If you are one of the NFL players whose career lasted long enough to qualify for NFL pension benefits you will need to decide when to begin drawing your pension. Although the NFL retirement plan defines normal retirement age as 55 years old, many players begin drawing their pensions early.
The standard industry recommendation for mortgage payments is that no more than 28 percent of your gross income should go to your monthly payments. To calculate this, simply multiply your annual, gross income by .28 and divide by 12.
While it varies by location, FHA loans generally allow borrowers to obtain no more than 96.5 percent financing, which means you can expect to pay 3.5 percent of a home's cost up front. There's no way around it - you can't get the loan without making this lump-sum payment.