What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of debt? Most people will say something along the lines of it’s a burden or the fear of never getting out of it. But you can overcome your debt, whether it comes from medical bills, student loans, credit cards or something else entirely. What you need is a good plan, education, skills and the right tools to come up with an effective strategy. Everyone’s situation is unique, which is why a strong personal finance foundation is so important. Rather than taking everyone else’s advice, you are able to assess your own situations and devise the right course of action for you and your budget.
These online calculators are helpful for anyone who wants to pay off their debts more quickly. From student loan relief to credit card bills, you can rely on these tools to start organizing your finances better. The more you focus on paying for the future, the faster you’ll be able to free yourself from the seemingly endless stream of payments and due dates.
Student Loan Consolidation
Consolidation is the process of merging all your loans into one larger, collective debt. By taking out a loan that covers all of your outstanding ones, you are able to avoid multiple payments and interest rates and focus on just one larger expense. Consolidation isn’t the right choice for everyone, but it has helped millions of former students and graduates restructure their budgets and avoid defaulting.
This student loan consolidation calculator will help you get an idea of what consolidating your student loans with a private lender would look like for you. You can input your figures and know your payment in advance. This is important before agreeing to any terms as comparing different lenders’ offers helps you get the best deal and achieve your end goal faster.
Debt Snowball Payoff
NerdWallet is a hub of helpful financial tips for anyone looking to build a budget, learn more about money management and get out of debt. Their Debt Snowball Payoff Calculator allows you to take advantage of the popular debt relief strategy by the same name. If you don’t know, snowballing is when you pay off many small bills rapidly so you can improve your credit score and free up room in your budget. This method can help you avoid paying off large amounts of interest and allocate more funds toward larger debts, like student loans and your mortgage. Snowballing may not work for everyone, but it can help you figure out where you’re paying more than you have to. It also encourages you to think more about the big picture instead of just making it through another month of bills.
Debt Repayment
YouCanDealWithIt.com is a public service created by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Agency (PHEAA) in 1999 to help reduce the number of students who default on their student loans after graduation. The site is filled with plenty of financial resources for current students, recent graduates and parents. This calculator will help you figure out how much you need to pay, how much interest you will owe, and how you could find greater relief by increasing your monthly payments. Repayment is a balancing act, and you’ll often find it more effective to revisit your agreement from time to time. If your income increases, or you find some wiggle room in your budget, it’s helpful to use a calculator like this to see how you could pay off what you owe faster.
Auto Loan
Getting a new car is exciting, but it can be a hefty investment that becomes a burden on your bank account. There may be a stark difference between the car you want and the one you can afford to own. The cars.com auto loan payment calculator helps you get an idea of how much you’ll really pay per month by factoring in the price of the vehicle and interest rate. You can also adjust factors like your down payment, trade-in value and estimated sales tax.
Mortgage Payment
If you want to build equity faster and pay off your mortgage with extra payments, the SmartAsset calculator and VA loan calculator is for you. You can get a full mortgage breakdown as well as a look at your mortgage over time. You set the down payment, loan type and interest rate to figure out how much you need to pay and how much you could save by making additional payments. You can also input factors like taxes and HOA fees to get the most accurate figures possible.