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Steven Alexander CPA Inc.accounting. advisory. growth.
Free tool · Mortgage rate comparison

Compare the cost of every borrowing choice.

Three side-by-side comparisons for Canadian borrowers — payments across amortizations, two rates at renewal, and a HELOC against a mortgage. Hover any bar to see the interest, principal, and total.

The mortgage
Same rate compared across amortizations.

Total cost by amortization

Same loan, different timelines. The bar is total cost (principal + interest). Hover for the split.

Principal Interest
The longer-amortization play: invest the difference

A longer amortization lowers your monthly payment. If you invest that freed-up cashflow every month into a low-cost index fund, the growth can outweigh the extra interest you pay. Pick two amortizations to compare — same mortgage amount and rate as above.

The freed monthly payment is invested every month for the full length of the longer amortization. Returns shown span a conservative 5% to an optimistic 12%.
At renewal
The two offers

Cost over the term

What you'd pay over the term at each rate, split into principal paid down and interest. Hover for the split.

Principal paid Interest
The borrowing
HELOC assumes interest-only payments (no principal paydown). Mortgage assumes regular amortizing payments.

Total paid over the period

HELOC pays interest only; a mortgage payment also reduces principal (builds equity). Hover for the split.

Principal paid Interest
Invest the cashflow difference

The interest-only HELOC payment is lower than the amortizing mortgage payment, freeing up monthly cashflow. If you invest that difference at 5–12%, here’s how it stacks up against the equity the mortgage builds over the same period.

Uses the same amount, rates, amortization, and period as above. The mortgage’s higher payment builds equity by paying down principal; the HELOC’s lower payment frees that same cash to invest — but never reduces the balance.
Weighing a mortgage, renewal, or HELOC?

Let’s pressure-test the decision together.

Amortization length, the rate you renew at, and whether to lean on a HELOC all ripple through your cashflow, your taxes, and how fast you build equity. We’ll help you weigh them against the rest of your financial picture.

Book a 30-min chat →Send us an email