Amen to that toledo. And.... 4. don't have any other debt   It's liberating AND gives you a much more positive outlook on retirement....

"home equity debt" is not necessarily a bad thing - and the phrase can be a bit misleading. We paid off our home years ago and then took out a home equity line of credit. We use it for periodic large expenditures (auto, home remodel mostly) It allows us to make our purchases, write off the interest. That said...more

We did the same....12 yrs on a 30 year loan. At the end of 2007 we realized that our interest deduction was no longer big enough to make much of a tax adjustment and OUR HOME (i.e. us) was a better investment than the markets. So month after month every extra $ went to the mortgage. Believe me, when 2009 rolled arou...more

Agreeing to a mortgage, regardless of your down payment, is a SERIOUS COMMITMENT. It is also an INVESTMENT with NO GUARANTEE of appreciation. IMO if anyone believes they can walk away FOR ANY REASON, this should be the most serious black mark on their credit and should remain there for what the remainder of what ...more

JAH - your posts on this article are EXCELLENT.   Thank you for taking the time to point out that secularism was - and is -  a necessary and important part of our public schools and government at all levels.   PS. So I guess no one was patriotic before 1954 according to the religionists, huh???