The real cost
Look beyond the monthly payment to APR, fees, term length, estimated total interest, and the cost of stretching repayment.
Free financial decision tool
A good rate is not automatically a good decision. Compare the cost, the tradeoffs, and what the new payment does to the rest of your financial life before you sign.
FreeNo email requiredNo credit pull
Private, personalized analysis
Answer only what you know. Your numbers and result stay in your browser, and you will see the analysis without giving us your email.
The part a rate comparison cannot answer
A 5% car loan can be a competitive offer and still finance a vehicle the household cannot comfortably afford. A 17% consolidation loan can lower the interest rate and still fail if it empties the checking account or frees up cards that get used again. Before You Borrow examines the offer inside the decision around it.
Look beyond the monthly payment to APR, fees, term length, estimated total interest, and the cost of stretching repayment.
Ask whether the product fixes the underlying issue or only creates temporary room while leaving the same cash-flow pressure in place.
Consider the new payment, upcoming expenses, checking-account buffer, debt-reuse risk, and what the decision limits later.
Leave with concrete terms and questions to confirm against the lender’s disclosure before you accept anything.
Seven decisions the tool can analyze
Compare the proposed loan with the debts it would replace. Check total cost, origination fees, payment relief, term length, and the risk of adding new balances after the cards are cleared.
Analyze consolidation →Test whether the transfer window is long enough, what the fee adds, what payment would clear the balance before the promotional period ends, and what rate applies afterward.
Analyze a balance transfer →Look past the advertised rate and monthly payment. Estimate interest across the full term, test the payment against the broader budget, and check what cash or trade value the purchase uses.
Analyze an auto loan →Compare the current loan with the proposed refinance, including the new payoff date. A smaller payment may help cash flow while a longer term can increase the total amount paid.
Analyze a refinance →Estimate how much negative equity could roll into the next loan and what that does to the new balance. Explore alternatives before one unaffordable vehicle becomes a larger debt.
Analyze an underwater trade →Translate the fee into the amount due at the next payday, look for rollover risk, and consider safer ways to create time or cover the shortfall before committing future income.
Analyze a payday loan →Add the installment to the payments already coming out of future paychecks. Check late-fee and autopay terms and whether splitting the purchase changes what it actually costs your cash flow.
Analyze BNPL →Private by design
There is no score, approval meter, account signup, or email wall. Your detailed inputs and generated result stay in your browser.
If you choose to ask Goalpost to contact you, the request includes only your contact details, the general topic you explored, and any note you choose to write—not the dollar amounts you entered or the analysis you saw.
Questions before you begin
No. Before You Borrow is an educational tool, not a credit application. It does not request your credit report or perform a hard or soft credit inquiry.
No. Goalpost does not sell loans and does not receive commissions or referral fees based on the product or provider you choose. The tool helps you examine a decision, not shop a lender marketplace.
No. Your detailed inputs and generated result stay in your browser. If you ask us to contact you, we receive your contact details, the general topic you explored, and any note you choose to provide.
Use whatever you have: the amount, APR, fees, term, monthly payment, current balances, or a lender disclosure. You can answer “I don’t know” where the tool allows it and use the final questions to fill the gaps.
No. The result is an educational estimate and decision-support guide. It is not a lending decision, credit approval, or individualized financial, legal, tax, or investment advice. Verify every figure and term against the lender’s disclosure.
When the calculator is not enough
If the offer is tangled up with debt, a checking account that never quite works, an upcoming expense, or pressure from someone selling the product, bring the whole situation to a free conversation with Sam. He has nothing to gain from telling you to take the loan.