Share your insights or perspective on the financial matter presented in the input.

Can paying down a mortgage be considered an “investment”?
It very much comes down to question of semantics and your particular situation. Some people do not view a house (and most upgrades) as an investment, but rather an expense.  I certainly agree that this is probably the case if you pay someone else to make the repairs and upgrades.  However, if you are a serious DIYer, that may not be the case.  Of course, if the house is a money pit and/or you were unfortunate to buy when prices where ridiculously high, you'll have a hard time making any money on this "investment."  To continue this game of semantics, you may also consider the value you extract from your home while you are living in it. On to the mortgage itself.  Chances are that it is a long term, relatively low rate loan and that the interest is deductible.  So, there are some disadvantages to paying it down early, even without early payment penalties.  Paying down early on the principal is a disadvantage from a tax perspective.  How much of a disadvantage hinges on the rate. Now, a debt is a liability on your personal balance sheet.  It drags down any returns you may have from investing.  However, a home lone is not generally subject to the cardinal rule of paying off your high interest debt before investing.  It should not be relatively high and it pays for something necessary.  It may be that any credit card debt you have may have paid for something considered necessary.  However, with the relatively high interest rates, you have to question just how necessary any credit card debt really is.  Not to mention that there is no tax advantage. So, it comes down to the fact that a home loan should be relatively low interest, paying for something you must have and that you hopefully have some tax advantage from the interest you pay on it.