Debt Snowball vs. Debt Avalanche Payoff Calculator

List Your Current Debts

$

Current Debt Summary (based on inputs):

Total Outstanding Debt: $0.00

Total Minimum Monthly Payments: $0.00

Payoff Comparison: Snowball vs. Avalanche

Disclaimer: Estimates are based on your inputs and assume consistent payments and interest rates (which may not be fixed for all debt types like credit cards). Actual payoff times and interest paid can vary. This tool is for informational purposes and is not financial advice.

Total Interest Paid: ${dpsa_formatCurrency(snowballResult.totalInterest)}

`; const totalPaidSnowball = rawDebts.reduce((sum, debt) => sum + debt.balance, 0) + snowballResult.totalInterest; resultsHTML += `

Total Amount Paid: ${dpsa_formatCurrency(totalPaidSnowball)}

`; resultsHTML += `
Payoff Order:
    ${snowballResult.payoffOrder.map(d => `
  1. ${d.name} (Month ${d.months})
  2. `).join('')}
`; } resultsHTML += `
`; // Avalanche Card resultsHTML += `

Debt Avalanche Method

`; if (avalancheResult.months === Infinity) { resultsHTML += `

Could not calculate payoff with current inputs (likely payments don't cover interest or term too long).

`; } else { resultsHTML += `

Time to Debt-Free: ${dpsa_formatMonthsToYearsMonths(avalancheResult.months)} (${avalancheResult.months} months)

`; resultsHTML += `

Total Interest Paid: ${dpsa_formatCurrency(avalancheResult.totalInterest)}

`; const totalPaidAvalanche = rawDebts.reduce((sum, debt) => sum + debt.balance, 0) + avalancheResult.totalInterest; resultsHTML += `

Total Amount Paid: ${dpsa_formatCurrency(totalPaidAvalanche)}

`; resultsHTML += `
Payoff Order:
    ${avalancheResult.payoffOrder.map(d => `
  1. ${d.name} (Month ${d.months})
  2. `).join('')}
`; } resultsHTML += `
`; if(dpsa_el.resultsContainer) dpsa_el.resultsContainer.innerHTML = resultsHTML; // Final Summary let summaryText = ""; if (snowballResult.months !== Infinity && avalancheResult.months !== Infinity) { const interestDiff = snowballResult.totalInterest - avalancheResult.totalInterest; const timeDiff = snowballResult.months - avalancheResult.months; if (Math.abs(interestDiff) < 1 && Math.abs(timeDiff) < 1) { summaryText = "Both methods result in a similar payoff time and total interest paid with your inputs."; } else if (avalancheResult.totalInterest < snowballResult.totalInterest) { summaryText = `The Debt Avalanche method is estimated to save you approximately ${dpsa_formatCurrency(interestDiff)} in interest`; if (avalancheResult.months < snowballResult.months) { summaryText += ` and get you debt-free ${dpsa_formatMonthsToYearsMonths(timeDiff)} sooner.`; } else if (avalancheResult.months > snowballResult.months) { summaryText += ` but may take ${dpsa_formatMonthsToYearsMonths(Math.abs(timeDiff))} longer.`; // Unlikely but possible with complex min payments } else { summaryText += ` in a similar timeframe.`; } } else { // Snowball somehow better or equal (less common for interest, could be time if APRs are very close) summaryText = `The Debt Snowball method is estimated to have you pay ${dpsa_formatCurrency(Math.abs(interestDiff))} more in interest`; if (snowballResult.months < avalancheResult.months) { summaryText += ` but could get you debt-free ${dpsa_formatMonthsToYearsMonths(Math.abs(timeDiff))} sooner (often due to quick wins).`; } else { summaryText += ` and take a similar amount of time. Consider the psychological benefits of Snowball if motivation is key.`; } } summaryText += "
Avalanche usually saves more money. Snowball can be motivating due to quicker small debt payoffs."; } else { summaryText = "Could not fully compare strategies due to calculation issues (e.g., payments not covering interest). Please review your inputs."; } if(dpsa_el.finalSummaryDiv) dpsa_el.finalSummaryDiv.innerHTML = summaryText; if(dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn && dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn.style) dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn.style.display = 'block'; } function dpsa_resetForm() { if(dpsa_el.debtEntriesContainer) dpsa_el.debtEntriesContainer.innerHTML = ""; dpsa_debtEntryCount = 0; dpsa_addDebtEntry('Credit Card A', 2500, 22, 75); dpsa_addDebtEntry('Student Loan B', 10000, 6.8, 150); dpsa_addDebtEntry('Personal Loan C', 5000, 12, 200); if(dpsa_el.extraMonthlyPayment) dpsa_el.extraMonthlyPayment.value = "200"; dpsa_updateCurrentDebtSummary(); document.querySelectorAll('#debtPayoffCalculator .dpsa-error-message').forEach(el => el.textContent = ''); if(dpsa_el.resultsContainer) dpsa_el.resultsContainer.innerHTML = ""; if(dpsa_el.finalSummaryDiv) dpsa_el.finalSummaryDiv.innerHTML = ""; if(dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn && dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn.style) dpsa_el.pdfDownloadBtn.style.display = 'none'; if(dpsa_el.resultsTabButton) dpsa_el.resultsTabButton.disabled = true; dpsa_currentTab = 0; dpsa_openTab(null, 'dpsa-tabDebts'); } function dpsa_downloadPDF() { if (typeof window.jspdf === 'undefined' || typeof window.jspdf.jsPDF !== 'function' || typeof window.html2canvas !== 'function' || typeof window.jspdf.jsPDF.API.autoTable !== 'function') { alert("PDF generation library not fully loaded. Check CDN links & internet."); return; } const jsPDFConstructor = window.jspdf.jsPDF; const resultsContent = dpsa_el.resultsContainer; const finalSummaryContent = dpsa_el.finalSummaryDiv; const disclaimerContent = document.querySelector('#debtPayoffCalculator .dpsa-disclaimer-note'); if (!resultsContent || !resultsContent.innerHTML.trim() || !finalSummaryContent || !finalSummaryContent.innerHTML.trim()) { alert("No results to download. Please calculate first."); return; } const pdf = new jsPDFConstructor('p', 'pt', 'a4'); const toolTitle = "Debt Snowball vs. Avalanche Payoff Comparison"; const margins = { top: 40, bottom: 40, left: 30, right: 30 }; let yPos = margins.top; pdf.setFontSize(18); pdf.text(toolTitle, pdf.internal.pageSize.getWidth() / 2, yPos, { align: 'center' }); yPos += 30; // Inputs Summary pdf.setFontSize(11); pdf.text("Your Input Summary:", margins.left, yPos); yPos += 15; pdf.setFontSize(9); pdf.text(`- Total Initial Debt: ${dpsa_el.currentTotalDebtDisplay.textContent}`, margins.left + 10, yPos); yPos += 13; pdf.text(`- Total Minimum Payments: ${dpsa_el.currentMinPaymentsDisplay.textContent}`, margins.left + 10, yPos); yPos += 13; pdf.text(`- Extra Monthly Payment: ${dpsa_formatCurrency(parseFloat(dpsa_el.extraMonthlyPayment.value))}`, margins.left + 10, yPos); yPos += 20; // Results (capture as image due to complex layout) html2canvas(resultsContent, {scale: 1.2, backgroundColor: '#ffffff', useCORS: true, windowWidth: resultsContent.scrollWidth}).then(canvasResults => { const imgDataResults = canvasResults.toDataURL('image/png'); const imgPropsResults = pdf.getImageProperties(imgDataResults); const pdfWidth = pdf.internal.pageSize.getWidth() - margins.left - margins.right; let pdfHeightResults = (imgPropsResults.height * pdfWidth) / imgPropsResults.width; if (yPos + pdfHeightResults > pdf.internal.pageSize.getHeight() - margins.bottom - 30) { pdf.addPage(); yPos = margins.top; } pdf.addImage(imgDataResults, 'PNG', margins.left, yPos, pdfWidth, pdfHeightResults); yPos += pdfHeightResults + 15; // Final Summary (text or small canvas) if (finalSummaryContent.innerHTML.trim()) { if (yPos + 60 > pdf.internal.pageSize.getHeight() - margins.bottom) { // Approx height for summary pdf.addPage(); yPos = margins.top; } pdf.setFontSize(10); pdf.setFillColor(231, 243, 255); // Light blue background pdf.rect(margins.left, yPos, pdfWidth, 50, 'F'); // Background rect const summaryLines = pdf.splitTextToSize(finalSummaryContent.innerText.trim(), pdfWidth - 10); pdf.text(summaryLines, margins.left + 5, yPos + 15); yPos += 50 + 15; } if (disclaimerContent) { if (yPos > pdf.internal.pageSize.getHeight() - margins.bottom - 40) { pdf.addPage(); yPos = margins.top; } pdf.setFontSize(8); const disclaimerLines = pdf.splitTextToSize(disclaimerContent.innerText.trim(), pdfWidth); pdf.text(disclaimerLines, margins.left, yPos); } pdf.save('Debt_Payoff_Comparison.pdf'); }).catch(err => { console.error("Error generating PDF results with html2canvas:", err); alert("Error rendering results to PDF. The PDF may be incomplete."); // Fallback or save what's already drawn pdf.save('Debt_Payoff_Comparison_Partial.pdf'); }); }
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