<prompt> Human: Ive spent a lot of time lurking this sub and the popular advise is to leave money in the market as opposed to pay low interest debt. I completely understand the math behind that but chose to pay off my 15 yr 3 in four years. I live in a MCOL area Tampa and the house was 200,000. I have zero other debt. Here are my thoughts on why you should eliminate your mortgage as quickly possible. This is based just on my experience and obviously isnt right for everyone. First is risk. I am very lucky to be in a job that affords me the ability to pay the mortgage off this quickly 145k bonus. There are very few jobs in the state that pay that kind of money for my field and very few jobs in my field in general in Tampa. This job may not be around forever. I understand this risk can be mitigated by a sizable emergency fund. My state has unlimited homestead exemption in bankruptcy and not subject to sale from creditors. The only debt that can force a sale is not paying my mortgage. I will have a roof over my head for the rest of my life irregardless of a large medical bill or a lawsuit. This house is a pre-marital asset. While I understand prenups are not iron clad and I would have to speak to an attorney if I ever get married I am coming into it with a paid off house and there is no way she can argue Well... marital funds went to paying some of the mortgage. I dont plan on getting married anytime soon nor do I plan on getting divorced though :p. The biggest portion of my budget is freed up. I can now afford to take risks I wouldnt ordinarily do w a mortgage. I can quit my job to start a business, work for a startup or heavily commission based position, offer to train for a few months in the officeout of state and rent a place to give me an edge over my competition for remote jobs, not have to take the first job that Im offered, and if I get a wife and kids down the line they can stay at home because we dont need two incomes. A lot of people overlook this. Simply put its freedom and I honestly feel the fact that I can take these kind of risks will benefit me more in the long run than that extra few in the market. I can do what I want with the house. If I want to move I sell it on my terms I can get another mortgage somewhere else first. I can rent it if I want. Renting a house is not as easy as it sounds. Banks wont typically consider rental income toward DTI and you may be FORCED to sell your houses to qualify for a new mortgage. A lot of people overlook this as well. Also in the event of damage banks may sometimes require to use the insurance money to fix the house with a licensed contractor. If you own it outright you can take the check and fix it yourself cheaper. Im now 100 locked in to having a roof over my head in a decent area. If the market goes up or tanks and I want to move to another decent area the prices typically follow each other proportionally sell high... buy high or sell low... buy low I can now invest on my terms. Now that I dont have a mortgage Im throwing the bulk of my pay into the SP and maxing my retirement. In the event of a job loss I can stop doing this. Its a lot easier to temporarily halt investing than it is to not pay a mortgage. This also goes for saving for things like a car, I can do it a lot faster with no mortgage payment. Dont neglect your 401k. I still did 10 5 match 15 total. Now that the house is paid I will do the full 18,500. Like college, Its an investment in yourself. There is an extreme psychological benefit to be able to just quit your job at any time. I feel like a huge rock has been lifted from my shoulders. Im 27 and never have to work hard again for the rest of my life. Taxes are insurance are only like 3000. Plus the fact that you can take extra risk helps see my point above. Finally ask yourself. If you had a paid off house would you take a second mortgage to put it into the stock market. If the answer is no you are still technically doing this by investing in the market as opposed to paying the mortgage as quickly as possible. As they say in government all funds are fungible.Anyway just wanted to share my thoughts. After all personal finance is well... personal. As long as you are not doing something stupid like paying 25 interest on things sometimes the mathematically efficient answer is not always whats best for you.  <response>: Good write up about why your finances are a personal matter.Some might say otherwise, but you have a plan that works for you. Go get it done. 