Rule 4: Always Put the Loan in Writing
法則4：借款須有書面記錄

Memories fade, priorities get shifted and clashing opinions over what you originally agreed to can cause problems between friends or family, says Priyanka Prakash, a finance specialist at Fit Small Business and a former business attorney.
普里揚(yáng)卡?普拉卡什現(xiàn)任Fit Small Business的融資專家，也曾是一名商業(yè)律師，她表示，記憶退化、重心轉(zhuǎn)移及對(duì)原先共識(shí)產(chǎn)生分歧都可能為自己和朋友或親人間造成困擾。

Another benefit to having the amount and conditions in writing: Drawing up an official loan document makes it more likely that the borrower will take the loan seriously and pay it back on time. “So if you miss a payment, this is the piece of paper that we’ll look at that’ll help us to decide what to do, so it moves the friendship out of the way,” adds Ellis.
借款金額和條件有書面記錄的另外一個(gè)好處是：制定正式借款文件會(huì)使借款人更認(rèn)真對(duì)待此事并增加按時(shí)還錢的機(jī)率。埃利斯補(bǔ)充道：“如果沒有收到還款，我們可以根據(jù)借款文件行事，這時(shí)候就得把友誼放在另外一邊了。”

When registered nurse Lisa Schloeder, 49, decided to help a colleague enroll in a nursing assistant program, she wanted the $1,500 loan agreement on paper. “I saw this woman at the office every day, but I still thought it was best to put everything in writing to make sure we both understood what we were getting into,” remembers Schloeder.
49歲的注冊(cè)護(hù)士麗莎?施勒德在幫同事報(bào)名參加護(hù)理員項(xiàng)目時(shí)，就把借給同事的1500美元報(bào)名費(fèi)制成紙質(zhì)借款協(xié)議。施勒德表示，“雖然我天天在醫(yī)院工作都能看見她，但是我覺得最好還是把各種細(xì)節(jié)都記錄下來(lái)，做到有章可循，這樣就能確保我們兩個(gè)人都明白應(yīng)該做什么。”

Her foresight paid off. “There was a check waiting for me every two weeks as we had agreed, and I felt great seeing what an amazing nursing assistant she became for our practice,” she says.
她的遠(yuǎn)見頗有成效。她說(shuō)，“就和我們當(dāng)初說(shuō)好的那樣，把借款分成幾份償還，她每?jī)芍芫蜁?huì)給我支票。當(dāng)看到她因?yàn)檫@段時(shí)間的護(hù)理實(shí)踐，變成一個(gè)了不起的護(hù)理員時(shí)，我不知道有多高興呢”。

You can draft a simple personal loan agreement without hiring an attorney, Prakash says. But more complex deals—for example, if they involve collateral or involve more than $10,000—may require a lawyer to be involved.
普拉卡什認(rèn)為，個(gè)人借款可以不用請(qǐng)律師，只需起草一份簡(jiǎn)單的借款協(xié)議即可。但是如果是比較復(fù)雜的交易，比如涉及抵押品或者金額超過一萬(wàn)美元時(shí)，最好還是請(qǐng)個(gè)律師。

Ideally, a loan agreement should be dated and state the loan amount, due date for paying it back in full, the payment schedule and any agreed-upon late payment fee (see Rule 5) or interest. Full contact information for the loaner and borrower and both of your signatures, either handwritten or electronic, are important, says Prakash.
普拉卡什表示，一份理想的借款協(xié)議應(yīng)注明日期和借款金額，債務(wù)人全額還清借款的期限，還款計(jì)劃以及協(xié)商好的滯納金（詳見法則5）或利息。債權(quán)人和債務(wù)人的完整聯(lián)系方式，雙方的簽字（手寫或電子版）都十分重要。

If loaners need help pulling a formal document together, they can opt to search online for a promissory note template, which states the promise to pay someone back and can help ensure that all the important details are covered. In most states a promissory note just needs to be signed by the borrower to be valid, but it’s better if you sign, too, so that the intent of both parties is clear should you have to go to court, Prakash says.
如果債權(quán)人在起草正式文件時(shí)需要幫助，可以到網(wǎng)上搜索借據(jù)模板，模板注有債務(wù)人保證歸還債款的承諾，并確保所有的重要細(xì)節(jié)都包含在內(nèi)。在多數(shù)州內(nèi)，借據(jù)只要有債務(wù)人的簽字即為有效，但是債權(quán)人最好也在其上簽字，這樣雙方的意向都很明確，即使有天不得不走上法庭，也有白紙黑字的證據(jù)。