True cost of borrowing — the honest-math hub

Authoritative breakdowns of what loans actually cost — factor rate to APR, APR vs interest rate, the credit card minimum-payment trap, and SBA vs MCA real cost. Honest math, fully sourced.

The cluster

• Factor rate to APR
  Convert any MCA or RBF factor rate to APR — the simple-cost number and the true effective APR.
• APR vs interest rate
  Why APR is the comparison standard and how fees fold in. Worked examples across 4 loan types.
• The real cost of credit card debt
  How minimum payments trap revolving balances. Three balance scenarios with payoff timelines.
• SBA vs MCA — real cost
  Side-by-side cost comparison on a $100K need. When SBA wins, when MCA actually makes sense.
• The real cost of a car loan
  The 84-month trap, underwater equity, and the term-length math dealers don't show you.
• When refinancing actually pencils
  Break-even math, fee recapture, and the rule of thumb that decides whether a refi nets out.
• HELOC vs cash-out refi
  Variable revolving line vs new fixed mortgage. Which wins for a $50K need, and why.
• Buy now, pay later — the real cost
  The 'interest-free' framing decoded — late fees, stacking, phantom debt, and where BNPL beats a card.
• Personal guarantee — the real cost
  What signing a PG actually obligates you for. SBA vs bank vs MCA exposure, downside math, and the strategies that limit it.
• Lease vs buy equipment
  5-year cost across operating lease, capital lease, and equipment loan — with §179, bonus depreciation, and FASB 842 in plain English.
• Business card vs line of credit
  When the card wins, when the LOC wins, and the working-capital balance you should never carry on a card.
• Working capital loan vs MCA vs card
  3-way SMB cost comparison on a $50K working-capital need — bank/SBA LOC, business card, and MCA side by side.
• Factoring vs line of credit
  AR financing decoded — factor sells the invoice and collects; LOC borrows against AR and you collect. When each pencils.
• SBA 7(a) vs 504 — real cost
  The canonical SBA split — rate structure, fees, down payment, and the worked-example scenarios where each program wins.
• 0% balance transfer — real cost
  The 'no interest' framing decoded — transfer fees, the post-promo cliff, CARD Act rules, and an interactive cost analyzer.
• Equipment financing vs SBA 7(a)
  Asset-collateralized speed vs rate-capped SBA guarantee — side-by-side cost, timeline, and the scenarios where each wins.

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