A 2nd mortgage may be one of the best financial moves you will ever make. If you know what it is and how it works, you can use it to generate money for profitable investments, simplify your debts and beef up your credit score. The key to taking advantage of a 2nd mortgage is understanding how it works.

A 2nd mortgage is a loan that uses the equity in your home as collateral. When you avail of a 2nd mortgage loan, you are technically putting a second mortgage lien on your title without refinancing or changing the terms of your first mortgage.

A 2nd mortgage is considered a “simple interest loan” because unlike other major loan vehicles, it has a fixed interest rate. This fixed interest rate is based on a number of factors such as the current market rate of your home, the prevailing interest rates and your personal credit history. You can choose terms that vary from five years to 25 years, depending on your capacity to pay and other cash flow considerations.

Many people turn to 2nd mortgages to consolidate their debts – they pay their credit cards, loans against insurance and other high-interest loans with the money they borrow from a 2nd mortgage. Experts say that the fixed interest rates of 2nd mortgage allows you to save up to three times more than you would if you are paying minimum payments on your credit cards. And, since the interest in a 2nd mortgage is amortized yearly, you don’t have to pay daily compound interests that credit cards charge.

Best of all, a 2nd mortgage actually gives you a tax break – the interest you pay on this type of loan may be tax deductible up to $100,000 of the loan amount, or 100% loan to value.