Hi everyone and welcome back to the Money Girl podcast. My name is Laura Adams.

I'm a personal finance expert and author of several books, including my award-winning

paperback, Money Girls Smart Moves to Grow Rich. This show is all about helping you

master your money, so you can live rich and love the journey.

You'll find the notes for this show with links to all the resources that I'm going to mention

on the moneygirl page at quick and dirty tips.com.

This is episode number 431 called Should You Get or Pay Off A Home Mortgage.

One of the most hotly debated topics in personal finance is whether you should be totally debt-free or not.

While some people are hell-bent on getting rid of any type of debt faster than a hot potato, others

tout its advantages, particularly for mortgages. In this show I'll cover five main

advantages of having a mortgage and when you should wait for one.

You'll find out whether it's a good idea to pay off a mortgage ahead of schedule and how much

debt you should have to maintain a healthy financial life.

Debt is a complex issue because some experts insist that no amount of debt is acceptable,

even a mortgage. Others say that financing a home is okay, but

borrowing for a car or making purchases on a credit card is a financial mistake.

And another camp thinks that just about any type of debt is acceptable as long as you can afford the payments.

My stance is that controlling your debt is an important part of being financially healthy no matter your age or stage in life.

The type and total amount of debt you can handle depends on your unique goals and the bigger picture of your financial life.

So that's what we're going to explore.

There's no doubt that having no debt can feel liberating.

In an ideal world, no one would need to borrow because we could afford anything, right?

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