[From Darin M (Greenville, SC)] Hey, Sammy, thanks for continuing to provide such a positive place to discuss all things Palm and handheld computing!
I have several applications on my Palm that I don’t access often, but prove to be valuable when I need them! Two such programs are loan-related applications, PayOff Plus and AutoLease.
Payoff Plus is a loan calculator that will let you name and store several loans at once and you can calculate any value (payment, interest rate, length of term, etc.) based on the other values you’ve entered. It lets you view an amortization schedule and compare two loans at once. I found it very handy when we got a refi on our old house and when we bought our current one. I like to check the schedule on our current mortgage every so often to see where we’ll be in the future. I also have info on our auto loans stored, and Payoff Plus proved useful when sitting down with the salesman that I could verify the loan terms as we discussed them.
My previous car had been a lease and back then I had my Palm V with another loan program aptly named AutoLease that calculates leasing terms. That was invaluable because, in my experience, dealers are not forthcoming with all of the major terms-- either leaving out the money factor (interest rate) or the residual value of the car and only talk in terms of the monthly payment. But I got out my Palm V at the dealer, and was able to make sure that we received a fair rate, a good residual value and that they honored the negotiated price of the car. I could tell that the salesperson was surprised and a bit flustered by seeing me run numbers as we sat there. I honestly believe without that advantage, we would have had to work much harder for the price we received, would have had to endure multiple back-room trips by the salesman before finalizing everything.
