Less Common For Retirees to Pay off Mortgages (2024)

FAQs

Less Common For Retirees to Pay off Mortgages? ›

Today, the oldest baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1951) are less likely to have paid off their homes than previous generations. Another study revealed that 44% of 60- to 70-year-old homeowners are carrying mortgage into retirement, and 32% expect it will take them more than eight years to pay it off.

Key Takeaways. Paying off a mortgage can be smart for retirees or those who are just about to retire if they're in a lower income tax bracket, It can also benefit those who have a high-interest mortgage or who don't benefit from the mortgage interest tax deduction.

According to the latest SCF, 30.1 percent had mortgages in 2022. The share of homeowners ages 65 to 74 with mortgages has similarly trended upward, increasing from 29 percent in 1998 to 38 percent in 2022.

To O'Leary, debt is the enemy of any financial plan — even the so-called “good debt” of a mortgage. According to him, your best chance for long-term financial success lies in getting out from under your mortgage by age 45.

This problem has become more pressing over the years. Half of the retired homeowners who were born in the early years of the baby boom wave are still making mortgage payments. They are in a very different situation than their parents' generation when the majority of retirees owned their homes free and clear.

Orman recommends that you aim to be mortgage-free by the time you retire. That's because everything you owe, including your home, costs you money, but it can affect your mental health as well. “Debt is bondage,” she says. “You will never, ever, ever have financial freedom if you have debt.”

So all things being equal, it often is wise to pay that off. However, if you urgently need to boost your retirement or emergency funds, or if you have corrosive debt like an unpaid credit card, it can make sense to delay paying off your mortgage.

Average Retirement Debt: The Numbers

Three in 10 devote more than 40% of their monthly income to debt and a quarter have a mortgage with more than 20 years remaining on it. More than half say they intend to enter retirement debt free, but only one-quarter of retired Boomers actually are debt free.

Unfortunately, it's a strain many people risk dealing with. A recent Nationwide study finds that Americans of retirement age have an average of $70,000 in debt. And that's not the most comforting piece of data. So if you're nearing retirement with debt, take these key steps to improve your situation.

A good goal is to be debt-free by retirement age, either 65 or earlier if you want. If you have other goals, such as taking a sabbatical or starting a business, you should make sure that your debt isn't going to hold you back.

At what age should you be debt free? ›

Kevin O'Leary, an investor on "Shark Tank" and personal finance author, said in 2018 that the ideal age to be debt-free is 45. It's at this age, said O'Leary, that you enter the last half of your career and should therefore ramp up your retirement savings in order to ensure a comfortable life in your elderly years.

If you pay off your mortgage early, you'll no longer have any mortgage interest to deduct on your tax return if you itemize your deductions. This change is most likely to affect you if you have a large mortgage, a high interest rate—or both—-and your annual interest payments are substantial.

What are the average and median retirement savings? The average retirement savings for all families is $333,940, according to the 2022 Survey of Consumer Finances. The median retirement savings for all families is $87,000. Taken on their own, those numbers aren't incredibly helpful.

There are 21,951,000 people/households with a net worth of or above $1 million in the USA. There are 1,456,000 people/households with a net worth of or above $10 million in the USA. There are 9,630 people/households with a net worth of or above $100 million in the USA.

Today, the oldest baby boomers (born between 1946 and 1951) are less likely to have paid off their homes than previous generations. Another study revealed that 44% of 60- to 70-year-old homeowners are carrying mortgage into retirement, and 32% expect it will take them more than eight years to pay it off.

It's typically smarter to pay down your mortgage as much as possible at the very beginning of the loan to avoid ultimately paying more in interest. If you're in or near the later years of your mortgage, it may be more valuable to put your money into retirement accounts or other investments.

Renting can be less expensive as you skip the burdens of property taxes and maintenance costs. However, owning can be less stressful since you don't have to worry about a landlord raising your rent. Whichever route you go, housing costs will be one of your major monthly expenses in retirement.

40% of Americans Pay Off Their House — Are They Doing Better Financially? For most Americans, a home mortgage is the biggest financial obligation they will ever have. A traditional mortgage spans 30 years and is often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, so the interest charges can be enormous.