Should You Carry Your Mortgage Into Retirement?

Retirement can evoke images of a relaxing, debt-free life with no monthly mortgage payment, assuming you have already paid it off. However, some financial planners suggest retirees continue to carry a mortgage into and throughout retirement.

Reinvesting the proceeds from your home equity to generate a stream of income might make your golden years more golden.

Carrying a mortgage in retirement has benefits in certain situations but can come with drawbacks since no one-size-fits-all solution exists for increasing retirement income.

You Can’t Eat Your Home

The basic concept behind taking out a home equity loan is “you can’t eat your home.” Your home equity generates no income unless you borrow against it and invest the funds. Since home equity typically makes up a substantial portion of a retiree’s net worth, it may serve as a drag on income, net worth growth, and overall quality of life in retirement.

As a homeowner, you could shift your assets from your home by taking out a mortgage loan and investing the money in securities. The theory is that the investment return should outperform the after-tax cost of the mortgage, enhancing your net worth and cash flow. Additionally, you can readily liquidate investments like some mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) to meet your spending needs. 

This strategy sounds attractive, but it’s not simple since you’re introducing more leverage into your finances. Before considering taking out a mortgage or equity loan on your house to invest or spend the funds, consider the pros and cons of carrying a mortgage in retirement.

Pros of Carrying a Mortgage into Retirement

A properly diversified investment portfolio may outperform residential real estate returns over the long term. For example, if residential real estate generates single-digit annual rates of return while your diversified portfolio performs much better, some homeowners might prefer to carry a mortgage in retirement.

Having a mortgage loan in retirement also has tax benefits since the interest is tax-deductible, which can serve to minimize the cost of borrowing. A tax break can also increase the overall return on investment for your securities.

Finally, from an investment point of view, you could consider a single property as undiversified, which is bad news if it comprises a substantial portion of your net worth. Diversification can help you maintain financial stability and peace of mind.

Cons of Carrying a Mortgage into Retirement

Despite the potential benefits, having a mortgage in retirement strategy can cause some unpleasant side effects. Using this strategy can increase your total asset exposure to include your house and investments.

However, taking out a mortgage is another form of leverage, which can increase your total risk exposure and complicate your financial life. Also, the income earned from your investments will fluctuate, and you could lose all or a portion of your invested funds. Prolonged market downturns can negatively impact your retirement portfolio and be challenging to manage. 

Furthermore, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 mitigated the deductibility advantage. Taxpayers can deduct interest on $750,000 of qualified residence mortgage (down from $1 million). The act also suspended the deduction for interest paid on home equity loans and lines of credit unless they are used to buy, build or substantially improve the home, securing the financing.

Investment Returns vs. Mortgages

Keep in mind that investment returns can fluctuate significantly in the short term, while mortgages tend to remain fixed. It is reasonable to expect periods of time when your portfolio substantially underperforms the mortgage cost.

The Psychology of Leverage

Periods of market underperformance can erode your financial base and potentially jeopardize your ability to keep up with payments. This volatility could also compromise your peace of mind, make you nervous during a market downturn and lead you to sell your portfolio to pay off your mortgage.

As a result, you would miss out on the benefits of a recovery in your investments, potentially decreasing your net worth instead of increasing it. It’s important not to underestimate the unsettling psychological influence of leverage.

Hurdle Rate

There are many objective financial factors you need to take into consideration to determine the merit of this strategy in your given financial situation. While some financial planners may issue the same advice across the board, this strategy is not appropriate for everyone.

An important consideration includes determining your total mortgage interest cost since this represents the hurdle rate your investment portfolio must overcome to achieve a net positive gain. The factors that affect your mortgage rate include your creditworthiness and prevailing mortgage interest rates.

Of course, the better your credit, the lower your total interest cost. Furthermore, the higher your tax bracket, the more tax benefit you receive from the interest write-off. 

Tapping Your Home Equity During Retirement 

First, speak with your loan officer and accountant to determine your mortgage interest cost—net of the tax benefit—which will tell you how much your investment portfolio needs to earn to pay the mortgage interest rate charges. Next, consult an investment advisor to discuss outperforming this investment hurdle.

Risk Tolerance and Rate of Return

Knowing your desired rate of return is simple enough, but whether you can reasonably achieve that rate of return or tolerate the necessary risk is another story. Generally speaking, beating your mortgage cost may require a larger allocation to equities, which can lead to portfolio volatility.

Most retirees are unlikely to accept such levels of volatility, especially since they have less time to ride out the market’s ups and downs. Another factor to consider is that most financial advisors rely on historical averages to estimate a portfolio’s future return. In other words, do not totally rely on return expectations. 

Determine Your Net Worth

Finally, the last major consideration is determining the percentage of your total net worth your home represents. The larger the percentage of your net worth your home represents, the more important this decision becomes.

For example, if you have a $2 million net worth and your home only represents $200,000 of it, the net marginal gain from this strategy will probably have a minimal effect on your net worth.

However, if you have a $400,000 net worth with $200,000 from your home, investing your home equity may have a profound meaning in your financial planning.

The Bottom Line

It’s never a good idea to blindly accept a piece of advice, even if it comes from a financial planner. The safety of carrying a mortgage into retirement depends on several factors. This strategy is not guaranteed to succeed and can substantially complicate your financial life. Most importantly, leverage is a double-edged sword, meaning you could experience investment losses, leading to dire financial consequences for a retiree.