re: The reoccuring question.. should I pay off my mortgage?

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I would much rather have a paid off mortgage than a fat stack of cash.

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OK.
Having your house note paid creates a sense of security for you.
I enjoy having the security of the cash in hand while living in the house I have mortgaged.

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Pay off the home and then build the stash back up, all while not having a mortgage payment. You'd be surprised at how fast you can save/invest when you don't have monthly payments. I've done exactly that and the feeling of completely owning my home is one that cannot be replaced.

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OK.
Again, it is your need of a secure feeling that strengthens you, and that is OK.
I prefer to keep a note on my real estate purchases while saving and investing. Opportunity cost calculations indicate that my decision is always in my best monetary interests. I maintain a low mortgage payment that frees up all that would be paid toward the mortgage payment, to go into savings, while maintaining a semblence of tax-deduction on interest paid.

quote:

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Pay off the home and then build the stash back up, all while not having a mortgage payment. You'd be surprised at how fast you can save/invest when you don't have monthly payments. I've done exactly that and the feeling of completely owning my home is one that cannot be replaced.

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I completely agree with this.

When I was younger I always took the finance side of the argument and couldn't conceive of paying it off.

However, after taking the opportunity to do so, it is a great feeling. Just to hedge it a bit I took out a HELOC to have that "cash" available. And I still put aside more money every month, automatically deducted, than I used to pay towards a mortgage.