Mortgage field notes
Read the contract behind the calculation.
Original explainers for the questions that arrive before an offer, at renewal, and after the last payment.
Paying Off Your Mortgage: The Game Changer Is What You Do Next
A practical plan for the cash flow, paperwork, protection, and new priorities that follow your final mortgage payment.
Borrowing · 8 minThe Darlene Early Reverse Mortgage Case: Fraud Claims and Homeowner Safeguards
What the reported Darlene Early dispute shows about mortgage fraud, title checks, independent advice, and responding to an unfamiliar loan.
Borrowing · 10 minHow to Get Preapproved for a Mortgage Without Overstretching
Prepare documents, compare lenders, protect your budget, and understand what a mortgage preapproval does not guarantee.
Borrowing · 8 minMortgage Quote Checklist: Compare the Price, Terms, and Tradeoffs
Learn what belongs in a useful mortgage quote and how to compare rate, APR, fees, penalties, and cash required.
Mortgage basics · 9 minFixed-Rate Mortgage Guide: Stable Payment, Real Tradeoffs
Understand what stays fixed, what can still change, and how term, amortization, penalties, and renewal affect a fixed-rate mortgage.
Mortgage basics · 9 minHow to Calculate Mortgage Payments and Check the Result
Learn the fixed-payment formula, compounding conventions, total housing costs, and the assumptions behind a mortgage calculator.
Mortgage basics · 10 minWhat Is a Reverse Mortgage? Costs, Triggers, and Equity
Understand how a reverse mortgage converts home equity into cash, how the balance grows, and what homeowners and families should review.
Borrowing · 9 minPrivate Mortgage Guide: When Bank Financing Is Not the Fit
Understand private mortgages, short terms, fees, exit plans, due diligence, and the risks of borrowing outside mainstream bank channels.
Borrowing · 7 minRocket Mortgage: What It Is and How to Compare an Online Lender
An independent overview of Rocket Mortgage and a neutral checklist for comparing an online mortgage option with other lenders.
Market · 8 minMortgage Rates News: Read the Signal Without Chasing the Headline
A dated July 2026 mortgage-rate update for Canada and the United States, plus a framework for turning market news into a payment range.
Planning · 10 minMortgage Renewal Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate a Canadian mortgage renewal payment, compare stay-versus-switch costs, and prepare for rate, term, and amortization decisions.
Borrowing · 10 minMortgage Penalty Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate a Canadian mortgage prepayment penalty, understand three-month-interest and IRD methods, and test the full refinance break-even cost.
Mortgage basics · 8 minMortgage Amortization Schedule Calculator Canada Guide
Build a Canadian mortgage amortization schedule, read principal and interest by payment or year, and understand what changes at renewal.
Planning · 8 minMortgage Extra Payment Calculator Canada Guide
Compare one-time, annual, and recurring mortgage prepayments in Canada, including interest saved, payoff time, and contract limits.
Planning · 8 minClosing Cost Calculator Canada Guide
Estimate cash to close in Canada, including Ontario, Toronto, and British Columbia transfer taxes, fees, adjustments, and a reserve.
Borrowing · 8 minMortgage Refinance Break-Even Calculator Canada Guide
Calculate mortgage refinance break-even in Canada using payment savings, penalties, fees, amortization, and a realistic holding period.
Planning · 8 minRent vs Buy Calculator Canada Guide
Compare renting and buying in Canada using equity, unrecoverable costs, investment opportunity cost, selling costs, and time horizon.
Planning · 9 minPorting a Mortgage in Canada: Questions to Ask Before You Move
Learn how mortgage portability works in Canada, when it may avoid a prepayment penalty, and what to compare before selling and buying.