Investing Our Mortgage – 3 year update

A few years ago we bought a house, paid in full with cash. Then I got a small mortgage as an inflation hedge and to invest for fun and profit.

We used a chunk of the mortgage to fund moving expenses and to acquire all of the typical home accoutrements, put solar on our roof, and pay the medium-sized tax bill that comes with selling enough stock to pay cash for a house. The remainder I put back into the market as a lump sum.

It has now been three years out of thirty. Let’s check in on how this investment is doing.

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Debt as a Recession Tool

Shortly after moving back to the US in mid-2021, an extended COVID-19 hangover meant excessive economic angst for large swaths of the population.

People responded to economic woes in a number of ways – some worked extra hours or took on side gigs, others cut back on expenses, perhaps eating out less often or vacationing near home.

We did neither. Instead, I loaded up on debt.

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