"Here are 5 great reasons to carry a big, long mortgage and never pay if off." - Ric Edelman Author of the acclaimed National Best-Seller, The Truth About Money, 1997 "Book of the Year" Reason # 1:   Mortgages don't lower home values. Your house will grow in value (or not) whether or not you have a mortgage. In fact, most people discover that, over time, their mortgage balance falls while their home value rises - creating substantial wealth they never expected. Reason # 2:   Your mortgage is the cheapest money you'll ever buy. Most people need to borrow money during their lives, so why pay 18% to credit cards when you can borrow at rates of 7%1 or even less? Reason # 3:   Your mortgage is the best way you can lower your taxes. Interest you pay on personal loans, auto loans and credit cards is not tax-deductible, but for most of us, interest you pay on mortgage loans is fully tax-deductible, making the cheapest loan you'll ever get, even cheaper. Imagine borrowing money for a net cost of just 5%.1 You can do it with a mortgage loan!       1 Interest rates subject to change. The above hypothetical examples are for illustrative purposes only.