I like having the freedom to use my monthly disposable income how I want, without it going toward
paying down loans with low real returns.
Now, instead
of paying down the loans, we plan on having enough property to sell a few to pay off the others when we want to retire.
However, homeowners don't build much equity
by paying down loan principal the first few years of their mortgage.
My suggestion to my wife would be to sell the old car and use that money to
pay down the loan on the new car.
Many people put any extra money they have towards
paying down their loans more quickly, so many student loan borrowers have smaller down payments saved.
Your lender is obligated by law to tell you at closing how long it will take for you to sufficiently
pay down your loan in order to cancel mortgage insurance.
Also, remember that in
paying down your loan debt, you'd have to earn well above 6.8 % in the market to match that, accounting for taxes, fees, etc..
Any surplus cash or increase in pay could be used to
pay down the loan quicker as the quicker it's gone, the more he'll have to invest in his future.
If you are
paying down your loans at a high rate of interest (like most recent grads), it makes sense to refinance them into a loan with a lower rate.
When temptation calls, remind yourself that, just as going to college is an investment in your future, so is using these funds only
for paying down your loans.
However, because you are building equity faster and
paying down the loan sooner, a 15 - year mortgage requires higher monthly payments.
People usually obtain student loans with the aim that they will get a lucrative job immediately so that they can
start paying down their loans from their salary.
It's better to
pay down loans borrowed with dollars that have lost value due to inflation while prices of goods remain stable.
For example, if you go into fields with high salaries like engineering, dentistry, or the medical profession you will likely make enough money to
pay down your loans relatively quickly.
That means that in case the borrower will fail to
pay down a loan then the lender gets nothing in return.
If you can carry the payments and wish to
pay down your loan rapidly, simply choose a shorter amortization period (the time it takes to pay off the loan).
By extending your repayment term, you will
pay down your loans less quickly and you will end up paying more in interest over the life of your loan.
I have run the numbers in so many scenarios and in NO scenario is it better to borrow money at a higher interest rate to
pay down a loan with a lower interest rate.
It is a common belief that over the 60 months of such a loan that the borrower would
pay down the loan principal evenly as the graph below shows.
Instead of paying more interest, you can
pay down your loan balance more quickly, save for a rainy day, or go on that vacation you've always dreamed of!
Private loans, or those provided by a financial institution, could have possible interest rate changes, and may have limited options
for paying down your loan.