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Payoff methods
When snowball and avalanche give the same order
The case where your smallest balance is also your highest APR, so snowball and avalanche tell you to pay the same debt first.
Money decisions, made clearer.
Payoff methods
Debtless is a 100% free debt payoff app for iPhone. Compare repayment approaches with clear assumptions and worked examples. It turns reading like this into a plan, drawing on 442 articles in this library.
Payoff methods articles
53 articlesPayoff methods
The cash flow payoff method: free up minimums first
How the cash flow payoff method ranks debts by minimum payment freed per dollar paid off, and who tends to benefit from it most.
Payoff methods
When a custom payoff order beats a formula
A custom payoff order is a repayment sequence you choose by hand instead of following avalanche or snowball automatically.
Payoff methods
The debt snowflake method: small irregular payments
The debt snowflake method is the practice of sending small, unplanned amounts straight to a debt, like a rebate or a skipped takeout.
Payoff methods
Debt consolidation vs. a payoff plan: what changes?
A payoff plan is an order for tackling debts you already have, while consolidation combines several of those debts into one new loan.
Payoff methods
How to check whether a consolidation loan saves money
A step-by-step way to compare the real total cost of a consolidation loan against keeping your current debts, including fees and term length.
Payoff methods
Balance transfer vs. personal loan for card debt
How a 0% balance transfer and a fixed personal loan actually compare in cost and discipline required, with the arithmetic shown.
Payoff methods
Best Apps to Pay Off Debt Faster
Compare three debt payoff apps by platform, price and payoff features, then see how a biweekly payment can add one full payment each year.
Payoff methods
How much faster is paying $50 above the minimum?
A worked example showing how an extra $50 a month changes a payoff timeline and total interest, with the month-by-month math shown.
Payoff methods
Rounding up payments: small, steady and measurable
How rounding a payment up to the nearest $25 or $50 compares to paying the exact minimum, shown with real month-by-month numbers.
Payoff methods
What one extra payment a year does to a loan
How a single extra payment applied once a year changes an installment loan's payoff timeline, and how to make sure it hits principal.
Payoff methods
Where collection accounts fit in a payoff order
How to decide where a collection account belongs in your payoff order, including validating the debt first and checking whether it still accrues interest.
Payoff methods
Car loan or credit card: which to pay off first?
Why the interest rate, not the balance size, usually decides whether a car loan or a credit card deserves extra payments first.
Payoff methods
Student loans or credit cards: which comes first?
How to compare student loan rates against credit card rates, and why federal protections matter even when the math favors the card.
Payoff methods
Medical debt or credit cards: which comes first?
Why a 0% hospital payment plan usually belongs behind a high-rate credit card, and how to verify a medical bill before paying it.
Payoff methods
Where 0% debt belongs in your payoff order
The difference between true 0% financing and deferred-interest offers, and how to treat each one in your payoff order before a deadline hits.
Payoff methods
Should your mortgage be in your payoff plan?
Why most people separate a mortgage from a consumer debt payoff plan, and when including it actually gives you a clearer picture.
Payoff methods
Lump sum or monthly extra: which helps more?
Why applying a windfall as a single lump sum usually beats spreading the same amount out monthly, shown with matching totals compared.
Payoff methods
What to do when debt payoff stalls in the middle
How to diagnose why a debt payoff plan slowed down, whether it's new charges, a smaller payment, or a rate increase, and adjust it.
Payoff methods
Where tax debt fits in a payoff order
How to think about federal tax debt alongside credit cards in a payoff order, and why an IRS payment plan needs its own attention.
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