Paying off your mortgage with your pension

For many people chasing financial independence, clearing the mortgage ASAP is a key early retirement milestone. And if that’s your plan, then the notion of paying off your mortgage with your pension instead might sound painfully slow. But have you actually run the numbers? Recently, I’ve been considering moving to a more expensive house. There’s a snag, though: I won’t be able to pay down a larger mortgage over 25 years. Or even over 30 years. Not without stopping my ISA and pension investments, anyway. And I’m not willing to give up on my laissez-FIRE early retirement dreams just yet. I’ve realised though that I don’t necessarily need to pay off that bigger mortgage. I just need to service the debt while living in the house for as long as we want the extra space. Once our kids have grown up – and their vacated rooms begin to suck in exercise bikes, old books, forgotten toys, and a ton of other clutter – then I can sell it. At the same time, when my kids have grown up… well, I’ll also…