A few years ago we bought a house , paid in full with cash. Then I got a small mortgage as an inflation hedge and to invest for fun and profit.

We used a chunk of the mortgage to fund moving expenses and to acquire all of the typical home accoutrements, put solar on our roof , and pay the medium-sized tax bill that comes with selling enough stock to pay cash for a house . The remainder I put back into the market as a lump sum .

It has now been three years out of thirty. Let’s check in on how this investment is doing.

Investing Our Mortgage

Whether to have a mortgage or not is a topic of much debate amongst retirees of both the early and traditional type.

I found myself on the pro side of the argument because inflation was high and rates were low. With inflation and mortgage rates where they are in Dec 2024, I would take the opposite position.

Our mortgage is $250,000 30-year fixed 2.75% interest.…