How to Utilize Personal Loans for Financial Wellness

By Upstart Content Team | Updated August 11, 2021
reading time 3 min read

Now is always a great time to check in with yourself and your finances–whether that’s checking in with your budget, savings, or debt. Many Americans do not view money positively and about 64% count it as a significant source of stress in their life. According to the American Psychological Association, around half of adults (52%) say they have experienced negative financial impacts due to the pandemic.

If you have high-interest debt or multiple debts to pay off, you may have considered using a personal loan. Personal loans can be used for making a positive impact on your finances, such as paying off high-interest credit cards or expensive medical debt. 

Personal loans may provide: 

To ensure you set yourself up for financial success and wellness, a personal loan can help with consolidating high-interest debt and get the ball rolling to a healthier financial life. 

Here’s what you should know about utilizing personal loans to improve your financial wellness. 

What exactly is a personal loan?

A personal loan is typically a form of unsecured debt that you don’t have to put up collateral, such as a car or house, to qualify.

Personal loans are offered by banks, credit unions, private lenders, and other financial institutions and need to be paid back (with interest) within the term, or the length of time the loan needs to be repaid. Terms for a personal loan can range from 24 months to 60 months, but vary depending on the lender you choose.

Pay off medical debt with a personal loan

There’s no way to predict when a financial emergency or disruptions will arise. But when it does happen, it can become a real financial stressor. 

Medical bills can lead to bankruptcy. Here are some eye-opening stats around medical bills:

Like other debt, medical debt means that you may have less money to spend on other essentials, such as food and housing. 

A personal loan can help cover these types of unexpected stressful costs and helps you from depleting your emergency fund or personal savings.

Save on high interest

The interest rates for your personal loan, if lower than those of your credit cards, could result in less interest paid over time.

In addition, personal loans are usually on a fixed-rate term, which means the amount you have to repay won’t change over time. This is an advantage over credit cards, which can have variable APRs that could go up and down with the economy.

You can apply to use a personal loan to consolidate debt, especially if you have high-interest credit card bills on multiple cards. Personal loans for debt consolidation can help you pay off your debt quicker and potentially save you money on interest; which is something you can worry less about knowing that the loan is predictable with a fixed interest rate.

Which loan is right for you?

Before you choose a lender, shop around for the best rates. If you want to improve your financial wellness with a personal loan and pay off high-interest debt, make sure the interest rate you qualify for is lower than what you’re paying currently. Also, double check for other costs such as origination fees. 

Bottom Line

Using a personal loan and creating a framework that makes your debt repayment feel more manageable helps set you up for future financial success.  Set the intention to borrow with a specific purpose and get started on improving your overall financial health. 

*This content is general in nature and provided for informational purposes only. This content is not specific to Upstart, except where explicitly stated. This content may contain references to products and services offered through Upstart’s credit marketplace. Upstart is not a financial advisor and does not offer financial planning services.

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About the Author

Upstart Content Team

The Upstart Content Team develops educational content grounded in research and real-world financial experiences. By breaking down complex topics into clear, actionable insights, the team helps readers navigate important decisions—so they can feel confident in the money moments that matter.

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Upstart Network, Inc. (NMLS #936133) is not a lender. All loans on its marketplace are made by regulated financial institutions.

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  1. Checking your rate won’t affect your credit score: When you check your rate, we check your credit report. This initial (soft) inquiry will not affect your credit score. If you accept your rate and proceed with your application, we do another (hard) credit inquiry that will impact your credit score. If you take out a loan, repayment information may be reported to the credit bureaus.
  2. Upstart’s model considers education: Neither Upstart nor its lending partners have a minimum educational attainment requirement in order to be eligible for a loan.
  3. 41% more approvals and 33% lower rates than a traditional model: As of publication in April 2026, and based on a comparison between the Upstart model and a hypothetical traditional model using Upstart data from Jan – Dec 2025. For more information on the methodology behind this study, please see Upstart’s Annual Access to Credit results here.
  4. Unsecured Loans: While most loans through Upstart are unsecured, certain lenders may place a lien on other accounts you hold with the same institution. There may be an option to secure your personal loan through Upstart with your vehicle, which will require a lien to be placed on the vehicle. It is important to review your promissory note for these details before accepting your loan.
  5. Loan amounts from $1,000 -$75,000: Your loan amount will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will qualify for the full amount. Minimum loan amounts vary by state: GA ($3,100), HI ($1,500), MA ($7,000). Maximum loan amounts may vary by state.
  6. Closing and funding timeline: In April 2026, 10% of funded HELOCs achieved a closing timeline of 2 days or less and a funding timeline of 7 days or less. This timeline assumes consumers close with our remote online notary, provide supporting documentation promptly, and ensure the information provided is accurate and consistent with our verification process. Delays, discrepancies, and other unforeseen factors may impact the closing timeline. MBA’s 2025 Home Lending Study reports an average industry closing time of 37 days.
  7. APRs from 6.2% – 35.99%, with 3 or 5 year terms: The full range of available rates varies by state. The lowest rates are only available to the most qualified applicants. A representative example of payment terms for an unsecured Personal Loan is as follows: a borrower receives a loan of $10,000 for a term of 60 months, with an interest rate of 17.50% and a 7.25% origination fee of $725, for an APR of 21.23%. In this example, the borrower will receive $9275 and will make 60 monthly payments of $252. APR is calculated based on 5-year rates offered in March 2026. There is no downpayment and no prepayment penalty. Your APR will be determined based on your credit, income, and certain other information provided in your loan application. Not all applicants will be approved.
  8. Instant deposits: To receive instant funding, your bank account must support instant transfers. If your account does not support instant transfers, funds will be available to you depending on your bank’s transaction processing time and policies.
  9. Always On Commitment: We are committed to maintaining your credit limit as long as you continue to meet program eligibility and account requirements. To ensure the safety and security of all our members, we reserve the right to adjust or close lines in specific circumstances, including account default or late payments, suspected fraud, violation of our terms of service (including abusive behavior), or when necessitated by legal or regulatory requirements.
  10. Cash Line draws: You may request a draw at any time. Only one draw may be outstanding at a time; after it is fully repaid, you may request another.
  11. HELOC APRs as low as 6.52%: Terms shown here are subject to change without notice. APRs for initial advances range from 6.52% to 18.00% based on rates offered as of April 2026. The lowest rate is only available to consumers willing to become a member of a credit union and to those who meet a minimum FICO score of 780, CLTV under 70%, and DTI under 45%. Your actual rate will depend on many factors such as your credit history, combined loan-to-value ratio (CLTV), line amount, loan term, lien position, and property state. Origination fee to open an account is between 0% and 4.99% of the approved credit limit. The Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”) is variable and based on the Prime Rate as published in the Wall Street Journal “Money Rates” table plus or minus a margin. Your APR will never be less than 3.99% or greater than 18.00%. Property insurance is required.
  12. No annual fee, prepayment penalty, or fees to redraw: Terms shown here are subject to change without notice. Origination fee to open an account is between 0% and 4.99% of the approved credit limit. The Annual Percentage Rate (“APR”) is variable and based on the Prime Rate as published in the Wall Street Journal “Money Rates” table plus or minus a margin. Your APR will never be less than 3.99% or greater than 18.00%. Property insurance is required.
  13. 2,500+ Variables:As of 3/31/2026. “Variables,” often also referred to as “features,” refers to raw variables and combined variables considered in our AI models. A “raw” variable is a non-combined, conceptually distinct unit of data, such as “applicant-reported savings.” A “combined” variable is data that has been transformed, combined, or otherwise engineered from a raw variable or set of raw variables, such as “applicant-reported savings” divided by “loan amount.
  14. Fully automated loans: In Q2 2026. Percentage of Loans Fully Automated, which is defined as the total number of loans in a given period originated end-to-end (from initial rate request to final funding for personal loans and small dollar loans, and from initial rate request to signing of the loan agreement for auto loans) with no human involvement required by the Company divided by the Transaction Volume, Number of Loans in the same period.