Pluboard Interview: Author explains how she paid 30-year mortgage in 3 years

African-American author Mujiba Salaam Parker knows first-hand the struggle of financial hardship. She was once bankrupt. Through researching, she looked up information on mortgage industry and found a troubling statistic: only less than 27% of American homeowners under the age of 65 owned homes free and clear, without unpaid debt.

“I thought that was a shame that one-third of people own their homes,” Parker said in an interview.

Parker worked her way through the housing system in the United States, previously having three other homes and now owns her fourth home – not on the popular term of a burdensome mortgage that requires repayment over decades. She paid back her 30-year mortgage in less than three years.

Today, she is a successful author of multiple books. In January, she released a report, How I Paid Off My 30-Year Mortgage in Less Than 3 Years, that details her inspiring story and empowers homeowners to achieve similar success. The book offers a step-by-step guide on the strategies she used to pay off her mortgage in a fraction of the typical timeframe.

Parker says her mission is to empower homeowners to take control of their financial future. She argues that by paying off their mortgages early, homeowners can save significant amounts on interest and mortgage insurance over the loan’s lifetime. By doing so, homeowners will save $100,000 or more in interest and mortgage insurance over the life of the loan.

“So, I have had mortgages in the past and I learned from experience that you are paying more in interest towards the beginning of the loan. In face for a $200,000 30-year mortgage at 5%, it takes you 17 years before you start paying more principal than the interest in your monthly payment,” she told Pluboard.

“So, that’s more than half of the loan, for 17 years of 30 years, your are paying more interest than your principal.”

Motivation and Empowerment

Parker is referred to by some as “The Empowerment Queen” for her effort to teach others and empower others with knowledge. She teaches homeowners to earn more income and access more funds without incurring new debt, and how to save money.

“I wrote this report because I realized that owning your home free and clear is a great accomplishment that is unfortunately rare,” says Parker.

“In fact, less than 27% of homeowners under the age of 65 have this luxury according to U.S. Census data. I now know the peace of mind that comes from owning your home outright. I wanted to share my experience, along with 8 detailed steps that homeowners can take to pay off their mortgages fast and save $100,000 or more in interest and mortgage insurance.”

Parker has over 25 years of experience in the fields of economic and community development and grant management. As a child, she loved teaching others and grew into a more formal role after an experience she had during a business conference, when she and others were asked what their purposes in life were.

“So, they ask us to do meditation and when I was meditating God I felt that God was saying your purpose is to empower people. I felt like my purpose was to motivate people. My people, they have power, but they don’t realize that they have power, so I want you to let them know, you have to empower them to use their power so that they can realize their dreams in life,” she said.

Parker wants people to learn how to spend wisely and understand what she calls universal laws.

“Knowing how universal laws are so important as a matter of fact. Because I know how universal laws work, that was how I learned how to pay off my mortgage,” she says.

“Because I didn’t originally know how to pay off my mortgage. But because I use universal laws, the opportunity came to me, to help me to get the results of that I wanted. So, I really feel like it is so important for people to understand universal laws because I used universal law to be able to pay off my mortgage in less than three years.”

Read the full interview below:

You have been referred to as ‘The Empowerment Queen’ in your previous media appearances, can you please tell us more about yourself?

I became an author when I wrote my first book in 1999. The book was His Inspiration Through Me. I enjoyed writing so that it will help motivate people to realize their dream in life. I continued to write over the years, writing additional books. I had a motivation CD, on how you use their power to achieve success.  I made it an e-book because again, I wanted people to really understand the power that they have by using their mind correctly. I started to talk about the law of attraction in that book because I wanted people to understand how to use that law to get what they want in life. I continued to work on information that I could provide individuals to help and motivate them to realize their dreams in life.

One day, I was at a business conference, and they asked what is your purpose in life? So, they asked us to do meditation and when I was meditating, I felt that God was saying your purpose is to empower people. I felt like my purpose was to motivate people. I felt that He was saying My people, they have power, but they don’t realize that they have power, so I want you to let them know, you have to empower them to use their power so that they can realize their dreams in life. So, everything I was doing is teaching people how to use their power. This can be seen in all of my products, in my first book I talked about faith, and the power of choice, and submitting to God. My third book was Publish Your Book, which was focused on how to be a publisher and author. I was empowering them to become a publisher as well as the author. Don’t just be an author and work with a publishing company because you are not going to get enough royalty payment if you have another publishing company. My last book was the Universal Attraction System. I talk about a lot of universal laws and how people have to really understand those laws and apply them correctly in order to receive an outcome that is expected. So, everything that I do is about helping people, to empower them to use their power.

Is this why you are called the Empowerment QueenTM’?

Yes. Even as a kid, I always wanted to help people, I helped my sisters, I used to teach them things related to school. I would give them tests and I would grade them. I always loved helping people. So, it started for me as a child. It just continued for me wanting to give people information. Whatever information that I have had that will help somebody else, I have always given out information to help other people.

To what extent has your experience in the fields of economic and community development as well as grant management influenced what you are doing currently?

It hasn’t quite been related to my product. The last product, my report on how I paid off my 30-year mortgage in less than three years, I used my grant writing skills and my research skills to be able to look up information about the mortgage industry and how they are charging so much in interest beginning from day one in the mortgage, through amortization and also finding out that it’s only less than 27% of American homeowners under the age of 65 own their home free and clear. I thought that it was a shame that less than 1/3 of people own their homes. It is because mortgages are designed in a way that it will take a very long time or years before you can own a home. By the time the 30 years is over, you pay double or if not triple, depending on your interest rate.

The higher the interest rate is, the higher the amount of mortgage interest and mortgage insurance. The total can be up to three times the amount of your home.  So, I used those skills that I have from grant writing and researching to be able to help put this report together in terms of the background information that I learned about mortgages. I will also say this is my fourth home. So, I have had mortgages in the past and I learned from experience that you are paying more in interest towards the beginning of the loan. In fact, for a $200,000 30-year mortgage at 5%, it takes you 17 years before you start paying more principal than the interest in your monthly payment. So, that’s more than half of the loan. For 17 years of 30 years, you are paying more interest than your principal.

What prompted you into writing this report?

I wanted to help people save money, especially my people, minorities. We are not doing as well as our white counterparts financially and so I wanted to get this information out to help minorities to gain more economic freedom, financial freedom by owning their home outright. In the process, they’re saving hundreds of thousands of dollars. So that was my motivation because I felt so good that I was able to pay off my mortgage 27 years early and I want other people to have that experience as well. It’s really a good feeling knowing that you’re saving that amount of money, and you have a home that is completely paid for.

How has the public acceptance and feedback on the report been so far for you?

Yes, I have gotten really good feedback. I’ve gotten verbal feedback. And I’ve also got a written review that is on my website where a woman provided a great testimonial about how beneficial the report is, how thorough it is in terms of the information about why you should want to pay your mortgage off early. She even goes on to say, that my report is a great financial empowerment guide for anyone who owns a home. I want to add that my report is even good for someone who hasn’t even purchased a home yet, because they can go into the home buying process knowing that they don’t have to pay a mortgage for 30 years. They can start from day one by providing extra principal-only payments on their mortgage and that will automatically reduce the amount of time and money that they are paying on their mortgage.

You are also raising grant funding for a nonprofit organization that is based in Camden, New Jersey. How is that playing out for you?

It’s going well, though there are challenges. Grant writing is a competitive field because there are lot of people who are applying for grants, but we have been successful in getting millions of dollars in grants to help our organization to continue to provide comprehensive primary healthcare. We recently received an additional grant to provide COVID-19 vaccination shots because the COVID-19 virus is still here and are continuing to provide vaccination for individuals. So, we are doing well in raising grants for the organization. It’s a federally qualified health center and we provide healthcare services for individuals with low incomes, regardless of their ability to pay. We provide a great service for individuals who need it.

What are you working on next?

Actually, I don’t have a project that I am working on right now. All of my projects, I do them when I am inspired to do them, starting with my first book, His Inspiration Through Me. I was inspired to write that. Everything that I do with my products as an author, I do them when I am inspired to do them. This report is a few months old, so I’m still working with it. I was really excited to get that project out. I’m not sure what I’m going to be working on next, but it will definitely be because I am inspired to share information with as many people as I can.

What is your philosophy in life?

My philosophy in life is make sure that you have a strong relationship with God. To know that He has your back. He loves you unconditionally and that you have the power to attract your desires unto your life. God enables you to be able to do that and God wants you to have the desires of your heart. You should know that God wants people to know that He is always with them and that they can have that confidence as they go forward in life, to go after what they want to attract into their life.

As an accomplished and very busy person, what are your hobbies?

My hobbies, I love going to comedy shows. I like to travel sometimes, but I am a homebody. I like to come home. I don’t like to really go away for more than a week. I go out with friends. We go out to eat. I like to play cards. I like to play a game called Spades. I like to get my nails done. I like regular things, like going to the movies sometimes. You know, just having a good time and relaxing.

What is your word of advice for people seeking the better way to achieve what they really want in life?

My advice to people is to learn universal laws. When we understand what they are and how they work so that you can use them correctly and once you do that, you are empowering yourself to attract desires into your life. I really recommend that people should get my book, the Universal Attraction System.  As matter of fact, I have that as a free bonus for my report on how to pay off your mortgage early because I really wanted to share this information. Knowing how universal laws are so important. Because I know how universal laws work, that was how I learned how to pay off my mortgage. I didn’t originally know how to pay off my mortgage. But because I used universal laws, the opportunity came to me to help me to get the results that I wanted. I really feel like it is so important for people to understand universal laws because I used universal law to be able to pay off my mortgage in less than three years.

At a stage in your life, you were homeless and bankrupt. What lessons did you learn from that experience?

The lessons that I learnt is that I realized what the difference was between a want and a need. A lot of times, people think and categorize certain things as a need when they are not. For example, streaming services, people think that’s a need but that’s really not a need, it’s a want. You should understand that when you put your budget together because sometimes people spend so much money on different things that they really don’t need and sometimes when you think about it, you are wasting money. I do have cable now. but for several years I didn’t have cable. But because I have tenants, I wanted to offer the cable and the high internet for my tenants. I have cable and they are paying for it. So, that’s one of the reasons why I have it. I think people need to spend their money wisely. I think people should look at what they really need when they are purchasing things. It’s also important to maintain a good credit score. Be very responsible when you make a payment on any loan so that you have a good credit score because that affects your interest rate when you go to buy a home or a car or anything else. I would recommend that people should work on having a good credit score as well as being diligent when they prepare their budget.

What does success mean to you?

I’m going to read something from what I wrote about success because I was looking at it the other day and I felt proud about what I had written. Give me one moment to read it. One of my definitions of success is the achievement of being or having whatever it is that makes you feel good about your life. Success changes as we grow because we continually want to reach new heights. It has been said that success is a journey, not a destination and this is so true. Success is a moving target because our desires change as we progress through life. Our desires are different at various stages of our lives, and we need to be in tune with and focus on our dreams so that we make choices that will manifest them. The manifestations of our desires will cause us to be successful during our journey.

As an African American, have you made any move to trace your root?

No. I haven’t done that yet. My name Mujiba is Arabic. It’s a name of Allah, it means the Responder or the Answerer. I am interested in tracing my roots.

Would you like to share any information on your family background with us?

I was raised by my mother and my stepfather. I always knew my father. I would see him at different times in my life and I had very strong support from my grandparents. All my grandparents were. My father’s mother and father were very instrumental in my life. They were very supportive of me. My grandmother on my mother’s side, I was very close to her. I had two younger sisters. I am the oldest of three girls from my mother and also the oldest of six children from my father. I always had a very supportive uncle. He was actually my grand uncle because he was my mother’s uncle, and they were a few years apart in age. He was very supportive of me. He was a lawyer and I worked for him when I was in high school. After school, I would go to his office and work in the office. I learned a lot about working in a professional setting. I was very fortunate and blessed to have strong support. I know you know the saying that it takes a village to raise a child. I really had a very good “village”. And I also had very good teachers and principals that were very supportive of me as well.

As a writer what’s your drive and inspiration?

I think it is from God because I just feel like He is giving me ideas that this is something that is important and if I feel that it is important to me it should be important to other people as well. So, anything that comes to me that I feel is beneficial to other people, that gives me the motivation to write about it. I work hard to get the information out as well. That’s where my motivation comes from. It comes from God. It comes so that I can help other people. That is basically what my motivation is.

Thanks, once again for prompt response and for your time

You are welcome. Thank you for reaching out to me and I appreciate it. ■

Correction (May 12th 2024): This article has been updated to clarify that Parker previously owned three homes before her latest mortgage, making it her fourth home.