Pay off debt sooner and own your home outright
EarlyPayoff explains mortgages, debt, credit and household money in plain language, with primary sources and worked numbers. We started the site in 2013 as first-time buyers leaving the rental market, and paid off our own house in 8 years instead of 30.
Popular guides
- How to calculate an early mortgage payoff: the math behind extra payments, with a worked example.
- Early mortgage payoff tips: the methods that actually shorten a loan.
- When to refinance your mortgage: how to find your break-even point.
- How to prioritize which debt to pay first: avalanche, snowball and when each makes sense.
- How to read a mortgage amortization schedule: where each payment really goes.
Latest articles
- Closing Costs: How to Estimate and Lower ThemUse the Loan Estimate’s Sections A-H to estimate closing costs on a $350,000 loan, see which fees can change at closing, and learn how points, lender credits and seller concessions affect what you pay.
- How to Read a Mortgage Amortization ScheduleA payment-by-payment walk through a real 30-year schedule: why early payments are mostly interest, when principal takes over, and what changes the table.
- When to Refinance Your Mortgage (and When Not To)Refinancing pays off only if your monthly savings recover closing costs before you move, and if a new 30-year term doesn’t add more interest than the lower rate saves. Here’s the math with current rates.
- Which Debt Should You Pay Off First?Stay current on every account, then send extra money to the highest-rate debt. A five-debt household example shows how avalanche, snowball and minimums-only compare, and when other factors change the order.
- How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?Add up debts, income replacement and education, then subtract savings, existing coverage and Social Security. A worked family example shows why rules of thumb miss, and how a term ladder tracks a shrinking need.
- How to Choose a Life Insurance Company and PolicyDecide what the coverage must do, choose the policy type that fits, then compare licensed, financially strong insurers on guarantees and conversion rights, not just price. A worked two-quote comparison shows why.
- How to Compare Home Insurance QuotesA fair home insurance comparison matches the policy form, rebuilding-cost dwelling limit and deductibles first. Here is how to line quotes up, plus the math on raising your deductible.
- What Is a NACA Mortgage? How the Program WorksNACA offers a no-down-payment, no-closing-cost, no-PMI fixed-rate mortgage through a nonprofit counseling process. Here is how the rate buydown, eligibility and process work, and when it is a poor fit.
How we work
Every article cites the agencies that publish the rules and data, such as the CFPB, IRS, Federal Reserve and FDIC, shows its calculations, and is fact-checked by someone who didn’t write it. Notes marked “From the editor” come from our own experience, and every article says who an approach doesn’t fit. We don’t use affiliate links or paid placements. Read our editorial standards.
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EarlyPayoff is for general education, not personalized financial, tax or legal advice.