The Secret to Using Your Amortization Spreadsheet to Save $100,000

If you were to look at the how your mortgagepayment. So, if we don't use any time, we don't pay
amortizes, you would find the early months' paymentsany interest. Therefore, by adding another $165.85 to
would include a lot of interest and only a little principlethis next payment we will save ourselves from having
being paid. Conversely, you'd find down toward theto pay an amount of money that is equal to the
bottom of the amortization table, or spreadsheet,interest on this payment. This amount is $1,164.75.
where the mortgage is in its waning months, theThe Last Few Months are All Principal
interest part of the payment will be small and principleTurning our attention to the last few months of the
part of the payment will be large.mortgage, we see those payments are mostly
The fact very little principle is being paid in the earlyprincipal. So doubling up on our payments during these
months of a mortgage seems unfair. It as if you aremonths is more difficult because we have to add a lot
spinning your wheels in the first few years of theto our payment to save a small amount of time value.
mortgage, as you make your payment every month,Still, it can be done. However, we just won't get as
but the balance doesn't seem to get any smaller.much bang for our buck.
In this article, we're going to talk about how to turn thisMake 6 Payments at a Time, Easily!
perceived disadvantage into an advantage that whenNow, we can see the high interest part of the
used properly can lead to paying your mortgage in fullmortgage, which is the early part of the mortgage,
years ahead of schedule!presents us with an opportunity. It is conceivable, we
Amortization is Slow in Early Monthscould make 5 extra payments at a time in this part of
The process of paying a mortgage is known asthe mortgage because it would cost less than an
amortization. The rate of how slowly or quickly theextra $850 to do so. By making only six, of these
principal is being paid is said to be how the mortgage$850 payments on your mortgage, you would cut
amortizes. The document showing how our mortgageabout three years off of the time of the mortgage and
amortizes is an amortization table, chart, schedule, orin doing so would save 30 payments of $1330.60,
spreadsheet.which equals nearly a $40,000 savings!
As we noted earlier, in the first few months of aThe Early Months of Amortization is Our Secret
mortgage, we see little amortization taking place. WithWeapon
a $200,000 mortgage, at 7% over 30 years, theOf course, you probably couldn't keep making six
monthly payment due is $1,330.60. If we look at anpayments at a time for very long because the principal
amortization schedule we see that in the secondpart of the mortgage payment starts to increase at a
month we pay $164.89 of the principle, while the restrelatively rapid pace. Still if you only made these 6
of the monthly payment, $1,165.71, is all interest. Now,payments this way, you would be well ahead of the
how can we turn this to our advantage?game.
Looking at the next payment, we see we will beIn conclusion, using this method is a little known way to
paying $165.85 principal. Now, bear in mind the principalsave a lot of money, maybe even a hundred grand, or
part of the payment is the time charge of theso, on interest!