Reina Marszalek

Principal: This is part of your payment that goes straight toward your loan balance. Due to how loans are amortized, you usually pay less toward your principal at the beginning of your loan life and more at the end of it.
Interest: Interest is what you pay the lender for borrowing the funds, and you’ll pay more toward this cost at the start of your loan than at the end of it. Your interest rate will determine how much you’ll pay here.
Escrow costs: Escrow accounts are often used to store funds for future home insurance premiums, property taxes, and mortgage insurance. Your loan servicer manages the account and pays the bills when they’re due.

10+ years in editing and writing.
Work has appeared on Forbes Advisor, USA TODAY Blueprint, Buy Side WSJ, and Policygenius.

Bio and experience

Reina Marszalek is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in SEO content, marketing copy, and editorial strategy.

Before joining Credible as the senior editor for mortgages, she was the managing editor and life insurance expert at Policygenius, overseeing life and disability insurance content and senior editor at DoctorOz.com, where she created health and wellness content.

Education

Reina earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University (SUNY) and a master’s degree in creative writing from Kingston University London.