If you have money right now, should you invest or pay off the mortgage?
This is the type of question a lot of people have and unfortunately, there’s no clear idea of what you should do. Some options are better than others, but in the end, you need to pay a lot of attention to what works for you and what delivers the most value.
Of course, paying off your mortgage sounds like the best idea, but the reality is that once you do that, you will basically end up with no money again.
Things To Do Before You Invest Or Pay Off The Mortgage
There are pros and cons to investing and paying off your mortgage, so the best thing you can do is to figure out what works for you really well.
That being said, you do need to take some other things into consideration. It’s a good idea to pay off your high-interest debt.
Paying payday loans or short term loans, pay them off as well as credit card debt.
These tend to have a very high-interest rate, so that’s the thing that you want to address as quickly as possible.
Also, you may want to build up emergency savings. Around 78% of all Americans are living from one paycheck to the other. Even 9% of those that earn more than $100,000 per year are living like this. It can become a problem, especially if you don’t have enough savings.
This is why it makes a lot of sense to create an emergency savings account that you access only in severe situations. In addition, it might be a good idea to max out the 401k employer match.
The matching process is basically free money, and it will help you a lot. Doing these things will make it easier to find the right solution and it will offer a much better solution and experience every time.
What Do You Need to Keep in Mind When You Invest or Pay Off the Mortgage?
Usually, the balance will go to one place or the other based on two things. If you want to pay off the mortgage, you need to see the mortgage interest rate.
If you choose to invest, you want to know the returns.
Basically, whichever one is higher will be a good factor in your decision.
In one of the cases, you save money, in the other one you are earning money. The way you invest is also important here. Some investments are great but they offer long-term benefits, so if you need money quickly that might not be the right option.
When Should You Choose to Pay off Your Mortgage?
Maybe the most important factor here is definitely predictability. You will know how much you can save and you will also be able to get rid of debt.
If your mortgage is over the 4.5% average, then paying it down is a very good idea. It also depends on what age you have.
If you’re close to retirement and there’s still a need for some mortgage to pay, you need to do everything you can in order to obtain the best results and experience.
You need to use that to your own advantage and if you tackle it right, nothing can stand in your way. Just make sure that you commit to the process adequately.
Also, if you want to have peace of mind knowing all that debt was paid, it makes a lot of sense to pay off the mortgage. You can focus on investing from now on. That makes sense especially if you’re younger for example.
Adapting to this and knowing how to tackle the process can be tricky, but it has the potential to really help you a lot if you are doing this right.
But if you pay your mortgage, that also means no more money left to invest. Unless you have a good safety net like the one we mentioned above, things can be very tricky and that’s why you need to be very careful.
When Should You Invest First?
For most people investing is a much better idea. The stock market offers returns of 7% and in the long run, this can be very good.
If you are young and sign on a 20-30 year mortgage, you have plenty of time to pay that off. And this way you know that you have a fixed rate.
However, if you pay off the mortgage right away, you’re basically using money that you would invest in other things.
So it makes a lot of sense to tackle this with the utmost care and attention, otherwise, there can be challenges.
You should invest regardless of the income value you have at this time. You usually get to obtain dividends and other upsides that will help a lot. It certainly helps more than you imagine, and the results can be staggering every time if you’re doing this right.
Then there’s also inflation. This means you will find it easier to pay a mortgage later in life. However, if you invest now, you can generate a great investment portfolio that brings in great returns.
You can grow your own business and push it to the next level, with results being second to none every time if you’re doing them properly. Just use that to your own advantage and the payoff alone can be staggering.
Bottom Line
So, should you invest or pay off the mortgage? That’s all up to you, but ideally, you want to go with the investment option. The mortgage rate remains locked, so you will know how much you want to pay.
However, investing comes with great returns and you can use some of the earned money to obtain a good ROI. It all comes down to understanding the process and adapting it to your own requirements.
It’s not going to be easy to choose between investing or paying off the mortgage, but choose the right option that gives you the best value!
