A lifetime of experience. A simple idea. A better understanding of your mortgage.

Meet Tony Johnson — Founder of Interest IQ

I've spent much of my working life in the Australian mortgage and finance industry, helping people navigate one of the biggest financial commitments they'll ever make — their home loan.

My name is Tony Johnson, and I'm the founder of Interest IQ.

Since beginning my mortgage broking career in 2002, I've worked with hundreds of Australian families, first-home buyers, homeowners and property investors. Over the years, I've arranged more than 500 home loans, established and managed successful mortgage broking businesses, and gained extensive experience in residential lending, refinancing, construction finance and investment lending.

I've seen the mortgage industry from both sides of the desk.

I've seen the excitement of someone buying their first home, the financial pressure that comes with meeting repayments, and the enormous amount of interest that can accumulate over the life of a mortgage.

But I've also seen something else.

Many Australians understand how much their mortgage repayment is, but surprisingly few fully understand how their mortgage interest works — or just how much difference small changes can potentially make.

That observation stayed with me.

And eventually, it became the foundation of Interest IQ.

Why I created Interest IQ

What if homeowners understood their mortgages as well as the lenders do?

For decades, the mortgage industry has understandably focused on helping people obtain finance, comparing interest rates and refinancing existing loans.

Those services certainly have their place.

But I kept coming back to a different question:

What about the millions of Australians who already have a mortgage?

What if, instead of always looking for another loan or another lender, we spent more time helping people understand the mortgage they already have?

What if homeowners could clearly see how interest is calculated, how their repayment frequency affects their mortgage, and how small, consistent additional repayments might make an extraordinary difference over time?

What if someone could sit down with them, explain the numbers in everyday language and show them possibilities they may never have considered?

Not with a sales pitch.

Not with complicated financial jargon.

And not with the expectation that they need to refinance.

Just genuine education, clear explanations and useful information.

That's why I created Interest IQ.

What is Interest IQ?

Understand Interest. Take Control.

Interest IQ is an independent mortgage-interest education service designed to help Australian homeowners better understand how their home loans work and explore opportunities to reduce the amount of interest they pay and the time it takes to repay their mortgage.

Based in Brisbane, Interest IQ offers personal, face-to-face educational visits in customers' homes throughout Brisbane and surrounding areas.

During these sessions, we explore concepts such as:

• How mortgage interest is calculated daily.
• Why the outstanding loan balance matters so much.
• The potential impact of small, regular additional repayments.
• How different repayment frequencies affect interest and loan terms.
• How offset accounts and redraw facilities work.
• How different repayment scenarios could change your mortgage-free date.

Using easy-to-understand explanations and interactive mortgage calculations, I help people see the numbers for themselves.

And sometimes, those numbers can be genuinely surprising.

A seemingly insignificant amount of extra money directed towards a mortgage can, depending on the loan and circumstances, translate into thousands of dollars in potential interest savings and bring mortgage freedom closer.

The purpose isn't to tell you what financial decisions to make. It's to give you the knowledge to better understand the decisions available to you.

What I stand for

Honesty, independence and putting people before products.

After more than two decades in mortgage finance, I've developed some strong beliefs about what matters when dealing with people and their money.

I believe knowledge should be accessible.

Understanding your mortgage shouldn't require a finance degree or an appointment with a bank manager. Important financial concepts should be explained in language that ordinary people can understand.

I believe in being straightforward.

No unnecessary jargon, no exaggerated promises, and no pretending that a particular strategy will work for everybody. The numbers should be transparent, the assumptions explained and the limitations acknowledged.

I believe education should come before financial decisions.

People are better placed to make decisions about their money when they genuinely understand how things work.

I believe small changes deserve serious attention.

A few dollars may not seem significant today, but when applied consistently over the life of a mortgage, the cumulative effect can be remarkable.

And I believe trust has to be earned.

That means treating people with respect, listening to their questions, providing clear information and never making someone feel pressured into purchasing a financial product.

Interest IQ isn't about selling another mortgage.

It's about helping people better understand the one they already have.

A personal service, not another sales pitch

One home visit. Ongoing support. $250.

I've deliberately designed Interest IQ to be straightforward and affordable.

For a one-off fee of $250, I visit you in your home, explain the mechanics of mortgage interest and demonstrate different repayment scenarios using your mortgage figures.

You can ask questions, explore the calculations and understand how different approaches might affect your long-term interest costs.

And because financial concepts don't always sink in during a single conversation, the service includes ongoing phone and email support relating to the education and calculations we've discussed.

There's no requirement to refinance, switch lenders or purchase another financial product.

The goal is simple:

To leave you with a clearer understanding of your mortgage, a greater appreciation of what may be possible, and the confidence to ask better questions about your financial future.

The bigger picture

I believe Australian homeowners deserve to understand more than just the interest rate printed on their loan statement.

They deserve to understand the impact of time.

They deserve to understand how interest accumulates.

They deserve to explore what happens when even relatively small amounts are used differently.

And most importantly, they deserve the opportunity to discover those possibilities for themselves.

I didn't create Interest IQ because Australia needed another mortgage broker.

I created it because I believe Australia needs more mortgage education.

If Interest IQ helps homeowners better understand their mortgages, recognise potential savings opportunities and feel more confident about the years ahead, then it will have achieved exactly what I set out to do.

Interest IQ provides general mortgage-interest education and illustrative calculations. It does not provide personalised credit advice, recommend particular lending products or guarantee financial savings. Actual results depend on loan terms, lender policies, interest rates and individual circumstances.