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How do I model a HELOC?
How do I model a HELOC?

This article describes how to model a home equity line of credit.

Nancy Gates avatar
Written by Nancy Gates
Updated over a week ago

If you would like to model a HELOC to take advantage of low-interest rates, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Go to My Plan > Debts

Step 2: Open the Non-Mortgage Debts section

Step 3: Press on "Add a non-mortgage debt +"

Step 4: Select "Other" when asked which type of debt that you would like to add

Step 5: Select "Manual Entry" as account linking may not work for HELOCs right now

Step 6: Give the debt account a recognizable name, such as "Primary Residence HELOC Debt"

Step 7: Set the Amount to the line of credit amount in full

Step 8: Set an appropriate interest rate and the monthly payment (this is where this workaround doesn't perfectly model a HELOC)

Step 9: Press "Save"

Step 10: Now, go to My Plan > Accounts and Assets

Step 11: Open the Savings section

Step 12: Press "Add an account +"

Step 13: Select it to be an "Investments/Savings/Checking" account

Step 14: Opt to manually enter the account info

Step 15: Give the account a descriptive name such as "Primary Residence HELOC Untapped Balance"

Step 16: Set the Amount to the line of credit amount in full (this should be the same amount as in step 7 unless you've already borrowed against your line of credit. In your case, deduct the amount already borrowed from the total line of credit for this entry)

Step 17: Select Ordinary Income tax treatment

Step 18: Set the rates of return to the interest rate of your loan. This helps model the fact that you aren't charged interest on a HELOC until you start borrowing, and only on the amount borrowed.

Step 19: Decide if you want to exclude this account from your withdrawal strategies. If so, you will need to use My Plan > Money Flows or My Plan > Expenses and Healthcare to manually draw or spend from the account.

Step 20: Press "Next: Contributions"

Step 21: Press "No" when asked if you plan to make contributions to this account.

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