 Because by the time you use up all your money to pay off the home mortgage, you've given up every opportunity you had to invest and to become rich. Remember, your dollar bill can only do one thing for you. It can either make you rich or pay off debt. So if you've got long, in-place debt that's safe and secure, leave it alone. Which might be the situation with college debt. If you've got college debt that's a 20-year loan,