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PaperclipPerfector  1mo ago (text post)   3247 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for January 30, 2026

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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The most strategic way to get ahead on mortgage planning is to use interest only financing…. Here’s a few reasons why:

  1. an amortizing 30yr loan doesn’t convert to a majority of payment going to principle until after year 10
  2. historically, people change the structure of their mortgage every 7.5 years… so the above is never realized
  3. making additional payments to an amortizing loan only reduces the time to pay off (which per above is rarely realized). Making additional payments on an I/O loan provides immediate benefits in that your mandatory payment is reduced the next month. Int only is simply principle x rate / 12.
  4. depending on your age and career, the flip of a majority going toward principle on a 30yr corresponds to when you will be making more money and need the higher interest deduction.
  5. is paying off your home was such a great strategy then reverse mortgage companies ripping off older retirees wouldn’t exist.

Good comment.

Do you have a personal experience with I/O?

As you could probably guess, the general tenor of our home search was one of urgency. I'm not sure how much extra time it would have taken to negotiate an interest-only. Or is this something that any originator would have immediately on hand?

These are excellent points.

You’d probably have liked the old flexible payment/negative amortization adjustable rate loans that got such bad press in 2008.

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