Mark Evans DM (YouTube, Nov 1, 2022) gives brief personal-finance advice in response to the question of whether to invest spare cash or pay down a mortgage. He emphasizes that the right choice depends on an individual's stage and emotional context—what he terms an investor's "DNA"—and that emotional returns (reduced anxiety, confidence) can outweigh purely numerical ROI. He references financial trauma and recommends aligning actions with what "makes you tick."
Hey Mark, I have a couple bucks. Should I invest that money or pay off my mortgage? Here's the thing, it depends where you're at in the journey. Truth is most of you watching have the thing called financial ptsd. You have massive trauma, maybe starting to make a couple bucks, but in the past you lost it, you got beaten up, maybe you went bankrupt or foreclosure or all the above. The truth is for me, depending where you're at, I think you need to look at say what's the return of my investment not just on dollars but also emotional investment. If it makes you feel better, that return might be way bigger than paying off, making an investment and getting a 10%, 12%, 20% ROI. It's all depends on your situation, where you're at and what you're going understanding knowledge about what makes you tick. Understand your investor DNA and invest accordingly. Make it happen.
