Factors which affect how are Bond Repayment Calculated
Many people who are in the market for making a large purchase and need to make use of a bond often find themselves a bit confused when trying to understand how bond repayment is calculated. The overall process is actually far easier than most people realize. Much of this confusion is related to the fact that there isn?t as much readily available information on the subject as most people would expect. Despite this the process involves little more than a simple mathematical formula and a few factors.
Without a doubt, the factor which plays the largest role in what the monthly payments will be on a bond is the amount of the bond. If you take out a large bond you can expect to have relatively high monthly payments while a smaller bond can lead to lower monthly payments. The term length of the bond is also a major factor which affects the monthly payments on the bond. Bond?s are readily available for 10, 15 and even 20 years. In some rare cases a 30 year bond may also be available. Obviously, with longer bond terms you receive lower monthly payments because you are spreading the loan out over a greater period of time. The down side to longer loan terms is that it leads to paying out more money in the end than a shorter loan term. This is because you are paying interest over a greater period of time.
Another factor which directly affects the monthly payment on a bond is the interest rate itself. This interest interest rate is calculated by taking into account factors such as your credit score, work history, current employment status, income, and even age. The more favorable these figures are the better your interest rate will be. Higher interest rates not only mean higher monthly payments but they also mean that you will have paid more at the completion of the loan by a significant margin. In fact, a 1% increase in the interest rate can lead to thousands of extra dollars in expenses over the course of the loan.
After these simple figures have been determined the bank now needs to figure out how much interest you will be paying per month. The interest rate that you receive is actually an APR or annual percentage rate. This rate is based on an entire year. To acquire your monthly interest rate you take the APR and divide it by 12.
Once they have this information the banks use a simple mathematical formula to determine the actual monthly payback you will have on the bond. This formula is far easier than many people believe and will quickly give you your payback. There are also many online bond calculators available freely which will allow you to easily take figures and determine what kind of monthly bond rate you will have. There are also some reverse calculators which allow you to input how much you can afford per month and they will output how much of a bond you can really afford.
Susan Reynolds is the webmaster for a leading South African bond originator. For more information visit: http://www.bondcredit.co.za/
