For decades, the retirement script was simple: the mortgage would be gone, expenses would fall, and savings would finally have room to breathe.
However, consider a hypothetical retiree, Tom. He’s 64 and plans to stop working at 66, but he still owes $185,000 on his mortgage. His monthly payment — including taxes and insurance — is $1,650. He has about $720,000 saved across a 401(k) and an IRA and expects roughly $2,600 a month from Social Security once he claims benefits. On paper, he’s done many things “right.” In practice, that mortgage payment looms large and his dream retirement scenario is in jeopardy.
Tom’s worry is increasingly common. More older Americans are entering retirement with housing debt (1), higher insurance costs and growing uncertainty around health care and inflation. And for them, the long-standing assumption that retirement will be cheaper than working life no longer feels reliable.
In the past, carrying a mortgage into retirement was often framed as a failure of planning. Today, it’s an economic reality.
Some homeowners refinanced during low-rate periods and chose to invest extra cash rather than accelerate payoff. Others upsized later in life, helped adult children (2), or weathered job losses, medical costs or divorces that delayed debt freedom.
For some retirees, keeping a mortgage can actually make sense. If the interest rate is low and investments are earning more than the mortgage costs, holding onto the loan can preserve liquidity. Mortgage interest may also be manageable relative to income, especially when paired with Social Security and pensions.
But the downside is obvious: fixed monthly payments don’t disappear just because paychecks do.
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A mortgage becomes a bigger risk once income shifts from earned wages to a mix of Social Security and withdrawals from savings.
In Tom’s case, that $1,650 payment consumes a meaningful share of his expected monthly income. That means higher withdrawals from retirement accounts, which can accelerate his portfolio depletion, especially early in retirement, when sequence-of-returns risk means the possibility that poor investment returns early in retirement — or just before it — will permanently damage his portfolio (3).
Housing costs also tend to be sticky. While commuting and work-related expenses fade, property taxes, insurance, maintenance, and utilities often rise. Add rising health care premiums (4) and out-of-pocket costs, and the idea that retirement spending automatically falls can quickly unravel.
That’s why confidence matters. It’s not just about whether someone can make the payments today, but whether the plan still holds up at 75 or 85 years of age.
Many people underestimate how flexible retirement planning can still be in their 60s.
One option is delaying retirement, even briefly. Working an extra year or two can have an outsized impact: more time for your 401(k)’s compound interest to build, fewer years the portfolio must support, and a higher Social Security benefit (5). For someone carrying a mortgage, those extra earning years can meaningfully reduce pressure on withdrawals.
Another option is restructuring the housing situation. That doesn’t automatically mean selling. Some homeowners explore refinancing into a longer term to reduce monthly payments, even if it means paying more interest over time. Others look at downsizing, relocating to a lower-cost area, or freeing up equity to eliminate the mortgage entirely.
There’s also the question of how retirement income is used. Mortgage lenders typically accept Social Security, pensions, and required minimum distributions as qualifying income, which can matter if refinancing is part of the plan. But more broadly, retirees need to think about cash flow, not just net worth. A plan that looks solid on paper can feel fragile if monthly obligations are too rigid.
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Marketplace (1); Pew Research Center (2); U.S. Bank (3); AARP (4); SSA (5).
This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.