At the same time, you invest money in a separate savings scheme, and at the end of the term (usually 25 years), use the investment from the separate scheme to pay off the capital cost of your house.
This is a popular choice for people who would struggle to meet the mortgage repayments every month, or those who are confident that their investments will provide enough to cover the capital payment at the end of the term. The danger is that if your investment plan does not perform well, you may be left without enough to buy your house after the 25 years are up ? a time when most people are facing retirement.
There are three main ways to invest alongside an interest only mortgage, be aware that none of these are guaranteed to provide the capital at the end of the term.
Endowment Policies
Probably the most common investment for alongside an interest only mortgage. There are various different types of endowment policy, which involve your money being invested in the stock market. Some pay bonuses annually, and you can receive a one-off lump sum at the end of the term. Endowment policies have built-in life insurance.
PEPs and ISAs
Individual savings accounts (ISAs) replaced Personal Equity Plans (PEPs) a few years ago. ISAs are flexible investments with tax benefits ? investors are exempt from paying income and capital gains tax on their ISA. They can consist of cash, stocks, shares and insurance. At the time of writing there are limits on the amount you can invest, but these are set to be abolished soon
Pensions
A portion of your pension fund would be used to pay the capital of your mortgage at the end of the term ? which can be up to 40 years. This too is a tax efficient investment, winning you tax relief on the contributions. One pitfall of this type of investment is that you will have to use a significant part of your pension ? a lump sum ? to pay off the capital, which could leave you with a significantly reduced income when you retire.
Note that you may also be required to take out a separate life insurance policy along with your investments and mortgage.
There are only two things people should keep in mind before taking on an interest-only mortgage. The name interest-only mortgage is misleading. If truth be told, there is no such thing as an interest-only mortgage. In an interest-only mortgage, you will still have to pay for the loan principal. When you get an interest-only mortgage, what you're really getting is an interest-only payment method which you can combine with other traditional mortgage types.
The other thing you need to keep in mind is that the stated benefits of interest-only mortgages are exaggerated. In a standard mortgage, 95% if each dollar paid to the lender goes to the loan interest. Thus on a $100,000 standard loan with 6% interest, the total payment would be $600 with the $500 going to interest and the other $100 for equity.
A Brief History of Interest-Only Mortgages
Interest-only mortgages are not relatively new concepts. The idea behind interest-only mortgages was spawned from the more flexible and more inventive jumbo mortgage markets. Because of this, interest-only mortgages are traditionally a loan type preferred by savvy investors and well-heeled clients who want to use the principal portion of their payment on other more productive investments.
Because interest-only mortgages are jumbo loans, the difference in monthly payment grows with the larger loan amount. For example, in a $100,000 interest-only mortgage loan, the per month difference is $100. If the loan is worth $1,000,000, then the difference per month grows to $1,000, a substantial amount that can be put to better use. The savvy investor can make it so that his investment using the money he gets from the per month difference growth of an interest-only mortgage can increase within a short period, thus leveraging incomes to build assets.
This is partly the reason why interest-only mortgages are still preferred by big-time investors. However, it is only natural to assume that there are some considerable risks associated with an interest-only mortgage, especially when it comes to stocks.
Interest-only mortgages have payment periods based on adjustable rate mortgages. This however is not always the case. Interest-only mortgage payment schedules are also offered in fixed rate mortgages as well. Interest-only mortgages have also gone mainstream so virtually anyone can borrow money with this type of loan.
Temporary Payment Periods
The payment periods for interest-only mortgages almost never run for the entire term of the loan. Even with a fixed rate mortgage, interest-only mortgages are still bound to be only temporary. And InterstFirst product only lets interest-only mortgage payments for half of the total term.
The expiration schedule of an interest-only mortgage payment is usually at the end of a set period. This makes interest-only mortgages compatible to ?amalgam? adjustable rate mortgages. When the interest-only mortgage payment comes to an end your payment will then rise to include principal and interest.
The great thing about interest-only mortgages
Interest-only mortgage payments also have their advantages. Borrowers can find that there are various practical benefits that an interest-only mortgage can offer. First is that, interest-only mortgages can help you in accumulating assets. Because interest-only mortgages do not demand so much during its initial years, you can use the payment differential in a cash investment. The ?spare? cash provided by interest-only mortgages may also be used for college money, retirement money, and even as a seasonal income factor.
Of course, you are the only person who can really tell if the mortgage option is right for you or not. However, awareness of the issues that surround those choices is a good way to make a more informed decision.
Both Joe Kenny & Lorna Mclaren are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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