I think a lot of it comes down to the interest rate. If you think you can earn more in the market, best to leave it there and keep the mortgage. If your rate is high, and we are in shaky grounds with the market, as we currently are, it’s not as clear.
Take credit card debt, for instance. Same principle applies, but the rate is usually high. So if you have a credit card balance of $10,000 at 18% and savings of $100,000, you’d have to earn more than 18% of your savings (good luck) to make it wise to keep the balance.
Mortgage rates, in the 4/5/6% range are usually worth keeping UNLESS there’s a risk of a big market drop. And since Kamala and her cohort are basically socialists (her cohort is worse), we run a risk of a big drop should the worst happen and she wins.
So, let’s look at the numbers again. Let’s say I have $50,000 left on my mortgage and $400,000 in savings. (I’m making these numbers up.) If there’s a good chance the market could drop 20% if she wins, why not take $50,000 out of savings and pay 20% in tax, and then have the house free and clear? No more mortgage, which would really help if the market drops and I would otherwise lose $100,000 by remaining fully invested? Then I’m down to $300,000 - and still have the house payment.
I don’t expect you to fully understand this. You are, after all, a Democrat who is going to vote for a socialist. LOL