Timothy Chase

Extra money each month: attack the mortgage or invest it? The honest framework — guaranteed return vs. expected return, liquidity, risk, and the hybrid most households actually land on.

Every January your lender sends Form 1098. Here's what it reports, how the mortgage interest and property tax deductions actually work, what records to keep, and the questions to bring your tax pro.

Homeowners insurance is the fastest-rising piece of most mortgage payments — and the easiest to fix. How to reshop your policy the right way: what to compare, Colorado wildfire wrinkles, and how escrow handles a switch.

Think your Colorado property valuation is too high? You can appeal it — free, and often successfully. Here's how the assessment cycle works, the deadlines, and how to build a case that wins.

A mortgage recast lowers your payment after a lump-sum principal payment — keeping your rate, for a small fee, with no new loan. Here's how recasting works, when it beats refinancing, and who can't use it.

Three ways to tap home equity — HELOC, cash-out refinance, home equity loan — and they are not interchangeable. How each works, what it costs, and which tool fits which job.

How to get rid of PMI: automatic termination at 78%, cancellation by request at 80%, or removal through appreciation — plus the FHA exception.

What does an extra $100/month toward your mortgage actually do? The real math on extra principal payments, how to make sure they're applied right, and why paid "bi-weekly programs" are a fee for something free.

Home equity is the part of your home you actually own — and it grows two ways at once. Here's how principal paydown and appreciation compound, how to calculate your equity, and what it unlocks.