A mortgage is certainly debt, but should "debt-free" be the goal?
As touched on by a couple of posts, if your net worth (ie, assets > liabilities) is positive, you have simply made a choice in where your equity lies. If you have chosen to maintain a debt such as a mortgage where that capital is better utilized elsewhere than paying the principle, what is the problem?
For instance, if you're paying 2.5% interest on the mortgage but can make 8 to 10% investing the money somewhere else, you're better off.
I would say "debt-free" is not necessarily what Canadians should be trying to achieve. But it's not a bad place to start if you're not in a position of having a positive net worth.
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