If you're like most Americans, you owe money toward a large loan. Whether that means carrying thousands of dollars in credit card debt, having a hefty mortgage in your name or making car loan payments each month, loan debt is part of your life. This means you're looking at hundreds of dollars in interest payments over the life of the loan(s). There's also the mental load of knowing you owe perhaps tens of thousands of dollars and that you'll be paying back the loan for years to come.
It can all get kind of depressing-but it doesn't have to be that way.
Did you know there are simple, but brilliant, tricks you can employ to lighten the load? With a carefully applied technique, you can pay off your mortgage, auto loan, credit card debt and any other debt you're carrying quicker than you thought possible. These tricks won't hurt your finances in any dramatic way, but they can make a big difference to the total interest you'll pay over the life of the loan and help you become debt-free faster.
You can free up more of your money each month, use your hard-earned cash for the things you want instead of forking it over in interest and live completely debt-free sooner than you'd dreamed. It's all possible!
A note of caution before we explore these tricks: Check with your lender before employing any approach, as some loan types have penalties for making extra or early payments.
Instead of making monthly payments toward your loan, submit half-payments every two weeks.
The benefits to this approach are two-fold:
Your payments will be applied more often, so less interest can accrue.
You'll make 26 half-payments each year, which translates into an extra full payment on the year, thereby shortening the life of the loan by several months or even years. If you choose this method with a 30-year mortgage, you can shorten it to 26 years!
2. Round up your monthly payments
Round up your monthly payments to the nearest $50 for an effortless way to shorten your loan. For example, if your auto loan costs you $220 each month, bring that number up to $250. The difference is too small to make a tangible dent in your budget, but large enough to knock a few months off the life of your loan and save you a significant amount in interest.
For a potentially even bigger impact, consider bumping up your payments to the nearest $100.
If the thought of bi-weekly payments seems daunting but you like the idea of making an additional payment each year, you can accomplish the same goal by committing to just one extra payment a year. This way, you'll only feel the squeeze once a year and you'll still shorten the life of your loan by several months, or even years. Use a work bonus, tax refund, or another windfall to make that once-a-year payment.
Another easy way to make that extra payment is to spread it out throughout the year. Divide your monthly payment by 12 and then add that cost to your monthly payments all year long. You'll be making a full extra payment over the course of the year while hardly feeling the pinch.
4. Refinance
One of the best ways to pay off your loan early is to refinance. If interest rates have dropped since you took out your loan or your credit has improved dramatically, this can be a smart choice for you. Contact Horizon to ask about refinancing. We can help even if your loan is currently with us.
It's important to note that refinancing makes the most sense if it can help you pay down the loan sooner. You can accomplish this by shortening the life of the loan, an option you may be able to afford easily with your lower interest rate. Another means to the same goal is keeping the life of your loan unchanged and with your lower monthly payments, employing one of the methods mentioned above to shorten the overall life of your loan.
5. Boost your income and put all extra money toward the loan
A great way to cut the life of your loan is to work on earning more money with the intention of making extra payments on your loan. Consider selling stuff on Amazon or eBay, cutting your impulse purchases and putting saved money toward your loan, or taking on a side hustle on weekends or holidays for extra cash. Even a job that nets you an extra $200 a month can make a big difference in your loan.
Triumph over your loans by using one or more of these tricks to make them shorter and pay less interest. You deserve to keep more of your money!
The best reason to pay off loans and other debts early is that it can save you money in interest payments. The only advantage of interest is that it allows you to pay more slowly and more manageably. Interest doesn't make the item you bought more valuable. The longer you pay, the more it costs.
The best reason to pay off loans and other debts early is that it can save you money in interest payments. The only advantage of interest is that it allows you to pay more slowly and more manageably. Interest doesn't make the item you bought more valuable. The longer you pay, the more it costs.
With the debt avalanche method, you order your debts by interest rate, with the highest interest rate first. You pay minimum payments on everything while attacking the debt with the highest interest rate.
You may be required to fill a form or write a letter requesting pre-closure of the Personal Loan account. Pay the pre-closure amount. Sign the required documents, if any. Take acknowledgement of the balance amount you have paid.
Pay off your debt and save on interest by paying more than the minimum every month. The key is to make extra payments consistently so you can pay off your loan more quickly. Some lenders allow you to make an extra payment each month specifying that each extra payment goes toward the principal.
If your lender doesn't charge prepayment penalties and you do decide that you want to pay off your loan early, one way to do that is by switching to biweekly payments instead of monthly payments.
A 5-4-3-2-1 prepayment penalty, otherwise known as a 5 year stepdown prepayment penalty, charges a 5% fee on the outstanding principal loan balance if the loan is paid off in year 1, a 4% fee in year 2, a 3% fee in year 3, a 2% fee in year 4, and a 1% fee in year 5.
Yes.By paying off your personal loans early you're bringing an end to monthly payments, which means no more interest charges. Less interest equals money saved.
If you want to pay off your personal loan early, you can do so any time and OneMain will not charge you a prepayment fee. To pay off your loan early, you can: Make a one-time payment for the total outstanding balance. Pay an extra amount when you make your regularly scheduled monthly payment.
Paying off a loan early could save you money in the long term as it can reduce the total amount you need to repay. Bear in mind that you need to account for any early repayment charges to help decide if it's the right choice for you.
The "snowball method," simply put, means paying off the smallest of all your loans as quickly as possible. Once that debt is paid, you take the money you were putting toward that payment and roll it onto the next-smallest debt owed. Ideally, this process would continue until all accounts are paid off.
Make payments larger than the minimum required amount: Every extra contribution helps! Even adding a small amount each month can substantially decrease the total interest paid and shorten the loan repayment period. Make payments more frequently than required: Some lenders permit bi-weekly payments.
Save as much as possible from your income to make extra loan payments whenever possible. Pay off personal loans before other loans, as personal loans come with higher interest rates than home or car loans. Make sure not to dip into your savings and emergency funds to pay off your loan early. Do not overthink it.
Paying off your debt faster will help reduce the total interest charges, and this in turn means you spend less time in debt. So far so good. But before you walk into the bank flashing a wad of cash, familiarise yourself with some facts.
Interest savings: You'll save money on interest costs that otherwise would have gone to your lender. Lower debt-to-income ratio: Lowering your DTI ratio may result in a higher credit score and more favorable loan terms in the future. Freedom from debt: You'll enjoy the emotional and mental benefits of being debt-free.
Paying off your mortgage early can be a wise financial move. You'll have more cash to play with each month once you're no longer making payments, and you'll save money in interest. Making extra mortgage payments isn't for everyone, though. You may be better off paying off other debt or investing the money instead.
The biggest advantage of speeding up loan payoff is that it can save you money. "In many cases, paying off a personal loan early will save the borrower money in interest," says Thomas Nitzsche, senior director of media and brand at Money Management International, a nonprofit credit counseling agency.
The benefits of prepaying a loan include: Interest savings: By eliminating future interest charges, you can significantly reduce the total interest paid. Enhanced credit score: Early repayment has the potential to positively influence your credit score.
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