{
  "status": "publisher-approved-publication-edition",
  "findings": [
    {
      "modeled": true,
      "method_version": "atlas-method@1.0.0",
      "dataset_version": "rung-debt-break-even@2026-09-13.candidate.1",
      "assumptions": {
        "current_balance_usd": 10000,
        "current_annual_interest_rate": 0.24,
        "fixed_monthly_card_payment_usd": 350,
        "fee_basis": "fee taken from the loan amount before cash is sent",
        "repayment": "full debt payoff; fixed monthly rates and payments",
        "comparison": "nominal payments through each path own payoff; full-precision monthly arithmetic",
        "excluded": "new charges, missed payments, varying rates, changing minimum payments, other fees, early exit, partial debt payoff"
      },
      "limitations": "Hypothetical terms; no offer availability, borrower prevalence or affordability inference. Rounded boundary ranges apply only to full-precision method; actual rounded schedules can move ties.",
      "sources": [
        "cfpb-consolidation-guidance",
        "cfpb-interest-rate-apr",
        "cfpb-installment-loan-fees"
      ],
      "id": "atlas-payment-cost",
      "anchor": "https://rungfinancial.com/research/debt-consolidation-break-even-atlas/#finding-payment-cost",
      "statement": "For $10,000 of card debt at a fixed 24% yearly interest rate paid at $350 monthly, a loan at a fixed 18% yearly interest rate with a 5% deducted fee saves $1,276.22 over 36 months but raises the payment by $30.55. At 60 months it lowers the payment by $82.70 and adds $1,061.87 to total payments.",
      "evidence": [
        "c24-p350-n36-r18-f5",
        "c24-p350-n60-r18-f5"
      ],
      "data_file": "/assets/atlas/data/comparisons.json"
    },
    {
      "modeled": true,
      "method_version": "atlas-method@1.0.0",
      "dataset_version": "rung-debt-break-even@2026-09-13.candidate.1",
      "assumptions": {
        "current_balance_usd": 10000,
        "current_annual_interest_rate": 0.24,
        "fixed_monthly_card_payment_usd": 350,
        "fee_basis": "fee taken from the loan amount before cash is sent",
        "repayment": "full debt payoff; fixed monthly rates and payments",
        "comparison": "nominal payments through each path own payoff; full-precision monthly arithmetic",
        "excluded": "new charges, missed payments, varying rates, changing minimum payments, other fees, early exit, partial debt payoff"
      },
      "limitations": "Hypothetical terms; no offer availability, borrower prevalence or affordability inference. Rounded boundary ranges apply only to full-precision method; actual rounded schedules can move ties.",
      "sources": [
        "cfpb-consolidation-guidance",
        "cfpb-interest-rate-apr",
        "cfpb-installment-loan-fees"
      ],
      "id": "atlas-rate-boundary",
      "anchor": "https://rungfinancial.com/research/debt-consolidation-break-even-atlas/#finding-rate-boundary",
      "statement": "For the same card path, a 60-month full-payoff loan with a 5% deducted fee has a modeled break-even annual interest rate within 14.85%\u201314.86%.",
      "evidence": [
        "rb-c24-p350-n60-f5"
      ],
      "data_file": "/assets/atlas/data/rate-boundaries.json",
      "fixed_term_months": 60,
      "fixed_fee_fraction": 0.05,
      "boundary": {
        "status": "root_in_range",
        "low": 0.14851642502471807,
        "high": 0.14851642511785032,
        "root": 0.1485164250712842,
        "delta_low": -1.4855231711408123e-06,
        "delta_high": 1.5964033082127571e-06,
        "residual": 5.544097803067416e-08,
        "iterations": 32,
        "domain_low": 0,
        "domain_high": 0.4
      }
    },
    {
      "modeled": true,
      "method_version": "atlas-method@1.0.0",
      "dataset_version": "rung-debt-break-even@2026-09-13.candidate.1",
      "assumptions": {
        "current_balance_usd": 10000,
        "current_annual_interest_rate": 0.24,
        "fixed_monthly_card_payment_usd": 350,
        "fee_basis": "fee taken from the loan amount before cash is sent",
        "repayment": "full debt payoff; fixed monthly rates and payments",
        "comparison": "nominal payments through each path own payoff; full-precision monthly arithmetic",
        "excluded": "new charges, missed payments, varying rates, changing minimum payments, other fees, early exit, partial debt payoff"
      },
      "limitations": "Hypothetical terms; no offer availability, borrower prevalence or affordability inference. Rounded boundary ranges apply only to full-precision method; actual rounded schedules can move ties.",
      "sources": [
        "cfpb-consolidation-guidance",
        "cfpb-interest-rate-apr",
        "cfpb-installment-loan-fees"
      ],
      "id": "atlas-fee-boundary",
      "anchor": "https://rungfinancial.com/research/debt-consolidation-break-even-atlas/#finding-fee-boundary",
      "statement": "For the same card path, a 48-month loan at 18% interest reaches modeled break-even at a deducted fee within 5.84%\u20135.85% of the loan amount before fees.",
      "evidence": [
        "fb-c24-p350-n48-r18"
      ],
      "data_file": "/assets/atlas/data/fee-boundaries.json",
      "fixed_term_months": 48,
      "fixed_interest_rate": 0.18,
      "boundary": {
        "status": "root_in_range",
        "low": 0.058498621266335246,
        "high": 0.058498621359467505,
        "root": 0.05849862131290137,
        "delta_low": -7.168782758526504e-07,
        "delta_high": 7.645357982255518e-07,
        "residual": 2.382876118645072e-08,
        "iterations": 31,
        "domain_low": 0,
        "domain_high": 0.2
      }
    },
    {
      "modeled": true,
      "method_version": "atlas-method@1.0.0",
      "dataset_version": "rung-debt-break-even@2026-09-13.candidate.1",
      "assumptions": {
        "gross_principal_usd": 10000,
        "fee_fraction": 0.05,
        "target_debt_usd": 10000
      },
      "limitations": "Validity illustration only. The remaining debt is not modeled, and this fixture is outside the 900 comparison records.",
      "sources": [
        "cfpb-consolidation-guidance",
        "cfpb-interest-rate-apr",
        "cfpb-installment-loan-fees"
      ],
      "id": "atlas-cash-shortfall",
      "anchor": "https://rungfinancial.com/research/debt-consolidation-break-even-atlas/#finding-cash-shortfall",
      "statement": "A $10,000 gross loan with a 5% deducted fee delivers $9,500, leaving $500 of a $10,000 debt unpaid. It cannot receive a full-debt savings label in this edition.",
      "evidence": [
        "disclosedGrossLoanShortfall fixture"
      ],
      "data_file": "/assets/atlas/model/atlas.test.mjs"
    }
  ]
}