Notorious for bragging about their lifestyle
There is a better way.
Million or Penny a Day?
What would you rather have — a million dollars, today, or a penny doubled for a month?
Your answer will be an academic letter grade of your comprehension of the magical concept of “compounding” — either
You can enjoy fancy trips with your Family — rather than financing those vacations for your neighborhood Banker.
I hope you said, “Give me that penny doubled for thirty-one days.” Because that answer is worth an additional amount of $9,737,418.24.
“How can that be?!” you ask.
“Compounding,” I reply.
Now, that you know the most important aspect of this financial principle, “What will you do?”
Good Debt & Bad Debt
Okay, this is a little like Good Cop — Bad Cop. Insomuch that we can only really appreciate the good after experiencing the bad. Odds are good that everyone has done “it” in our Twenty’s — enjoyed using a Credit Card until the Bill came.
Then, we stared at that Total wondering, “How the heck can all those little amounts add up to such a big one?!” In the world of Finance, that big Total is known as the Principal.
Now, the fun begins (for the Bankers) — because for every dollar of Principal, from the beginning of that original thought, “I just can’t live without…” and a swipe of the plastic, Interest is calculated. The challenge then becomes, “How fast can we pay that Debt back?”
If the swipe of that Credit Card was to purchase something which made YOU more productive, that is Good Debt. If, however, you simply caved into fleshly desires and temptations, then, you have experienced Bad Debt.
And — all Debt is worse than Income Taxes. Interest accrues from the moment of indebtedness until payment is made. Year after year Bankers are like predators circling a carcass — they will demand their Interest be paid in good years and bad. We only pay Income Taxes in the good years.
History Lessons
Those who refuse to learn from History are forced to repeat it. That, my friends, is another Universal Principle — we will keep getting opportunities to learn until we understand the lesson inherent in the experience.
For an entire generation, we have been sold a Bill of Goods known widely as Quantitative Easing. That’s a fancy term for Free Money. And, oh how the Bankers have pushed that money at People. Maybe, even you. Did you take it? Because if you did, YOU need (and want) a Plan to get rid of that Debt.
“Why?!” you plaintively ask.
“Because I have vivid memories of a 19% interest rate in 1985,” is my reply.
The interest rate on Home mortgages for us twenty-somethings was 15%.
What’s the difference between 5% and 15%?
You’ll find it hard to believe — but, here’s the reality. And, I can explain it a couple different ways.
The only two resources available to
Knowing the Principal, Term Certain, and Interest Rate we are ready to examine some Examples of a typical young couple in love — with their first house.
Examples
$250,000 at 5% for 20 years — Monthly Payment is $1,649.89. (CLICK)
$250,000 at 15% for 20 years — Monthly Payment is $3,291.97. (CLICK)
But, you exclaim, “We can only afford $1,649.89 per month!”
Okay, let’s see what that does to the Price of houses on the Market.
$125,296.40 at 15% for 20 years — Monthly Payment is $1,649.89. (CLICK)
So, if you have invested blood, sweat, and tears into
This societal notion of “free money” does not work — being “debt free” is a goal worthy of your Time and Money.
Bankers
I hope you noticed the total amount of Interest paid over the life of the loan for that $250,000 home, for a period of 20 years (please, review the last page of the Amortization Schedules).
$250,000 at 5% for 20 years — Interest paid by you is $145,973.60. (CLICK)
$250,000 at 15% for 20 years — Interest paid by you is $540,172.80. (CLICK)
Yes, that’s right — and we older kids did it — pay for that beautiful Home three times: once for Principal and twice for Interest.
Now, we made this better with 15-years of payments. $379,814.60 (CLICK)
Or, much worse (by advice of Bankers) with 30-years. $887,999.60 (CLICK)
So, it is possible to help ourselves and take fancy trips with our Families, to the tune of $160,358.20*, by paying $207.00** more per month.
[*$540,072.80 – 379,814.60 and **$3,498.97 – 3,291.97]
Or, if you are bound and determined to let a Banker do your thinking, you will pay an additional $347,826.80*, by “saving” $130.86 per month.
[*$887,999.60 – 540,172.80 and **$3,291.97 – 3,161.11]
I beg of you, please, “Do your own thinking!”
Help Yourself
When interest rates are 15%, the average Citizen cannot afford $250,000 houses. The price will come down to something in the neighborhood of $85,000 to $125,000.
Because this is another Universal Principle — there is an inverse relationship between Interest Rates and the Price of what Debt purchases.
The magical thing about numbers is they are proportional — 1/3 of $250,000 is $83,333.33 and a monthly payment of $1,097.32 [$3,291.97 / 3]. (CLICK)
Wherever you find yourself on the spectrum of debt, use these examples to make decisions, today, to help yourself in Building Your Dynamic Future.
Will interest rates go all the way back up to 15%?
I don’t know, for sure — but having lived through Mortgage rates of 15% and having paid Business loan rates of 19%, I’ll offer this, “They did it before — and it is possible for them (Bankers) to do it, again.”
In the “olden days” there were two purchase options to prevent people from becoming indebted: Savings and Layaway. Yes, it is possible to stay in vogue with societal trends by saving for the purchase of a consumable — or by placing the item out of sight and out of mind, with the Merchant, while making monthly payments (of Principal only) to acquire it.
Leverage
Debt is (AKA) also known as leverage.
The reason “why” is that debt will let us “pry” our way into deals bigger than what we are capable of doing on our own — from the Cash in our own back pocket.
Again, if we are using Good Debt for a good reason — to become more productive in life and business — then, we will create new wealth.
Remember, though, a debt must be paid back with after-tax dollars. For those in a 40% Income Tax Bracket, this means they pay back debt with 60 cent dollars.
In other words to pay back $1,000 of debt, they need to earn Wages or Profit of $1,666.67 [solution: $1,000 / .60] and they will pay $666.67 in Taxes [solution: $1,666.67 x .40] to, then, have $1,000 to pay back the Banker plus the market rate of interest (Prime + Banker Profit).
Debt is (via Bankers) a cruel taskmaster — you will be a slave to a Banker.
Lifestyle
Remember my story about the Montana ranchers?
For 35+ years, I’ve teased them about their lifestyle.
“I’m sure glad you didn’t waltz in here with your crowbar,” I’ll say.
Puzzled, perplexed, and border-line offended they respond with, “What do you mean?!”
“Well,” I’ll continue, “When you encounter a big rock at the bottom of a posthole, you go to the toolshed and get the crowbar. You leverage the rock out of the hole and, then, put the crowbar back where it belongs — away in the toolshed.”
“Why, then, do you believe living in constant fear of having all your stuff repossessed is good for you?”
I have yet to receive a positive answer to that question. I’ve listened to them swear a blue streak of profanity — at me and the world. But, there have been very few Debtors change their beliefs and actions.
Sad, because I’ve watched good people lose farms, ranches, and
If you want a new, debt-free, lifestyle, contact me and we’ll take the steps forward to building a bright dynamic future for YOU — and your Family.