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.
普里揚卡?普拉卡什現任Fit Small Business的融資專家，也曾是一名商業律師，她表示，記憶退化、重心轉移及對原先共識產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好處是：制定正式借款文件會使借款人更認真對待此事并增加按時還錢的機率。埃利斯補充道：“如果沒有收到還款，我們可以根據借款文件行事，這時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歲的注冊護士麗莎?施勒德在幫同事報名參加護理員項目時，就把借給同事的1500美元報名費制成紙質借款協議。施勒德表示，“雖然我天天在醫院工作都能看見她，但是我覺得最好還是把各種細節都記錄下來，做到有章可循，這樣就能確保我們兩個人都明白應該做什么。”

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.
她的遠見頗有成效。她說，“就和我們當初說好的那樣，把借款分成幾份償還，她每兩周就會給我支票。當看到她因為這段時間的護理實踐，變成一個了不起的護理員時，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.
普拉卡什認為，個人借款可以不用請律師，只需起草一份簡單的借款協議即可。但是如果是比較復雜的交易，比如涉及抵押品或者金額超過一萬美元時，最好還是請個律師。

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，一份理想的借款協議應注明日期和借款金額，債務人全額還清借款的期限，還款計劃以及協商好的滯納金（詳見法則5）或利息。債權人和債務人的完整聯系方式，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.
如果債權人在起草正式文件時需要幫助，可以到網上搜索借據模板，模板注有債務人保證歸還債款的承諾，并確保所有的重要細節都包含在內。在多數州內，借據只要有債務人的簽字即為有效，但是債權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。