Knowing your loan's interest rate matters, as does learning how that rate is calculated. Interest is either simple or compound. If you have a simple interest loan, interest is based only on the ...

Simple interest calculates earnings or payments based solely on the initial principal, while compound interest grows by calculating interest on both the principal and the accumulated interest over ...

A simple interest loan doesn’t charge you additional interest on your accrued interest. In other words, the only interest you pay is on the outstanding principal balance of your loan. Auto loans and ...

Julia Kagan is a financial/consumer journalist and former senior editor, personal finance, of Investopedia. Doretha Clemons, Ph.D., MBA, PMP, has been a corporate IT executive and professor for 34 ...

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A simple interest loan calculates the interest based only on the principal you owe. It stands in contrast to a compound interest loan, which calculates interest based on principal and any outstanding ...

Steven Nickolas is a writer and has 10+ years of experience working as a consultant to retail and institutional investors. Suzanne is a content marketer, writer, and fact-checker. She holds a Bachelor ...

Simple interest is paid only on the principal, e.g., a $10,000 investment at 5% yields $500 annually. Compound interest accumulates on both principal and past interest, increasing total returns over ...