This is Motley Full Answers. I'm Alison Southwick, and I'm joined as always by Robert

Jingle 110% of the way BroCamp, personal finance expert here at The Motley Fool. Hey, bro, how are you

doing? I'm seasonally happy. How are you, Allison? Yeah, I'm doing okay too. In this week's episode,

it's the final in our series on investing sectors, and this time we're joined by John

Maxfield to talk banking. All that and more on this week's episode of Motley Phil Answers.

So, bro, what's up? Well, Allison, despite a pandemic and a recession, the S&P 500 has returned more than 15% this year.

But your portfolio may not be the only asset you own that is increased in value.

If you own a house, it's likely also worth more than it was in 2019.

The K-Shiller National Home Price Index is up 7% over the trailing 12 months as of the end of

September.

That's the highest one-year growth rate since May of 2014.

Over the past decade, the index is up almost 60%.

So if you're a homeowner, that roof over your head likely accounts for a large portion

of your net worth.

But should you factor it into your retirement plan?

Well, I'll provide some thoughts by highlighting the unique character of a home.

It's first of all an expense.

It's also a liability if you still have your mortgage.

And it's a financial resource that is valuable, but not easily turned into cash.

So let's go, shall we?

Number one, your house is an expense.

So housing is the biggest item in the typical Americans budget, counting for about a third of spending on average.

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