The conventional wisdom is that you should pay off your mortgage before you retire. More than 40% of homeowners age 65 and older had a mortgage in 2016, up from 20% in 1989, … Older homeowners are carrying larger amounts of mortgage debt into retirement. A growing number of homeowners are hitting retirement with a heap of mortgage debt. It’s got to go. Assuming these are non-Roth accounts, a $175,000 withdrawal will be treated as if you earned $175,000 of ordinary income for the year. | Do Not Sell My Personal Information, refinancing again could lower your payment, If You Have More Than $1,000 in Your Checking Account, Make These 5 Moves, 10 Quick Steps That’ll Have You Managing Your Money Like A Millionaire, 32 Legitimate Ways to Earn Money Online, From the Convenience of Home, 8 Secrets of The Wealthy That Most of Us Ignore. | Privacy Policy That begs the big question: Should you pay off your mortgage debt early to make sure that you don't have to make monthly payments after retirement? But don’t start planning a socially distant mortgage burning party just yet There are a few … Sheltering in place, we’re saving money. Mortgageloan.com is a news and information service providing editorial content and directory information in the field of mortgages and loans. And if you are resigned to entering your retirement years with mortgage debt? According to a study by Harvard University, 46 percent of homeowners aged 65–79 had mortgage debt … to tap into an additional stream of income by reinvesting the equity from a home. These homeowners might have taken money out during this refinance, making their mortgage debt higher. Today, people are increasingly retiring with all sorts of debt … Paying off your home mortgage before you retire is a major financial achievement, but you don't necessarily have to eliminate all housing debt in order to retire well. My husband and I are in our mid-70s and retired. Should you carry a balance on your mortgage loan when you reach retirement age? Send your tricky money questions to [email protected], © 2021 The Penny Hoarder. En español | It used to be more the rule than the exception: Older Americans would enter retirement debt free, with no home loans, no car loans, no credit card debt.. While you are working, you can adjust your monthly mortgage payments to pay down more of your loan's principal balance, reducing your mortgage debt at a faster clip. If you’re debating between paying off your mortgage, doing a cash-out refinance, or retiring with your existing mortgage, here are a few things to keep in mind: Paying Off Your Mortgage … I love the idea of you enjoying a long and active retirement without the burden of a mortgage. But what about when you move into retirement? Would it be wise for us to pay off our mortgage now? With 30-year fixed-rate mortgages below 4.5%, it … Dear Penny: Do I Need My Ex-Husband’s Permission to Get His Social Security? Still, I understand why paying off your mortgage is appealing. The percentage of homeowners 65 and older who are carrying mortgage debt rose from 22 percent in 2001 to 30 percent in 2011. For retirement distributions, fixed payments related to paying off debt create a strain for retirees due to the … The moderate approach won’t be as satisfying as wiping your debt slate clean in one fell swoop, but given the lasting consequences, I’d advise you to proceed with caution. Subscribe to our top stories. Dear Penny: Should I Expect to Get Social Security if I’m in My 30s? Here Are 8 Ways Retirees Can Pay Off Credit Cards, Here’s Exactly How to Save for Retirement in Your 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. - All rights reserved. I love the idea of you enjoying a long and active retirement without the burden of a mortgage. That's because the interest rate attached to this debt is usually so low. Among those with mortgage debt, 9 … It buys you certainty at a volatile time. You won't have to devote a portion of your fixed income to mortgage payments. It's possible to handle a mortgage even as you retire, but "your financial objectives always have to be achievable," Mr. Nagy says. If you've saved enough money to cover your retirement years, you might have enough leeway to boost your monthly mortgage payments after retirement to pay down that housing debt in a year or two after you leave the workforce. Unfortunately, we have a mortgage on our home with $175,000 still outstanding. To me, it’s simple: if you have debt … You could also put the money you’re saving while staying at home to knock out extra principal. Copyright © 1995-2021 Mortgage Loan Directory and Information, LLC. It's a question that's become more important as a growing number of homeowners enter retirement with large balances remaining on their mortgage loans. If you can carry over any of your new frugal habits into your post-pandemic lives, continue paying more toward your mortgage. For starters, you’d be withdrawing more than 35% of your retirement balance in a single year. You can pay off your mortgage faster and save on interest, even if you don’t eliminate the entire balance at once. (It doesn’t sound like you’d qualify for a withdrawal under the temporary CARES Act rules, which let you spread the taxes of withdrawals up to $100,000 over three years if they’re related to coronavirus.). But based on what you’ve told me, I suspect that the right solution here isn’t the all-or-nothing approach. Indeed, decades ago it would have been considered a major financial sin to carry a mortgage into retirement. Americans born between 1946 and 1965 carry more mortgage debt than any earlier generation. Older homeowners are carrying larger amounts of mortgage debt into retirement. "I see this trend only increasing," Copeland said. Housing Expense Ratio Your housing expense includes the principal and interest portion of the mortgage as well as taxes and insurance (referred to as PITI). Home Equity Loan & HELOC Payment Calculator, Coronavirus (COVID-19) & Home Loans Guide, Hacks to pay your mortgage with a credit card, How Marital Status Affects Your Ability to Get a Mortgage, The Ultimate Guide to Student Loans and Scholarships. Read 7 Reasons to Carry Mortgage Debt Into Retirement from Money Talks News. But if you also have to pay down debt with higher interest rates -- such as credit-card debt -- it makes sense to pay that debt down first. A $60,000 mortgage may seem like it needs to be repaid as soon as possible, but considering your monthly retirement income, your wife’s salary, your liquid savings and the retirement … The best time to start worrying about mortgage debt is long before you reach retirement age. A spate of recent studies suggest that it can, and that mortgage debt is making it more difficult for a growing number of retirees to pay their bills each month. Generally speaking, paying off a mortgage prior to retiring is a good idea. Payments on another 625,000 of such loans were 90 or more days late. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Council found that families with heads of households from the ages of 65 to 74 spent 8.6 percent of their income on housing debt payments in 2010. Mortgageloan.com is not a lender or a mortgage broker. So your wife is right and wrong about this point. PITI plus other debt … But that’s no longer the case. With all the volatility, we’re not sure what it is precisely today, but as of a couple of weeks ago, we hadn’t lost much value. Trump vs. Biden: 3 Things We Know About Where They Stand on Social Security. Pay your costliest and least beneficial debts first Not all debt is created equal. It often makes financial sense to not pay off your mortgage before retiring. I think it’s worth the cost to work with a financial planner so that you’re aware of all the consequences of whatever decision you make. Mortgageloan.com is a website that provides information about mortgages and loans and does not offer loans or mortgages directly or indirectly through representatives or agents. If you don't pay it, you lose your home. 2 Paying off a mortgage can be smart for retirees or those just about to retire who are in … So even though you refinanced recently, talk to a loan officer about whether refinancing again could lower your payment. I don’t want to drag that debt — or any debt — into retirement. There are a few things that make me jittery here. "If you have a large expenditure such as a mortgage all through your retirement, it's hard to adjust your other expenses. I would anticipate in the next few years seeing even a larger percentage of older homeowners entering their retirement years with mortgage debt.". Can mortgage debt after you leave the workforce become a burden? Seniors also have the highest rate of mortgage … But another possibility may be to take larger distributions from your retirement accounts over the next few years — just not to the tune of $175,000 all at once. Fannie Mae lets lenders use a borrower’s retirement assets in one of two ways to help them qualify for a mortgage. While entering retirement mortgage-free is a … But who knows what we can expect from the market while the threat of coronavirus looms over us? AARP found, too, that among mortgageholders 50 or older, the percentage of mortgage loans that are seriously delinquent rose 456 percent from 2007 thorugh 2011. The idea is that you withdraw about the same amount that your investments are earning so you don’t run out of money during your sunset years. What's behind this? However, if your monthly income stream after retirement provides you more than enough money to cover your remaining loan payments, than rushing to pay off your mortgage debt might not make sense. I can’t give you a clear-cut answer for a decision as big as this one without knowing more information. The AARP found that as of December of 2011 about 600,000 mortgage loans held by homeowners 50 or older were in foreclosure. Robin Hartill is a certified financial planner and a senior editor at The Penny Hoarder. A mortgage-free home is the cornerstone of any solid retirement plan. If you can't afford to pay off your mortgage loan early, and you have to enter retirement with mortgage debt, you need to plan for that debt. Yet many in their senior years do not, choosing instead to retire with a mortgage. A report from the Employee Benefit Research Council found that families with heads of households from the ages of 65 to 74 spent 8.6 percent of their income on housing debt … That's up from 5.6 percent in 2004. This was a refinance in October 2019. MortgageLoan.com® is a registered service mark of Mortgage Loan Directory and Information, LLC. Usually, it’s recommended that you limit withdrawals to no more than 4% or 5% annually. For example, you could aim to pay off your mortgage in the next three or four years and take money out of your retirement accordingly. The mortgage is an ARM, with interest at 4.125% and a monthly mortgage payment of $1,457. Terms of Service And not surprisingly, there's no clear answer: Homeowners need to look at their individual financial situations before deciding whether paying off their mortgage loan early makes sense. Our expenses before the pandemic were just covered by Social Security, pensions and our RMDs. Financial advisors are usually quick to encourage a debt-free retirement, but C. Eric Christiansen, a CFP in Spokane, Wash., admits that’s not always how life works out -- and having a mortgage … There's the good kind … We are in reasonably good health and quite active in community and religious groups. If you have the money to do so, paying off the mortgage early will give you more freedom in retirement. This decision could permanently reduce your income, in addition to leaving you with a humongous tax bill. If you save, invest and eliminate your largest expense — your mortgage — you can live well in retirement, as my Big Mama did. Contact our support if you are suspicious of any fraudulent activities or if you have any questions. Like what you're reading? "Not only do more older homeowners have a mortgage, but the average mortgage balance has gone up," said Craig Copeland, senior research assistant with the Washington, D.C.-based Employee Benefit Research Institute. No debt and owning a home outright are ideal at any stage in life, but timing is everything. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported in May of 2014 that about 4.4 million retired homeowners had mortgage debt. Or should you do all that you can to pay off that housing debt early, before you leave the workforce? When it comes to opining on seniors carrying debt into retirement, I’ll state upfront my personal bias that anyone with credit-card debt — or even mortgage debt — has no business fantasizing about retirement. Mortgageloan.com is not responsible for the accuracy of information or responsible for the accuracy of the rates, APR or loan information posted by brokers, lenders or advertisers. As part of my retirement planning, I’m eyeing my mortgage. Don’t Worry: Worry a little less about your mortgage. All rights reserved. Know that you are not alone. Mortgage debt in retirement presents an additional planning challenge. AARP says that from 2007 to 2011, more than 1.5 million older Americans lost their homes because of the mortgage crisis. We had about $500,000 in retirement savings before the pandemic. We bought our home 10 years ago and have put considerable money into renovating it to be more energy efficient and taking care of long-deferred maintenance. Dear Penny: Can We Afford to Live on Just $65K When My Husband Retires? The proportion of seniors with mortgage debt has almost doubled from 8% to 14% (from 1999 - 2016). This has had a big impact: The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reported that in 2011, older homeowners with a mortgage spent a median amount of $1,257 a month on housing expenses, while their counterparts with no mortgage spent a median amount of $434 a month on housing-related costs. Mortgage Loan Directory and Information, LLC or Mortgageloan.com does not offer loans or mortgages. We do not engage in direct marketing by phone or email towards consumers. Often, the question of paying off debt comes down to whether you’ll save more in interest than you could earn by keeping the money invested. Mortgage debt is generally considered good debt. The mortgage debt is a payment you are stuck with. 5 Tips for Retiring a Millionaire From ‘Shark Tank’ Star Kevin O’Leary. And if you lose your home, you're in an especially difficult spot if you're older.". But times are changing. We’d save money, but we’d greatly reduce our RMDs, and we’d pay quite a tax bill when the money comes out of investments. Here are seven reasons why NOT paying off your mortgage may be a good financial move at retirement: You have high interest rate debt. "The most recent data we have might have missed some older homeowners in 2010 who refinanced their homes after the mortgage rates came down. Dear Penny: How Do I Save for Retirement With 3 Kids on a Teacher’s Salary. If the borrower is already using the asset, such as a 401 (k), to receive … We do not plan to leave this home, except possibly for a nursing home one day (shiver at that thought!). But don’t start planning a socially distant mortgage burning party just yet. Meet with a financial planner or accountant to determine how much money you'll have each month after you make your monthly mortgage payment. Interest rates have dropped to record lows. But there are still a few pitfalls to be aware of. You might even decide to work part-time after retiring from your full-time job; if you do you can use some of this income to help cover your monthly mortgage payments. Four in 10 retirees say paying off debt is a current financial priority, according to a new survey from the Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies. This ratio must be under 28% meaning your housing expense cannot exceed 28% of your income. And those taxes you mention could mean you have to withdraw even more. You leave the workforce become a burden homeowners might have taken money out during this refinance, their! Llc or mortgageloan.com does not offer loans or mortgages your other expenses Kevin O ’ Leary, except for!, choosing instead to retire with a mortgage all through your retirement balance in a single year you should off! Wise for us to pay off our mortgage now My 30s withdraw even more of 2014 about... 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