Loan Planner
Articles, guides, and in-depth tips for the Loan Planner — everything you need to get the most out of it.
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Why Minimum Credit Card Payments Take 30 Years — DTI Ratio, the Debt Spiral Condition, and Scenario Analysis
Credit Score and Borrowing Capacity: Why the Same Income Gets You Different Loan Amounts at Different Lenders
Two people with identical incomes can qualify for dramatically different loan amounts — because lenders weigh income alongside credit score, debt-to-income ratio, and credit utilisation differently. Here's how borrowing capacity is actually calculated, why the same applicant gets different offers from different lenders, and what a loan planner reveals before you apply.
Debt Avalanche vs Snowball: Why the "Mathematically Optimal" Strategy Often Loses to the One People Actually Finish
Paying off your highest-interest debt first (avalanche) always saves more money mathematically — but behavioral research suggests paying off your smallest-balance debt first (snowball) more often results in people actually finishing the plan. Here's how the two strategies compare, why "quick wins" matter for completion rates, a hybrid approach, and why balance transfers/consolidation might make the choice moot entirely.
Debt Consolidation: When It Saves Money, When It Backfires, and the Alternatives
Debt consolidation saves thousands when it works — and doubles your debt when it doesn't. The math is sound; the behaviour is the problem. Here's when consolidation genuinely saves money, the most common failure mode (rebuilding original debts), debt avalanche vs snowball alternatives, and how 0% balance transfer cards offer free consolidation.
Loan Types Explained: Secured vs Unsecured, Flat Rate Traps, and How to Compare Borrowing Costs
Personal loans, home loans, car finance, and payday loans all differ in structure — not just rate. Here's how secured vs unsecured affects rates, the flat-rate vs reducing-balance deception (flat 10% = effective 18% APR), and a loan comparison framework that goes beyond rate.
Loan Planner — Master Your Amortisation Schedule & Prepayment Strategy
Learn how to read an amortisation schedule, find the crossover point where principal beats interest, why prepayment timing matters, and how to use a free loan planner to take control of any loan.
Loan Planner — Full Repayment Schedule & Amortisation Table
Learn how a loan planner builds your full amortisation schedule, shows the interest-to-principal split every month, and helps you plan prepayments to save money on any loan.
