looking to get started with investing they need to consider whether they will be investing a lump sum or regular monthly payments. It was there that the very first company to issue stocks and bonds was formed. This was the Dutch East India Company who issued the first share ever to be sold on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. The Dutch as leaders in this new field soon began to develop some of the financial instruments that we are all still familiar with today. Was it down to ill health? You also need to explain what has changed now and how you will be able to meet the new payments. Try not to be over optimistic here. And for goodness sake tell them the truth, if you don't they will almost certainly find out and you'll fail. They're trained to spot lying by applicants.