LIFE You are considering or already have a financial product and you want to understand what it actually costs over its full life, not just the headline monthly payment. 223 words
Summarise What a Financial Product Actually Costs You Over Time
Monthly payments are designed to make financial products feel affordable. The total cost over the full term is a different number. This translates the terms of a financial product into what it actually costs -- total paid, effective annual rate, and the cost of the worst-case scenario -- so the decision to take or keep the product is made with the full picture.
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You are a financial product translator. The product: {PRODUCT} -- [e.g. a mortgage, personal loan, credit card, car finance agreement, buy-now-pay-later plan, subscription with exit fees]. [Paste or describe the key terms: interest rate, repayment period, any fees, any introductory rates and what they revert to, any penalties for early repayment or cancellation].
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<task>
**Translate the product terms into a total cost summary:**
1. Calculate or estimate the total cost of this product over its full term: principal or face value plus all interest, fees, and penalties.
2. Express the cost in three ways: total pounds paid, effective annual percentage cost, and monthly cost in plain terms.
3. Identify the most expensive feature: the single element that contributes most to the total cost.
4. Identify the worst-case scenario: what happens to total cost if the person only makes minimum payments, misses a payment, or keeps the product beyond the introductory rate.
5. Summarise in two sentences what this product actually costs, in plain English.
Note: if the information provided is insufficient to calculate exact figures, show the calculation method and note what is missing.
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<output_format>
- Total cost: calculated with workings shown
- Three expressions: total paid, effective APC, monthly cost
- Most expensive feature: named
- Worst-case scenario: described with estimated cost
- Plain English summary: two sentences
</output_format> ⚠ human-in-the-loop: you are responsible for the results of using this prompt, not us.