Almost 10 years ago I was given a 3.5" diskette (remember those?) that had information that really made me think differently about how I was paying my mortgage.

I will never be able to repay the person who gave it to me other than sharing it with others and in a way "pay it forward".

If you make your monthly mortgage payment by check you may want to change that after reading this. I suggest you look into whether your bank or other financial institution that you use offers online bill pay. If they don't then I would consider finding one that does.

Now if you are a worry wart you may want to do some further research on your own but as far as I am aware most companies could care less.If you are a really big worry wart then you may want to get some type of professional advice. OK now that I have that out of the way let me reveal to you the "trick' that you can use to pay off your mortgage early.

OK most of you have probably skipped down to here anyway so lets get to it There are 2 parts and either one will reduce how long it takes to payoff your mortgage. But if you combine them you will really be making a dent in how long it will take until the house is yours.

Part 1 - Once you are paying your mortgage from your online bill pay account you need to confirm that the payments are being posted, I suggest making at least 2 months worth before taking the next step. Then for the next month's payment pay 1/2 of your monthly payment approximately 14 or 15 days before you would make your regular payment and then you only need to pay the the other half when you make your normal payment.

Part 2 - As I already mentioned this part on its own will decrease the amount of time until payoff and you may already be doing it. The "trick" here is to be consistent. For this part you just need to add a small amount over the payment due amount each month. Doing this inconsistently will help a little but you get a better result if it is made every month. I would like to suggest adding five dollars to each half payment you make so that you pay ten dollars over your monthly payment.

A few notes about the Part 1 and Part 2 method.

Part 2 almost always works and I have to say almost because I have heard (rumor only) that some banks or mortgage companies will not allow you to pay more than what is due. I would have to believe that is rare.                                                                                                          Part 1 may not always be easy whether due to the bank or mortgage company not wanting you to do this or you just have a hard time remembering to make 2 half payments. It seems this works best if it is a true electronic payment and not one where the bank mails out a check for you. Also don't set these payments up on a schedule but just signon and make them yourself twice a month.

OK that is it.

If Part 1 works out you may want to investigate other loans you are paying off and trying this 2 half payment method on them. If the payments are made totally electronically often the company you are paying is not even aware that you are making 2 half payments.