re: Pay off house or invest Pt. 2

Very sorry for your loss. I'm 32 with four kids under 8 and cannot fathom going what you're going through right now. As others have stated, make sure you take plenty of time to mourn and get to an emotional and mental state more conducive to making wise financial decisions.

Based on Pt. 1, I'm frankly surprised virtually none of the same posters are in here telling you to get a cash-out mortgage on both properties and invest every dime of your liquid assets. I was told only ignorant fools do otherwise.

I'm not going to make a recommendation because I haven't sat down with you to learn more about your situation. I would strongly recommend, though, when the time is right, sitting down with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER. We are fiduciaries (meaning we are legally required to recommend only what is in the clients best interest and no one else) and know a lot about many different financial planning areas like retirement, estate, tax, insurance, college, etc. We can gather all your information and present you with a comprehensive plan to make progress towards your stated goals. It should also be easy to understand with clear directions (or assistance) to implement the recommendations.

You can find one locally at cfp.net.