<prompt> Human: About to close on my first house and trying to decide between a 15 year and 30 year mortgage. The total mortgage will be small 165,000 209,000 with 20 down. I dont like the idea of paying approximately 70,000 extra in interest over the course of the 30 year mortgage and I can make the higher payments on the 15 year no problem. But would I be better off putting that money into something else that might produce higher returns like a low-fee index fund.  <response>: do the 30 for budgetary ease and pay extra on that, one extra payment per year reduces a 30 by 7 years this way you arent locked to the higher payment should something come up 