All Topics / Finance / Paying down LOC

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)
  • Profile photo of BluegumBluegum
    Participant
    @bluegum
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 14

    I have a 40k LOC that funds the shortfall on my negative geared IP's that is just about maxed out and i've arranged a top up of a further 40k. Even though the interest is tax deductable the LOC is still a debt. Would it be wise to start paying down the initial 40k?

    God has stopped making land but hasn't stopped making people.

    Profile photo of L.A AussieL.A Aussie
    Member
    @l.a-aussie
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 1,488

    This sounds as though you are "capitalising the interest" on the I.P loan?

    Capitalising the interest is good for short-term cashflow, but there is a danger in that you are adding more debt to your financial position, while you hope that some cap gain offsets the extra debt. This is a bit like gambling, and you need to be realistic; life happens. What if the market slumps, or you get sick or injured or you lose your job, or all three?

    Many investors don't do bother trying to pay down investment debt because it affects your cash-on-cash return. Idealistically, this is o.k; you put in less money, the investment increases so your return is better. But…

    Personally, I believe that you should try to always pay down debt, whether it is tax deductible or not.
    Of course, you should try to cut out the non-tax deductible debt first, then start on the the investment  after this as it is tax deductible and costs you less.

    At the end of the day, if you continue to pay down debt, you are improving you over-all financial position. Property investing is a business, and one of the biggest causes of businesses going broke is laxk of cashflow – too much debt; too many expenses.

    When you pay down debt, your equity will increase, your cashflow increases as you have less debt to service, your ability to service more investment debt increases so you can get access to more finance –  the whole scenario is better for your financial health.

    Profile photo of pwinnepwinne
    Member
    @pwinne
    Join Date: 2006
    Post Count: 81
    Bluegum wrote:
    I have a 40k LOC that funds the shortfall on my negative geared IP's that is just about maxed out and i've arranged a top up of a further 40k. Even though the interest is tax deductable the LOC is still a debt. Would it be wise to start paying down the initial 40k?

    God has stopped making land but hasn't stopped making people.

    Would setting an ITWV with the ATO assist you in increasing your payments – at least you wont need to wait the full financial year to gain your return.

    http://www.ato.gov.au/taxprofessionals/content.asp?doc=/content/00096490.htm
     

    Profile photo of TerrywTerryw
    Participant
    @terryw
    Join Date: 2001
    Post Count: 16,213

    I would only start paying investment loans down if you have paid off all of your non-investment loans first.

    Terryw | Structuring Lawyers Pty Ltd / Loan Structuring Pty Ltd
    http://www.Structuring.com.au
    Email Me

    Lawyer, Mortgage Broker and Tax Advisor (Sydney based but advising Aust wide) http://www.Structuring.com.au

Viewing 4 posts - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

You must be logged in to reply to this topic. If you don't have an account, you can register here.