About MortgageWizardTools

Mike Starr is the founder of MortgageWizardTools and the Wizard Tools network. Raised in a family involved in real estate and mortgage lending, he spent years working in the family property management business and developed a strong interest in personal finance, investing, and financial education.

MortgageWizardTools was created to make mortgage decisions easier to understand. Instead of sales pitches, lead forms, or lender promotions, the site focuses on straightforward calculators, plain-English guides, and educational resources that help people understand the numbers behind one of the biggest financial decisions they'll ever make.

Mike holds a Master's degree in Organizational Management and believes consumers make better decisions when they have access to clear information, transparent assumptions, and practical tools.

MortgageWizardTools.com is part of the Wizard Tools network — a family of free calculator and educational websites covering personal finance, investing, unit conversion, and more.

This site is not a mortgage lender, broker, bank, or financial advisor. It does not originate loans, collect applications, or earn commissions from lenders. Commercial revenue comes from advertising (Google AdSense) and affiliated Wizard Tools network sites, both fully disclosed in our Affiliate Disclosure.

Every piece of content on MortgageWizardTools.com — from calculator formulas to glossary definitions to long-form guides — follows these editorial standards:

• •Accuracy first: Calculator formulas are verified against standard amortization mathematics and cross-checked with industry references including CFPB guidelines and Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac documentation.
• •No financial advice: All content is educational and informational. We do not recommend specific lenders, loan products, or financial strategies for individual situations.
• •Source transparency: Where we cite rules, thresholds, or regulatory standards (such as the 28/36 DTI rule, FHA down payment requirements, or PMI cancellation rules), we base these on publicly available federal guidelines.
• •No advertiser influence: Advertising relationships have no bearing on which topics we cover, how we cover them, or what conclusions we reach.

Articles and guides are reviewed when material changes occur in lending standards, federal regulations, or market conventions. Glossary definitions are reviewed on a rolling basis. Calculator logic is tested against multiple reference points before publication and re-verified when interest rate assumptions are updated in illustrative examples.

Each article displays a "Last Reviewed" date so readers can assess the currency of the information before relying on it.