When you prepay your mortgage you make extra mortgage payments before they are due. Prepaying your mortgage can help you save interest and you can pay off your mortgage sooner. Make sure you find out whether your mortgage has a prepayment penalty before trying to prepay your mortgage.
Student Loan Interest Problems
A large student loan is creating problems with interest. Extra interest payments are being charged for the early payments. A negative amortization loan could be the culprit. With a negative amortization loan, you pay the same amount, even though the "true" cost of the loan is higher. The extra interest is added onto the back end of the loan, so in effect, you pay interest on interest.
Ask Mortgage Lenders About Prepayment Penalty
When you're researching your mortgage loan options you should find out whether your mortgage loan has a prepayment penalty. A mortgage lender charges you a prepayment penalty if you pay off your mortgage early. State laws vary as to whether mortgage lenders can legally charge prepayment penalties.
Streamline Refinance To Prepay Mortgage
A homeowner decides they are only staying in home for another 10 years but they have a 20 mortgage. A streamline refinance will enable them to decrease their mortgage payment and prepay their balance. What they can do is to take the extra monthly savings and pour it immediately back into prepaying the mortgage. That way, they will have just about paid off the mortgage in the ten years they hope to remain in the home.
Bi-Monthly Mortgage Payments
There are plenty of benefits to prepaying your loan. You might pay a bit extra on your monthly payment but prepaying will add up to major savings in the long run. The only time a prepayment program may not be worth it is if there is a fee to start the prepayment program up.
Save Money For Retirement, College, Mortgage
Perhaps you've gotten a raise or cut other expenses, but you now have extra savings. What should you do with the money you save? You can increase your retirement savings in your 401(k) or Roth IRA, or you can prepay your mortgage. You can also put the extra money you save toward a 529 plan to help with your children's college costs.
Error In Contract Prepayment Penalty
A mortgage is sold with a mistake regarding the prepayment penalty. It is the homeowner's responsibility when signing a contract and to be aware of the danger of predatory lenders. If you signed the disclosure statements without reading them, it's a little bit hard to make a case that you were in some way defrauded, unless you do not read and understand English. Every borrower has some responsibility to make sure the loan documents say what they think they say.
After College Pay Down Non-Tax-Deductible Debt
Many people who graduate from college have a lot of student loan and credit card debt. Which debts should recent college graduates pay down first? You should always pay off your highest, non-deductible debt first.
Prepay Mortgage Or Invest For Retirement
As you get closer to retirement you may have extra money and may be debating whether to prepay your mortgage or invest more money in the stock market. While people tend to get better returns investing in the stock market rather than in real estate, it is nice to have your home paid off when you retire. If you decide to invest in the stock market make sure to research the investments you're considering ahead of time.
Personal Finance Management: Pay Credit Card Debt Before Car Loans
If you have extra cash, what should you pay off first to boost your personal finances: credit card debt or car loans? Ilyce recommends paying off high interest credit card debt with extra cash before car loans and other loans. Credit card debt usually has higher interest than a car loan, so paying off credit card debt first and prepaying a car loan later is the best first step to personal finance management.
By-Passing A Bi-Weekly Mortgage
The BankOne Early Mortgage Pay-Off Plan (EMPP) is a bi-weekly mortgage program that allows you to pay your mortgage every other week. That means 26 bi-weekly mortgage payments, or a 13th monthly payment. When you make the equivalent of a 13th monthly mortgage payment on a regular basis, you cut the length of the loan from 30 years to 22 years, saving thousands in interest.