How is the Mortgage Interest Calculated?
To calculate your mortgage interest, lenders multiply your principal loan balance by your interest rate. Then, since you pay every month, they divide that number by twelve to get your monthly mortgage payment.
So, Let’s say you take a thirty-year, $300,000 mortgage out on a new home at 3.0% interest.
On the surface, that looks like a great deal. But all said and done, you’ll end up paying $455,332 total over that thirty years.
With a little bit of math, that means you’ll have given away $155,332 of your hard-earned money to the bank in interest payments.
That’s over 50% of what the house cost in interest alone!
But believe it or not, that’s getting off easy.
By charging people interest on their mortgages, banks regularly take in nearly 75% of total mortgage costs.
These loans not only cost families hundreds of thousands of extra dollars, but they also keep them locked in for decades, often robbing them of the opportunity to build real, life-changing wealth for themselves.
Of course, that doesn’t even take into account credit card interest volatility and the obscenely high interest rates banks and credit card companies charge. This is a bit of a sidenote, but it’s relevant to millions of Americans nonetheless.
According to Forbes, the average credit card interest rate in 2024 is nearly 28%. Investopedia reports 24.37%. Either way, even with good or “prime” credit, you’re looking at a 20% rate—at best.
With rates at record highs, unless you zero your balance each month, you’re bound to pay interest on the interest volume you’ve already accrued. It’s a vicious cycle that doesn’t just disrupt people’s financial health. It makes their financial future uncertain.
Naturally, this begs the question…