| I get this question all the time. If I have a good | | | | Even an eagle-eye read-through of your bills and your |
| mortgage and pay bills on time, why should I even care | | | | mortgage statement each month will not catch this |
| about taking any further action with my mortgage? | | | | method. |
| Good question. | | | | There is a simple method that will allow you to allocate |
| The way the bank charges you interest is | | | | more of your mortgage principal to you mortgage |
| sophisticated. You may not even realize you are | | | | balance rather than interest. The key is to use the |
| paying more than you have to and this is not your fault. | | | | mortgage acceleration method. |
| Banks set up their system so that you end up | | | | You set up a Home Equity Line Of Credit (HELOC) |
| spending more on your monthly mortgage repayment | | | | account and draw down just the right amount from |
| towards interest rather than principal in the early years. | | | | your HELOC to pay off your mortgage. Once the |
| For example, if you have a $1,200 monthly repayment, | | | | mortgage balance is paid down to a certain limit the |
| it common to spend $1,100 in interest and $100 in | | | | bank reallocates more of your monthly payment to |
| principal. | | | | principal rather than interest. |
| You can go directly to and use their mortgage | | | | This may sound confusing but you can search Google |
| calculator to see how much you are paying in principal | | | | on this and learn more about the mortgage |
| and interest each month. | | | | acceleration programs |
| However, did you know you can and have the right to | | | | Staying on top of your mortgage finances can |
| change the situation in your favor each month? | | | | sometimes feel like a full-time job. |
| You could end up spending $900 in interest and $300 | | | | And most of us already have a lot to deal with. In |
| to principal should you choose to with a little more | | | | times like this, it is easy to get tempted by promises to |
| applied towards your principal payment every other | | | | find quick fix solutions that will help you take control of |
| month. | | | | your situation. |