<p>Hi LegendofMax ... sorry about your loss ... what a tough time to hve to work through. I think the loan from your mom is a great idea ... here is one more suggestion. If your mom has invested the $500k from insurance conservatively (for example, in the bank or certificates of deposit or bonds) then perhaps she'll consider loaning you the money and only requiring you to pay interest ... this make your monthly payment much-much lower and allows her to receive an income stream similar to a bank account or cerificate of deposit or bond. (PS - I agree with Northstarmom about writing explicitly the terms of the loan to avoid future misunderstandings).</p>