Most people in the U.S. do have their houses paid off when they retire, but this trend is changing, and a significant percentage of newer retirees are carrying mortgage debt.
Back in 1981, the average Australian paid off their mortgage by age 52. By 2015, that had jumped to 62, and the gap keeps widening. Research from the Australian Housing and Urban Research Institute (AHURI) shows that in 2019, 54% of Australians aged 55–64 still had mortgage debt, compared to just 18% in 1996.
The biggest retirement mistake is often failing to plan adequately, which includes underestimating expenses (especially healthcare), ignoring inflation's impact on purchasing power, not starting savings early enough to benefit from compound interest, and leaving retirement savings in the wrong place (like not converting super to a tax-free pension), leading to running out of money or living a constrained lifestyle. A lack of a clear budget, not understanding investment options, and neglecting lifestyle/purpose planning also rank high.
If mortgage rates are low, it could make more sense to refinance than to pay off your loan with retirement funds. If your investments are performing well, you may want to think twice about disrupting your 401(k) portfolio, because you'll lose out on time and money in the market.
Key Takeaways
The average retiree household spends about $60,000 annually, with housing (36%), transportation (15%), healthcare (13%) and food (13%) taking the largest shares of the budget.
Housing remains their largest expense and accounts for about one-third of their total spending.
Cons of paying your mortgage off early. It can keep you from saving or paying off other debt—Draining your bank accounts to pay off a mortgage can be very risky. Most experts recommend prioritizing a few other things before you tackle paying off a mortgage.
While the possibility of job loss can trigger financial panic, Orman advises against rushing to drain your savings to pay off your mortgage early. Even if you have enough money saved to wipe out your mortgage, don't pull the emergency cord until absolutely necessary.
Paying off your mortgage early can be a smart financial move, potentially saving you thousands in interest over the life of the loan. Since the interest charged on debt is usually higher than the returns you'd earn on savings, using spare cash to reduce your mortgage balance can often make good sense.
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The $1,000 a month rule for retirement is a simple guideline stating you need about $240,000 saved for every $1,000 of monthly income you want from your investments, based on a 5% annual withdrawal rate (e.g., $240,000 x 0.05 = $12,000/year or $1,000/month). Popularized by CFP Wes Moss, it helps estimate savings goals but ignores inflation, taxes, and other income like Social Security, so it's best used as a starting point for broader retirement planning.
$500,000 in Australian retirement can last anywhere from 10-15 years for high spending ($40k-$50k/yr) to 20+ years if supplemented by the Age Pension and lower spending ($30k/yr), depending heavily on your age, lifestyle, investment returns (3-7% p.a. for 10-20 years), and if you qualify for the Age Pension. Expect 10-13 years at $50k/year or 17-20 years at $30k/year if you're 60, but combining it with the Age Pension at 65+ significantly extends its life, potentially covering expenses until 90-95.
To retire on $70,000 a year in Australia, you'll generally need a superannuation balance in the range of $1.1 million to $1.7 million, depending heavily on your age at retirement (older is better), lifestyle, and whether you own your home, with estimates often falling around $1.1 million for a later retirement (age 67) or over $1.4 million if retiring earlier (age 60) for a single person, says Canstar and Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA). A simple calculation suggests needing $70,000 divided by a 4% withdrawal rate equals $1.75 million, but other factors like the Age Pension and investment returns significantly affect the total required.
The biggest retirement mistake is often failing to plan adequately, which includes underestimating expenses (especially healthcare), ignoring inflation's impact on purchasing power, not starting savings early enough to benefit from compound interest, and leaving retirement savings in the wrong place (like not converting super to a tax-free pension), leading to running out of money or living a constrained lifestyle. A lack of a clear budget, not understanding investment options, and neglecting lifestyle/purpose planning also rank high.
The trend towards older ages for first-time buyers means that many will be paying off their mortgages later in life, often not becoming mortgage-free until around 63 years and 8 months, based on an average mortgage term of 30 years.
The cons of paying off your mortgage early:
Mortgage interest rates are historically low right now, so your expected ROR (rate of return) in other investments is much higher than what you're paying to borrow money from the bank.
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A highly controversial strategy, the 8% rule can be summed up as Ramsey recommending that retirees allocate 100% of their assets to equities. From there, these soon-to-be-retirees or retirees would then withdraw 8% per year of the portfolio's starting value, with each year's withdrawal adjusted based on inflation.
Mortgages can act as a hedge against inflation. As inflation rises, the real value of your fixed mortgage payments decreases, making it cheaper to repay in the future. This is a compelling reason why you should never pay off your mortgage, as inflation effectively reduces the cost of your debt over time.
Myth 1: Being debt-free means being rich.
A common misconception is equating a lack of debt with wealth. Having debt simply means that you owe money to creditors. Being debt-free often indicates sound financial management, not necessarily an overflowing bank account.
The "2% rule" for mortgage payoff refers to two different strategies: aiming to refinance to a rate 2% lower than your current one for significant savings, or adding an extra 2% of your monthly payment to pay down principal faster, potentially saving years of interest and paying off the loan much sooner. Another related method is the bi-weekly payment (paying half your monthly bill every two weeks), which adds up to one extra payment a year, significantly shortening the loan term.
A wealthy retiree in Australia generally has over $1 million in investable assets (excluding the family home), but for a truly high-net-worth individual, this can extend to $5 million or much more, allowing for a very comfortable lifestyle with significant income, travel, and assets, well beyond the ASFA "comfortable" benchmark (around $595k single/$690k couple for basic needs) and often without relying on the Age Pension, notes.
Eliminating a big debt early on could save you thousands of dollars in interest, freeing up money that could be added to your retirement savings and start gaining compound interest instead. Another thing to consider is that keeping up with large debts becomes more difficult in retirement.
While exact real-time figures vary, estimates from around 2025 suggest approximately 400,000 to over 500,000 Australians held over $1 million in superannuation, with about 2.5% of the population reaching this milestone as of mid-2021, a figure that has likely grown with strong investment returns, though many more hold significant balances and millions are projected to reach this goal by retirement, especially men.