When most people think about their debt, they think about
the ‘big 3’ – mortgage, car loan and credit cards.
There are different strategies for each type of debt, which
I’ll cover in the next couple of blog posts, so let’s dive right in…
Mortgage
This is likely the biggest debt you will ever assume and it
is not to be taken on lightly. You may
be familiar with stories of folks who were talked into buying more house than
they could really afford and then getting stuck with huge mortgage payments
and, sometimes, foreclosure when they couldn’t keep up on their payments.
Strategy #1 – Pay
Your Mortgage Bi-Weekly
This is the single biggest contribution to reducing your
cost of borrowing. Yes, your mortgage is
a loan. Granted, it’s one that can span
up to 25 years for repayment but you must remember that the longer you take to
pay it down, the more interest you are going to pay.
When you pay your mortgage bi-weekly, you will automatically
shave years off your amortization period, saving yourself thousands of dollars
in interest.
For example, when we chose a bi-weekly payment, our 25-year
term was reduced to 22 years and 4 months right from the start – saving us the interest we would have paid on
those 2 years and 8 months.
Strategy #2 – Make Lump
Sum Payments
Please note – not all mortgages allow you to make lump sum payments so
double-check the terms of your mortgage to find out if and when you can make
lump sum payments and to what maximum amount each year.
If you are able to make lump sum payments, these will go
directly toward the principal amount of your mortgage, reducing it faster and
costing you less interest.
In our case, we were allowed to make lump sum payments up to
a maximum of 15% of the original mortgage amount each calendar year.
When you make your regular mortgage payments bi-weekly and
make additional lump sum payments in the weeks between regular payments, you
will see your balance owing drop significantly.
Just by using these two strategies, our 25-year mortgage was
paid off in about 9½ years – what a great feeling!!
BONUS TIP:
If you are living at home (rent free) and saving to buy a
condo, townhouse or detached home, start putting what your mortgage payment
would be aside in a special savings account.
This helps you get used to having that money allocated for your future
mortgage.
In addition, the money that you set aside in savings will
become your down payment and help you get a solid foothold on the property
ownership ladder.
Next time, I’ll be sharing strategies to buy the right car
for you, without having to finance it.
Until then, if connecting with me feels right for you,
please call me at 705.881.1846 or 1.844.881.1846 or email me at Patti@AwesomeWealthyWoman.com
and I would be delighted to speak with you personally.
“It’s time to start thinking differently about money and
debt and start the healing process – and the process toward wealth and freedom.” ~ Robert Kiyosaki
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