Your ability to save money can become compromised by the financial obligations you are paying in your life. If you have a mortgage and other consumer debts, it’s easy to stay the course, pay your monthly bills and rely on credit cards for emergencies. But taking action — namely, refinancing your mortgage — could actually help you get better control of your cash flow. Allow me to explain.
The nuts and bolts of a good financial plan includes having “preferred debt,” which includes debt that is tax-deductible (a mortgage) and has no consumer obligations that are non-preferred (i.e. credit cards, student loans, car payments, etc.). Non-preferred obligations will compromise your ability to save money.
Consider the following scenario:
John Borrower has a mortgage of $300,000 with an interest rate of 3.875%. His mortgage is a 30-year fixed rate loan and his monthly payments are $1,410.71. John also has a car loan of $10,000 with an interest rate of 6% and a monthly payment of $500. His credit cards total $8,000 with an average interest rate of 16% on which he has to pay $400 per month, for a total of $2,310.71.
John Borrower has a great credit score because he always carried a small balance on his credit cards, has never missed a payment, and his credit history is squeaky clean. However, John’s car just broke down and he needs a new transmission that will cost him $3,500. Unfortunately, John’s mortgage payment and other obligations take up a majority of his income and now he has very little money saved up.
What does John do? He turns to his credit cards and goes further into debt. He is reluctant to make any changes to his financial burden. He has a great interest rate on his mortgage, but is he really getting ahead financially?
A Better Approach to Debt
There is a more proactive approach John can take that will be more consistent with having a strong financial foundation that will not only make him more creditworthy, but will also give him the ability to save and plan for the future.
The first thing to look at is all of John’s interest rates. True, his mortgage rate is low but the weighted average of his interest rates on all obligations is quite high. His interest payments alone take up a lot of extra money. Let’s look at the math:
| Debt | Balance | Interest Rate | Monthly Interest Payment |
| Bank of Bank Mortgage | $300,000.00 | 3.875% | $968.75 |
| Car Lots Mega Car Loans | $10,000.00 | 6.000% | $50.00 |
| Credit Cards (BULK) | $11,500.00 | 16.000% | $153.33 |
The total amount John owes in debts is $321,500, which includes his new credit card debt of $3,500 from the new transmission. If you multiply John’s amount owed by each individual interest rate and add it together, John is paying a total of $14,065.00 in interest alone each year.
Broken down: ($300,000 x 3.875%) + ($10,000 x 6%) + ($11,500 x 16%) = $14,065.00
Dividing the yearly interest paid by the total amount owed ($14,065 / $321,500) results in John paying an annual average interest rate of 4.375%.
If John were to refinance his current mortgage at that average 4.375% interest rate, something really interesting would happen to his payments. John is currently paying $2,310.71 each month in debt payments while interest is being accrued on his debts. By combining his debts under one mortgage at the higher 4.375% interest rate over a 30-year fixed-rate term, his monthly payments, interest included, would drop his payments from $2,310.71 to $1,605.20 each month.
Say what?
If John refinances his mortgage for the purpose of debt consolidation, his average interest rate does not change AND his monthly payments are lowered. Of course, because John is already cash poor, he’ll want to roll his closing costs into his mortgage refinance to keep his out-of-pocket expenses down. Suddenly, John Borrower is saving $705.51 each month. John can take that money and invest it or start a vacation fund. He can also put it to the side in case something else on his car breaks down. Regardless of his plans for the savings, the fact is that he is saving money and gaining control of his cash flow.
Having low rates and high rates on multiple forms of debts probably means you are going to be paying a higher rate of blended debt on all of your preferred and non-preferred obligations over time. The reality is that you can save through consolidation and fixing on one lower rate. It might be higher than your current lowest rate, but as John discovered, he could save money by increasing his lowest rate and combining his debts.
What’s Your Ideal Scenario?
The ideal financial scenario for any borrower is to have a single mortgage payment with no debt obligations and to have at least 6 to 12 months of savings (“reserves”) to be used as “back up.” This financial platform increases your borrowing power and is optimal for having a choice and control over your funds. (You can find more tips on how to determine how much home you can afford here.)
If you are thinking about taking out a mortgage or making some financial adjustments in your life, it’s a good idea to first check your credit scores to see where you stand (you can get your two free credit scores, updated every 14 days, on Credit.com.) Next, work with a mortgage lender who has the skill set and ability to really investigate your debts and can show you the real breakdown of your debts and what you are paying over time. You might end up realizing how much control you are missing out on by having payment obligations in an ongoing debt cycle. The numbers might astonish you.
Looking to a new abode? Be sure to avoid these mistakes first-time homebuyers make.
Images: andresr
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December 13, 2023
Mortgages
