Originally Posted by lewdog:
Part of me says not to either since investing over time should net me better gains.
Hard call though as paying off a house sooner sounds nice too.
Originally Posted by scho63:
If you can make your money grow faster % than the percentage of the loan, you invest it.
It rarely used to be that way when people had 10% mortgages and would only earn 5%-7%.
Maybe one can likely earn a higher return by investing, but it's not guaranteed. Paying off a mortgage is a 100 percent return on your loan rate, and it's guaranteed as a long-term return since it lowers your debt over the life of the loan. It also helps to guarantee that you'll never end up homeless, which brings significant psychic benefit, and it diversifies your wealth.
You obviously want to have some liquid savings, and you want to maximize your IRA, but the mortgage comes after that. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Rain Man:
Maybe one can likely earn a higher return by investing, but it's not guaranteed. Paying off a mortgage is a 100 percent return on your loan rate, and it's guaranteed as a long-term return since it lowers your debt over the life of the loan. It also helps to guarantee that you'll never end up homeless, which brings significant psychic benefit, and it diversifies your wealth.
You obviously want to have some liquid savings, and you want to maximize your IRA, but the mortgage comes after that.
We have 50% equity on the house so the mortgage payment is super low now. Paying $100-200 extra a month wouldn’t hurt us and helps in the long run I think. I already max my ROTH IRA. Good points. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lewdog:
We have 50% equity on the house so the mortgage payment is super low now. Paying $100-200 extra a month wouldn’t hurt us and helps in the long run I think. I already max my ROTH IRA. Good points.
Good on ya dude. Sounds like you really can't go wrong.
If I were you, I'd sock it away separately and see if you can get a different investment going. Maybe it's a side hustle, or a house to rent or something. Even if you just start a taxable investment account, I bet you can beat 2.5%.
But if you put money against the mortgage it'll pay it off faster, and unless you move, once it's paid off, that's material money you then get to keep. [Reply]
Originally Posted by lewdog:
We have 50% equity on the house so the mortgage payment is super low now. Paying $100-200 extra a month wouldn’t hurt us and helps in the long run I think. I already max my ROTH IRA. Good points.
Sounds like you're well on your way to an early retirement! :-)
Good luck and keep the pedal to the metal! :-):-) [Reply]
Originally Posted by philfree:
How much a month is a comfortable retirement?
Depends on a lot of factors. You’re current lifestyle, cost of living in your area and a big one people miss, estimated healthcare needs as you age. [Reply]