Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Before You Retire?

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. Low mortgage interest rates mean it can make financial sense to continue to make mortgage payments during your retirement years. "Interest rates are changing the game," says Bryson Roof, a certified financial planner for Roof Advisory Group, a division of Fort Pitt Capital Group, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.