Learn the Debt Math

Refinancing $40,000 from 7% to 5% saves about $4,821 — but refinancing federal loans gives up forgiveness and income-driven repayment forever. How to decide.

An extra $150 a month on $35,000 at 6.5% saves $4,608 and 3.4 years. The real math, and the servicer step most people miss.

Paying biweekly sneaks in one extra payment a year. On a $30,000 loan at 7% that's about $600 and 6 months saved — plus the free way to do it.

An extra $100 a month on a $20,000 loan at 12% saves $1,071 and ends it 9 months early. The real math, and how to make sure it hits principal.

Highest interest rate first for the lowest cost. The same three debts as the snowball, run the avalanche way — $342 cheaper and a month faster.

One fixed loan replaces several high-rate cards. The real math on $15,000 — $5,199 less interest, 16 months faster — and the one catch that undoes it.

Usually a small dip, then a rise — because paying cards to $0 drops utilization from 83% to 0%. The factor-by-factor truth.

After 7 years it falls off your credit report — but the debt doesn't legally vanish. The statute of limitations is a separate, state-by-state clock.

Keep it under 30%, ideally under 10% — it's 30% of your FICO score. The formula, the targets, and exactly how much to pay down.

$200 extra a month on a $25,000 auto loan at 7.5% saves $2,316 and pays it off 26 months early — if you mark it "principal only." See the table.

Minimums are ~1–3% of balance, or interest + 1%. On $5,000 that's about $149/month — and still takes 19.5 years to clear.

See a real month-by-month table on a $6,000 card at 23.79% APR — interest vs. principal, every payment, until it hits zero in 26 months.

The standard plan is 10 years. New 2026 terms run 10–25 years by balance. A $30,000 loan stretched to 25 years costs ~$20,000 more in interest.

Above ~6%, paying down wins; below it, investing may. A $30,000 loan at 6.53% — $200 extra a month saves $5,126 and 4+ years.

On $15,000 over 3 years, a 12.3% personal loan costs $3,013 in interest vs $6,126 on a 23.79% card — a $3,113 difference. When each one wins.

$150 extra on a $20,000 loan at 9% saves $1,580 and 18 months. The credit-score dip is a few points, and temporary. Here's the math.

About 70% of cardholders who ask for a lower rate get one — but only 25% ask. The phone script, plus how a 5-point cut saves $1,158 on $5,000.

Pay the full balance if you can. If not, here's the exact payment that clears a $6,000 card in 1–3 years — and why the minimum traps you for 20.

Clear $5,000 in a year for about $472 a month and just ~$667 interest. The exact payment for a 1, 2, or 3-year payoff.

Pay $200 on a $10,000 card at 23.79% APR and only $1.75 comes off the balance. Here's why it feels frozen — and the exact payment that fixes it.

$5,000 to $25,000 — exactly how long it takes at the minimum versus a fixed payment, with full payment-by-payment tables for every balance.

Adding just $75 a month above your minimums on $14,200 in debt saves $4,847 in interest and cuts your payoff from 94 months to 51. Here's the realistic plan.

At 24.99% APR, paying minimums costs $7,218 in interest over 87 months. Here's the exact 4-step plan — and the $513/month target — to clear $10,000 in 24 months instead.

Miss one payment and the clock starts. From a $29 late fee on day one to a potential lawsuit by month 18 — here's the exact timeline of what happens to a $6,500 balance when you stop paying.

Chase made $21.5 billion in credit card interest in 2024 — from people who were paying every month and believed they were making progress. Here's the math they don't show you.

See the real side-by-side math with a debt avalanche vs snowball calculator, then use the 90-Day Lock Rule to pick once, stay consistent, and finish faster.

The Decision Light framework shows green, yellow, or red for your situation. The 60-Second Calculator Check reveals whether consolidation actually saves you money or locks you into years of extra payments.

The same $15,000 handled three ways, side by side: how a lower rate cuts both your payment and total interest, and how stretching the term quietly costs you more.

A real-number breakdown of an $18,000 loan at 7.9% APR showing exactly how much interest extra payments save and how many months they cut from payoff.

See the real math side by side on $8,500 in debt — interest saved, fees, credit score impact, and which strategy fits your situation.

A real-number walkthrough of repayment, early payoff, and extra-payment strategies on a $35,000 loan at 6.5% APR so you can see exactly what saves years and interest.

Use the Debt Speed Formula to find your exact payoff date, choose your plan level, and set up a system that runs automatically.