Mortgage Repayments - weekly, fortnightly or monthly?
While the general rule of thumb is to match your repayments to your income frequency, if you want to save on interest or pay your loan off quicker, that might not be the best option.
Here, we take a look at repayment frequency options to help you choose the right repayment frequency for you.
WEEKLY
If you get paid weekly, then making your mortgage payments weekly is probably the best option.
By making more frequent payments, you will usually be saving on interest costs, as interest is usually calculated daily on the outstanding balance – so by paying weekly, you are paying down the principal amount faster. It might not seem like a lot, but it does add up…
By making four weekly payments, you will save interest compared to paying once a month. However, it does depend on how your mortgage repayments are structured to be repaid.
If they are structured to be paid weekly, then you probably won’t be making much in the way of interest savings, as that will already be factored into the total interest cost; if, however, your payment schedule is set up as monthly or fortnightly, then making more regular payments should save you interest.
FORTNIGHTLY
If you get paid fortnightly, but have your mortgage repayment frequency set up as monthly, you could then pay half the monthly mortgage payment each fortnight (which will save interest) or the full amount every second fortnight and pay your other bills on the other fortnight.
This may be most beneficial if your other bills are a similar amount to the monthly mortgage payment.
If you do make your payments fortnightly, but your loan schedule is monthly, paying half your required monthly payment each fortnight will provide two benefits – you will save on interest from making more regular payments AND your loan could be paid off quicker, as you will end up making an additional repayment each year (as there are 26 fortnights in a year, which is equal to 13 monthly payments).
MONTHLY
While making one monthly payment may not give you the potential interest savings that more frequent repayments can, it does make sense if you only get paid monthly – because making your payments late will cost you more in interest and fees in the long run.
However, if you do only make your payments monthly, paying a little bit extra each time will help you to reduce your interest costs and your loan term.
Poll: Have you ever had a scary flight?
A plane flying from Christchurch to Wellington on Sunday had smoke billowing out of the engine and upon landing, passengers had to open the emergency exit and jump out. Have you had any scary flying experiences?
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56.5% Yes!
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43.5% No, it's always been smooth flying
ALEXANDER ROAD SPEED LIMIT
Alexander Road in Trentham-Wallaceville of which 50% separates a golf course from a military encampment enclosure and the rest has mostly high fenced off industrial and residential areas on both sides, should have a 70km speed restriction.
Only a short time ago the road had a 80km restriction and was reduced to a pedestrian 50km much to the frustration of many. It has never been an accident prone stretch of road.
The several round-abouts ensure speed is reduced to 30-40km when these things occur.
I recently stayed a few days in Feilding - often given the title of the best town in NZ - and one of the lengthy main streets has a 70km speed restriction despite a predominance of unfenced residential properties on both sides.
LIVE Q&A: Financial well-being with Cat Rikihana
Today (Wednesday) we're having another Neighbourly Q&A session. This time with Cat Rikihana who is a financial mentor, educator and financial capability practitioner at Financial Freedom Trust in the Manawatū.
Cat Rikihana (Ngai Tahu) like many financial mentors around Aotearoa, works with individuals, groups and whānau to successfully navigate financial stress and hardship. Mentors work alongside whānau to increase confidence and skills in personal money management and advocate with and for clients. Cat enjoys delivering online and face-to-face workshops which provide opportunities to normalise money conversations and encourages people to make time to consider their financial well-being.
Cat is also an independent financial well-being coach, educator and indigenous life coach at Restore Wellness Network. She is a published writer and currently in the process of writing her first non-fiction book: 'A financial self-care guide for women in Aotearoa.'
She'd love to answer any questions you may have around your budgeting and spending habits, strategies for saving, retirement planning and debt. (Don't be shy, but be mindful about what you disclose!)
↓ Share your questions now and Cat will reply to your comment below ↓
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