Each calculator answers one specific money question. No account, no sales pitch, and no hidden assumptions—just the numbers you need to make the next move. The guide maps what comes after.
Line up avalanche and snowball with your balances, rates, minimums, and extra payment. You’ll see the exact interest cost and debt-free date for both.
Run your numbersCompare the payment, payoff date, total interest, fees, and break-even point side by side. The lowest payment is not always the lowest cost.
Compare the strategiesShorten the loan and reduce interest.
Lower the payment without replacing the loan.
Test the new rate against fees and break-even.
See the true cost after the transfer fee, the payment needed before the promo ends, and the month the move actually breaks even.
Analyze the transferExample · A 3% fee against a 24% card can break even in about six weeks.
A clear order for the money left after high-interest debt: build the checking buffer, set the emergency fund, decide when CDs help, then move toward tax-advantaged and brokerage investing.
This is the order that makes mathematical sense. Each step assumes the one before it is in place.