Paying off your mortgage may not be in your best interest if: You have to withdraw money from tax-advantaged retirement plans such as your 403(b), 401(k) or IRA. This withdrawal would be considered a distribution by the IRS and could push you into a higher tax bracket.
“If you're going to stay living in that house for the rest of your life, pay off that mortgage as soon as you possibly can,” Orman tells CNBC. Without a mortgage, you'll have more financial security in retirement, she says.
While mortgage rates are currently low, they're still higher than interest rates on most types of bonds—including municipal bonds. In this situation, you'd be better off paying down the mortgage. You prioritize peace of mind: Paying off a mortgage can create one less worry and increase flexibility in retirement.
You Would Be Paying Off Your Mortgage With Savings
An emergency expense could force you to take on higher interest debt, which would eliminate the benefit of paying off your mortgage. Using your retirement savings to make mortgage payments could also trigger taxes.
Using one of these options to pay off your mortgage can give you a false sense of financial security. Unexpected expenses—such as medical costs, needed home repairs, or emergency travel—can destroy your financial standing if you don't have a cash reserve at the ready.
What is the most significant downside of paying off your mortgage early? The biggest drawback of paying off your mortgage is reducing your liquidity. It is far easier to get money out of an investment or bank account than it is to get money from the equity you've built in your home.
You should aim to have everything paid off, from student loans to credit card debt, by age 45, O'Leary says. “The reason I say 45 is the turning point, or in your 40s, is because think about a career: Most careers start in early 20s and end in the mid-60s,” O'Leary says.
Being mortgage-free can make it easier to downsize in other ways – such as going part time – and usually makes it cheaper and easier to buy and sell your home. Generally, a smaller mortgage gives you greater freedom and security.
The homeownership rate among Americans under 35 years was 37.8 percent in the second quarter of 2021. In contrast, almost 80 percent of those aged 65 and older owned their home. The homeownership rate is the proportion of occupied households which are occupied by the owners.
The survey, "Retirement and Mortgages," by national mortgage banker American Financing, found 44 percent of Americans between the ages of 60 and 70 have a mortgage when they retire, and as many as 17 percent of those surveyed say they may never pay it off.
Can you get a 30-year home loan as a senior? First, if you have the means, no age is too old to buy or refinance a house. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits lenders from blocking or discouraging anyone from a mortgage based on age.
Average Retirement Debt: The Numbers
Three in 10 devote more than 40% of their monthly income to debt and a quarter have a mortgage with more than 20 years remaining on it. More than half say they intend to enter retirement debt free, but only one-quarter of retired Boomers actually are debt free.
Percentage Of Your Salary
Some experts recommend that you save at least 70 – 80% of your preretirement income. This means if you earned $100,000 year before retiring, you should plan on spending $70,000 – $80,000 a year in retirement.
Avoid Tapping Retirement Funds
Generally, it's not a good idea to withdraw from a retirement plan such as an individual retirement account (IRA) or 401(k) to pay off a mortgage. If you withdraw before you turn 59½, you both incur taxes and early-payment penalties.
Try to pay off higher interest debt and build an emergency fund first. Investing that money in the stock market might earn you a better return, despite the volatility in today's financial markets, leaving you with more money in the long run than if you just paid off the mortgage faster, experts say.
It's typically smarter to pay down your mortgage as much as possible at the very beginning of the loan to save yourself from paying more interest later. If you're somewhere near the later years of your mortgage, it may be more valuable to put your money into retirement accounts or other investments.
According to a 2019 report from Harvard's Joint Center for Housing Studies, 46% of homeowners ages 65 to 79 have yet to pay off their home mortgages. Thirty years ago, that figure was just 24%. There are several smart ways to retire without a mortgage.
Kevin O'Leary, an investor on “Shark Tank” and personal finance author, said in 2018 that the ideal age to be debt-free is 45. It's at this age, said O'Leary, that you enter the last half of your career and should therefore ramp up your retirement savings in order to ensure a comfortable life in your elderly years.
If you own your home outright or have a lot of equity, selling could help you fund your retirement. But renting in retirement could end up being more expensive than aging in place in a paid-off home, where you'd be responsible for just yearly property taxes and maintenance.
One of the pros of paying off your mortgage is that it is a guaranteed, risk-free return. One of the cons of paying off your mortgage is reduced liquidity, as it is much easier to access funds that are sitting in an investment or bank account.
Once your mortgage is paid in full, there no longer is any interest to deduct on your tax return. This could result in either a decreased tax refund or an increased tax payment. You may have to pay a penalty for paying off your mortgage early.
It's often more beneficial for newer owners to be aggressive with their mortgage payments. This is because your money is typically going towards the interest on the loan, not the principal itself. This means that any extra payments will reduce the total amount of interest owed over the course of the entire loan.
But if you can supplement your retirement income with other savings or sources of income, then $6,000 a month could be a good starting point for a comfortable retirement.
Key Takeaways. American workers had an average of $95,600 in their 401(k) plans at the end of 2018, according to one major study.