Twenty-three tools covering every stage of borrowing and paying back.
Debt questions come in three shapes: what will this cost me, how fast can I clear it, and should I restructure it. The groups below follow that split, then break down by debt type, because the maths differs more than people expect — credit cards compound daily, student loans have their own repayment plans, and HELOCs have two distinct phases with very different payments.
If you're carrying several balances at once, start with the debt payoff optimizer rather than working on any single loan. The order you pay debts in usually matters more than any individual payment amount.
When you have several balances, sequencing beats optimising any one of them. The optimizer compares avalanche (highest rate first, cheapest overall) against snowball (smallest balance first, better for motivation).
Credit card interest compounds daily, which is why a balance held at the minimum payment behaves so differently from an instalment loan.
Consolidation uses a weighted average rate rather than shopping for a better one — worth modelling before you commit, since it can extend your term without lowering your rate.
Sales tax, trade-in value, and down payment all change the financed amount, which is why quoted monthly payments often differ from what you calculate on the sticker price alone.
A HELOC has a draw period where you may pay interest only, then a repayment period where principal kicks in. That transition is the payment shock most borrowers don't plan for.
For personal loans, 401(k) loans, and anything else with a fixed term. Extra payments applied to principal shorten the term rather than reducing the monthly amount.
Payment, payoff, and amortization in one.
Pay off any loan early with extra payments.
How much can you borrow?
Payment per paycheck and true cost.
Plan principal payments on an interest-only loan.
Before consolidating or refinancing, check whether the new rate beats your blended current rate once fees and any extended term are included.
Short answers to what people ask most before picking a tool.
