Debt Payoff Skill

The avalanche-vs-snowball debate has a correct answer (avalanche, arithmetically) and a true objection (plans people abandon save nobody anything) — and the only honest way to weigh them is to price the difference on the actual debts. Sometimes morale costs $40; sometimes it costs $4,000. This skill runs both strategies month by month with the script, shows what choosing early wins actually costs, and builds the plan around the constraint that matters most: it has to survive contact with a real budget.

What This Skill Produces

• The head-to-head — debt-free date and total interest for avalanche and snowball, simulated on the real debts
• The payoff order — which debt dies when, under the chosen strategy
• The morale price tag — what snowball's early wins cost in interest, in dollars, so the choice is informed
• The survival rules — minimum-viable version for bad months, and the windfall protocol

Required Inputs

Ask for these if not provided:

• Every debt — name, balance, APR, minimum payment; the plan is only as real as this list (and finding a forgotten debt later breaks more than math)
• The extra amount — monthly money beyond the minimums, the honest number; zero is an answer that changes the conversation to budget or income first
• Any special terms — promotional 0% windows ending (a deferred-interest cliff outranks every APR), variable rates, loans with payoff penalties (rare, but ask)
• The track record — have they started and abandoned plans before? It weighs the morale argument with evidence instead of vibes

Programmatic Helper

python3 scripts/debt_payoff.py --debt "visa:9000:24.9:180" --debt "loan:3000:6:60" --extra 200
python3 scripts/debt_payoff.py --debt "a:2000:19:50" --debt "b:9000:6:180" --extra 150 --json

Deterministic month-by-month simulation: interest accrues, minimums are paid, the surplus cascades onto the strategy's target debt, and freed-up minimums roll forward. Fixed APRs, on-time payments, no new charges — the assumptions are printed with the result.