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Should You Pay Off Your Mortgage Early or Invest? How to Choose the Right Strategy
You’re 40-something, juggling work, family life, a mortgage, and that nagging feeling that you should be doing more with your money. You’ve finally got a bit of breathing room — maybe a few hundred quid spare each month — and now you’re facing a question that feels deceptively simple: Should you invest?
“Should I invest, or should I overpay my mortgage?”
It’s a classic. And depending on who you ask — your mate at the pub, a finance guru on YouTube, or your nan — you’ll get wildly different answers.
You might’ve even heard the popular logic: “Well, stock markets return about 9% a year and your mortgage interest is 4%, so obviously you should invest!”
Hmm. Not so fast. As with most things in life, the maths is only half the story. The other half is you. Your job, your risk tolerance, your sleep quality, your family, your emotional resilience, and how you’d feel watching your money swing up and down like a yo-yo on a trampoline.
Let’s walk through a real-world, 3-part framework to help you make this decision your way. No jargon, no spreadsheet-induced migraines — just honest thinking, relatable examples, and actionable steps.
