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Starting/Landing Page (Will go through everything in Demo)
Inspiration
As Ontario university students drowning in OSAP debt, we wanted a tool that makes loan repayment less intimidating. Financial literacy tools are boring — so we gamified it with a Stardew Valley theme to make planning actually enjoyable.
What it does
PayWise helps Ontario students optimize their OSAP repayment. Enter your loan details and get personalized repayment scenarios (minimum, balanced, aggressive), check RAP eligibility, visualize payoff timelines with interactive charts, and chat with an AI financial advisor — Professor Hootsworth the wise owl.
How we built it
- Backend: Python + Flask for API endpoints and loan calculations
- Frontend: HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Chart.js for visualizations
- Database: MongoDB Atlas for saving/loading plans and community comparisons
- AI Chat: Google Gemini API powers Professor Hootsworth's personalized advice
- Voice: ElevenLabs API for text-to-speech dialogue
Challenges we ran into
- ElevenLabs blocking requests from Render's shared IPs (solved by demoing locally)
- MongoDB SSL handshake errors on certain networks
- Getting the amortization math right for split federal/provincial rates
- Balancing the game aesthetic with actual financial utility
Accomplishments that we're proud of
- Full-stack app with real financial calculations based on actual OSAP rates
- Seamless integration of 3 APIs (MongoDB, Gemini, ElevenLabs)
- Interactive "what-if" slider that recalculates payoff in real-time
- Community comparison feature showing how your debt compares to other students
What we learned
- How OSAP actually works (federal vs provincial portions, RAP eligibility)
- API integration and error handling in production
- The importance of fallback options when third-party services fail
What's next for PayWise
- Mobile app version
- Integration with actual NSLSC data
- Email reminders for payment milestones
- Expanded support for other provincial loan programs
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