re: Paying off a mortgage early vs Putting money into an IRA

I'd personally feel better if you kept funding one or the other (Roth or 401K) as the benefits of compounding are really diminished minus the 12 years of contributions/interest. So if you plan on funding the 401K and want to pay down the house more quickly by reducing only the Roth contribution I dont see much harm in it. Particularly if the interest rate on the home loan is comparable to or above the rate of return in the Roth. Liquidity and home equity are always a great thing...