Loan calculators — auto, personal, student & more

Use our Auto Loan Calculator if you are financing a vehicle — it factors in trade-in value, sales tax, and dealer incentives. For personal loans, use the Personal Loan Calculator. Student loan borrowers should use the Student Loan Calculator which models deferment, income-driven repayment, and forgiveness scenarios. If you are deciding between multiple loan offers, use our Loan Comparison Calculator.

Debt consolidation makes sense if you can qualify for a lower interest rate than your current weighted average and it does not extend your repayment term excessively. The key metric is whether the total interest cost after consolidation is lower than continuing to pay off debts separately. Our Debt Payoff Calculator lets you model consolidation scenarios side by side.

The debt avalanche method targets the highest-interest debt first, mathematically saving you the most money over time. The debt snowball method pays off the smallest balances first for quick psychological wins that keep you motivated. Both methods work — avalanche saves more money; snowball provides faster visible progress. Our calculator models both strategies.

A HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) uses your home as collateral, so lenders look at your equity, credit score, and debt-to-income ratio. Most lenders allow HELOCs up to 85% of your combined loan-to-value ratio. HELOCs have variable rates that can rise with the prime rate, so consider the risk. Use our HELOC Calculator to see your potential credit limit and payment scenarios.

The general guidance is: (1) capture any employer 401(k) match first, (2) build a small emergency fund, (3) then evaluate your student loan interest rate. If your rate is above 6–7%, paying off the loan is a guaranteed return. Below 4–5%, investing may outperform. Between 5–7%, splitting extra payments and investments is a reasonable approach.