Where should I put my extra money?

Question

I'm saving extra money every month. I have about $52,000 in student loans @ 5%. I have a home mortgage of $150,000 which is an 80/20 Interest only loan 5/1 ARM. 80 part of loan is at 6% and 20 part is 7.5%. I am also investing into a 401K? Where should I put extra monies?

Answer 1

1. Don't worry about your student loans too much yet; your rate will drop by a percentage point after you pay on time for 3 years. Only start paying them down when you have everything else in order.

2. You should be planning on refinancing your mortgage. You need to lock in a fixed rate while interest rates are near all time lows!

3. So for now, I'd save extra money in cash--not only because everyone needs some cash savings, but because you need to refinance (and therefore pay loan fees) in the near future.

4. After that, open a Roth IRA and contribute to it until you can max it out each year. Then go back and add contributions to your 401k.

Answer 2

I would invest in a solid mutual fund. Stay away from cd's because their interest rates stink. Besides, the bank will invest in mutual funds and the stock market anyway, so it's best that you get the money, not the bank. Usually I would say put it in a Roth, but I'm afraid of your mortgage. An arm mortgage is the worst kind. Your mortgage can get as high as three times your payment now, so you do need to refinance into a fixed, even if the interest rate is higher. Arm mortgages are the main reason why so many homes are being foreclosed on. If you do get into a fixed, then I do suggest that you invest in a Roth, because it'll be tax free when you withdraw. But you also need to have an emergency fund for immediate cash needs. Hope this helps

Answer 3

Mortgage seems like the best choice. It seems like it has the higher interest rate out of your two debts (student loans and mortgage).

However, your student loans is only 52k, and the interest difference isn't that high. maybe you might want to clear that first, and then clear your mortgage. It depends on which one will make you feel better in the long run.

If your 401k is maxed out, and sufficient to see you through retirement, then I'd continue automatic investment in that, and work towards clearing your debts.

Answer 4

Try this HSBC savings account that earns 5% APY. They have a promotion right now were any money before April 30 earns 6%. You can deposit and withdraw money when ever you need to and you can link any other bank account at any bank to transfer between the accounts.

Answer 5

definitely look into retirement plan mutuals.
There are high risk medium and no risk and are a great tax break.
I put $7.000 into high risk through my bank and in 4 years it is up to over 35,000. My low risk investment of 10,000 is now at 22,000.

Leave the investments in until your income is low low and take out without any or very little income tax.

Your bank will help with making the decisions.

Answer 6

In my account! LOL just kidding! Keep investing! Talk to a professional like Edward Jones.

Answer 7

i put all my spare change in a mug and let it sit and grow... now thats why i call a 5 year investment plan...

but for serious money questions im sorry im not too sure... maybe a savings account with high interest

Answer 8

first off, take full advantage of your 401k. if it's maxed out, look into opening an IRA or Roth IRA with your extra money. well, that's if you are saving for retirement.

otherwise invest in stock or real estate.

Answer 9

I would pay off the mortgage first, maybe you could refinance it and get a better rate.

Answer 10

Short term CD's so you can take a distribution if you need to.