Net Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KNet Worth
$385KTop 42%PeakWorth
$4.2M+$182KFI Age
50y 1m-11moPersonal loans can rescue you from credit card debt — or be a slow leak that delays retirement by years. The math decides.
Avg personal loan rate (2026)
~12%
Range with strong credit
7–11%
Range with fair credit
15–25%
Typical term
2–7 years
Monthly payment
$333.67
Total interest
$5,020
Total paid
$20,020
Loan term
5 years
| Year | Payments | Principal | Interest | Balance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,004 | $2,329 | $1,675 | $12,671 |
| 2 | $4,004 | $2,625 | $1,379 | $10,046 |
| 3 | $4,004 | $2,958 | $1,046 | $7,088 |
| 4 | $4,004 | $3,333 | $671 | $3,755 |
| 5 | $4,004 | $3,755 | $249 | $0 |
Estimates only. Excludes fees, escrow changes, and tax effects. For educational purposes — not financial advice.
Best use: consolidating high-rate credit card debt (22%+ APR) into a fixed-rate, fixed-payment loan at half the rate. The math works because the loan is amortized — you can't keep adding to it like you can with a credit card.
Worst use: vacations, weddings, electronics, or anything that depreciates immediately. You'll pay 2–4 years of interest on something that no longer exists by the time you finish paying for it.
Balance transfer card (0% APR for 15–18 months): best if you can pay it off during the promo period. Personal loan: best for a fixed payoff date with predictable payments. HELOC: lowest rate but uses your home as collateral — risky for revolving spending.
A calculator alone tells you the payment. PeakWorth tells you what that payment costs your retirement — and how every change ripples through the next 30 years of your finances.
Short-term yes (small dip from hard pull), long-term often improves it as you pay down credit card balances and diversify your credit mix.
Only if (a) the new rate is meaningfully lower, (b) you cut up the cards or freeze them, and (c) you have a plan to avoid running them up again.
Strong credit: 7–11%. Average credit: 12–18%. Above 20% — exhaust other options first.
Learn guides, true-cost calculators, and audience playbooks across the PeakWorth network.
Decision guide
Debt paydown strategy
Avalanche vs snowball + when to invest instead.
Cost of
Your daily coffee, in retirement years
$5/day. 30 years. The FI Age cost of a daily latte.
Cost of
The true cost of avocado toast
Settle the meme. With math. And your own salary.
Decision guide
Should you tap your home equity?
HELOAN vs HELOC vs cash-out — the FI Age trade-off.
Built for
PeakWorth for FIRE pursuers
Coast, barista, full FIRE — modeled in real time.
Built for
PeakWorth for young professionals
Set the foundation in your 20s, retire 10 years earlier.
PeakWorth includes every loan calculator above — connected to your real income, expenses, and goals. Every number you change updates your live FI Age and lifetime projection.
