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
- How to Budget While Paying Student LoansTreat loan payments as fixed bills, grab the free money (autopay discount, employer benefits, retirement match), then aim extra cash at the highest rate. A worked monthly budget shows how.
- How to Plan Your Finances for a New BabyPrice the birth, the bigger health premium, child care and unpaid leave, then use the 2026 child tax credit and dependent care FSA. A worked budget shows a baby adding $662.28 to $1,392.85 a month.
- Getting a Personal Loan After DivorceAfter divorce you qualify on your own credit and income. Learn how joint debts, alimony and child support, and cosigners affect approval, with a worked debt-to-income example.
- How to Choose Disability InsuranceThe definition of disability, the waiting period, the benefit period and who pays the premium decide what a disability policy is worth. Here is how to compare them, with an after-tax example.
- How to Apply for a Parent PLUS LoanHow parents apply for a federal PLUS loan, what counts as adverse credit, the new 2026 borrowing caps and repayment limits, and what $65,000 in parent PLUS debt really costs.
- How to Prepare Your Finances for a LayoffMeasure your savings in months, cut to a bare-bones budget early, and line up unemployment, health coverage and lender options. A worked example shows runway stretching from 6.3 to 10.0 months.
- How to Get a Personal Loan With Bad CreditWith bad credit, credit unions, secured loans and cosigners are your safest routes. A $500 example compares a payday alternative loan with a payday loan and a high-APR installment loan.
- How to Set Financial Goals for the YearGive every goal a dollar amount, a deadline and a monthly number, then check that the numbers fit your budget. A worked example ranks three goals that don’t all 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.