Debt

Mortgages and Consumer Debt

This page outlines some of my work on mortgages and consumer debt.

Choice Between 15-year and 30-year Fixed Rate Mortgages:

Post provides basic comparisons on how choice between 15-year and 30-year FRM impacts monthly mortgage payment, mortgage interest, tax deduction, and future house equity.

Comparing 15-year and 30-year Mortgages

Should a person nearing retirement take out a 15-year FRM or should the person take out a 30-year FRM and place more money into a 401(k) plan?

Retire Mortgage Debt or Accumulate in Your 401(k) Plan?

This post refines the house equity and mortgage payoff spreadsheet.

A House Equity and Mortgage Payoff Spreadsheet

Posts on Student Debt and Mortgages:

I have two posts on the relationship between student debt and mortgages.
One post describes a spreadsheet that estimates the amount of a mortgage a person with consumer loans or student debt could obtain.

How much house can a student borrower qualify for?

A second post estimates the annual income needed to qualify for a mortgage given a person’s student loans and consumer debts.

Student debt and qualifying for a mortgage

Empirical work documenting the recent increase in student debt will be available here or at www.economicmemos.com next week.