The American Dream is slipping. Even for those fortunate enough to buy a home, the hard truth is that most will never actually own it outright. Why? Because the financial system is built with rules most people don’t understand — and the banks count on that.

Every day, we talk with families, homeowners, and professionals who have no idea how money truly moves. They aren’t dumb — they’ve simply never been taught how loans really work. And that lack of knowledge is costing them tens of thousands of dollars.

Take mortgages, for example:
Most people don’t realize a mortgage is a closed-end loan, where money only flows one direction. Even worse, your monthly payment — no matter when you make it — is not applied to your principal until the last day of the month. The bank controls the timeline, the interest, and the amortization schedule. You don’t.

Now compare that to a HELOC (Home Equity Line of Credit) — an open-end loan where payments immediately reduce your balance the same day they’re made. Withdraw funds? Interest starts calculating daily, and you’re billed at month-end based on actual usage.