Ask Terry Questions Retirement anxiety

Retirement anxiety

By Terry Savage on November 06, 2025 | Wild Card

Dear Terry. I hope you can give me some guidance. I am 61 and self-employed with a secure job. I have zero debt except for my mortgage, which is 57,000, the home value is over 550,000. I have an emergency fund of 10,000. I have a Roth IRA valued at 100,000. I am single, and will continue working. My question for you is I’ve had a lot of anxiety over retirement. I am torn between maxing out my Roth IRA every year, which is 8000 or not doing that at all and putting everything to paying my house off. I only have an extra $10-$15,000 a year to invest, so it’s a tossup between investments or paying off my home. I would really appreciate your advice. Thank you so much.

Terry Says

You didn’t give me the most important info: What is your mortgage rate? And how is your Roth IRA invested? Please write back and I’ll try to point you in the right direction.

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