How Will Lower Payments Affect You?
1. You will be in debt longer.
Unless you are able to get your interest rate reduced, a lower payment will always mean a longer term. This is upside down thinking; your goal should be to get rid of your debt quicker – not sign up for additional years.
2. You pay more interest.
Interest is applied to the unpaid balance of your loan, so the longer it takes you to pay off your debt, the longer that unpaid balance sticks around and the more interest you pay. Furthermore, some lenders, especially in the case of auto loans, charge a higher rate for longer term loans.
A Consumer Reports study shows that for a $30,520 car loan with a 10 percent down payment, the borrower will pay $1,637 more for a 72 month loan than a 48 month loan.
3. You take on more risk.
Long-term loans, especially auto loans, create more risk. How? Because cars depreciate with time, meaning the longer you take to pay for the car, the longer you will be upside down (owing more than the car is worth). If your car is seriously damaged or stolen during this upside down period, your insurer will likely pay you the value of the car – not what you owe on it.
Furthermore, if you decide to trade your car, you will get less than what you owe on it, effectively rolling that debt (and being upside down even longer) into your new purchase. These things really happen – I know a couple who owes $30,000 on each of their two cars, which are only worth $15,000 each. What a nightmare!
4. You may be tempted to take on more debt.
If a debt consolidation loan lowers your payments, don’t start thinking you have lowered your debt. You haven’t … you simply moved it. The kicker is this: If you haven’t dealt with the reason you accumulated the debt in the first place, you could let that lower monthly payment lull you into a false sense of well-being … and even more debt.
5. You could develop a perpetual payment mindset.
If you find yourself saying, “I will always have payments,” you are settling for a life of bondage. I realize years of debt payments can create a habit difficult to break, but believe me, you can do it. Don’t ever allow the lifetime payment mindset permeate your psyche.
A Better Plan: Focus on Paying Off Debt
Never again buy anything because you can afford the monthly payments. Instead, consider the size of the loan, because that is how much debt you are taking on. If you forget lower payments and strive for huge payments, you can get the debt out of your life…
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