Buy Now Pay Later: The Math Behind the Four Payments
Four interest-free payments is a true pitch that hides the real costs: late fees, stacking, refund friction, and credit reporting. The mechanics, honestly.
debt
HELOC vs Cash-Out Refi vs Personal Loan: Borrowing Against Your House
Three ways to borrow against your home compared as tools, not rivals: LTV math that becomes dollars, variable-rate risk, and the shared secured-debt trap.
Should You Sell Investments to Pay Off the House?
Sell investments to pay off the house? The four factors that decide it — guaranteed rate, capital gains taxes, liquidity, and the sleep test — not a hot take.
Should You Invest While in Debt? The Number That Decides
The debt-vs-invest decision rule: a payoff is a guaranteed return of the APR. Includes the 5-8% threshold, the match exception, and a fill-in worksheet.
Paying Off a Car Loan Early: The Math Nobody Runs
On a $30k loan at 7%, an extra $100/month saves about $1,000 in interest and 10 months. Verified amortization math, APR hurdle rates, and when NOT to prepay.
How We Attacked $62,000 of Debt: The System Behind the Story
The machinery behind our debt-free year: the one-page project sheet, intensity budget, roll-forward rule, and the four fail modes that kill payoff plans.
Debt Avalanche vs Snowball: The Math and the Psychology
Both payoff methods on the same debt stack, verified: the ordering gap is smaller than you think and the payment size is the real lever. Hybrid rules inside.
Should You Borrow $5,000 for a Vending Machine? The Debt Test I’d Use
After paying off $62,000 of debt, here is the test I’d use before financing a $5,000 AI smart cooler: net vs payment, the 0% cliff, and when to walk away.
Borrowing $5,000 for a Vending Machine? The One Number I’d Check First
Before borrowing for a $5,000 machine, I run one ratio: what it nets on a bad month divided by the payment. Why the 0% card often fails that test.
