I’m 35 with a $150k mortgage. Should I pay it off ASAP, or invest elsewhere?

March 15, 2026 — 5:01am

You have reached your maximum number of saved items.

Remove items from your saved list to add more.

Save this article for later

Add articles to your saved list and come back to them anytime.

I’m 35 and own my own apartment. I recently received some early inheritance from my parents which was contributed towards my mortgage. This has left me with a relatively small mortgage of $150,000.

Considering my age, should I focus on paying down the mortgage as quickly as possible to be mortgage-free? Or should I use the savings to invest elsewhere, eg. in my super or in an ETF portfolio?

The first thing to note is that there is no definitive wrong answer here. It largely comes down to your risk appetite and goals.

If you focus on paying down your mortgage, you’re guaranteed to save the interest rate on the debt. Currently, that’s about 6 per cent, and unlike an investment, there are no tax consequences. Reducing debt, or even becoming totally debt free, also improves your resiliency........

© The Sydney Morning Herald