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 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 to Compare Private Student LoansBorrow federal first, then compare private offers on total cost and protections. A worked comparison shows how fees, variable rates and in-school interest change the price of a $15,000 loan.
- How to Read a Life Insurance PolicyStart with the schedule page, then check beneficiaries, exclusions, the grace period and, for cash value policies, the guaranteed column of the illustration. Here is what each section means and what to look for.
- How to Calculate the True Cost of a CarThe sticker price and the loan payment both understate what a car costs. A five-year example compares a new and a used car across seven costs and checks the result against the IRS mileage rate.
- How to Spot a Personal Loan ScamReal lenders take fees out of the loan; scammers collect before you get anything. Learn the red flags, how to check a lender’s state license, and the steps to take if you already paid.
- How to Appeal Your Property Tax AssessmentMost successful appeals rest on record errors or comparable sales. Here is how assessment math works, how to find your deadline and what a win is worth.
- How to Trade In a Car You Still Owe OnTrading in a financed car is common, but negative equity follows you into the next loan. Four scenarios show how equity changes the new payment, interest and loan-to-value.
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.