How lenders price risk: the building blocks behind your rate
A loan rate is not a single number plucked from the air. It is built from layers, and risk is only one of them.
The rate desk
Worked examples and plain explanations. Every figure is illustrative and the maths is shown.
4 articles
Secured vs unsecured loans: what the rate gap looks like in dollars
Putting an asset behind a loan usually brings the rate down. A $25,000 example shows how much that can matter.
Balloon payments: lower repayments, bigger final bill
A balloon or residual shrinks your monthly repayment, but it also changes how much interest you pay. Here is the trade-off in dollars.
Why the comparison rate is higher than the advertised rate
Two loans can share a headline rate and still cost different amounts. A worked example shows how fees lift the comparison rate.