Got myself into a real head-scratcher here. I'm sitting on $700K in my IRA, which is pretty solid for retirement planning. But then there's this mortgage hanging over my head—still owing $35K at a locked-in 3% interest rate.

Here's where my brain starts spinning: Do I tap into that retirement stash to kill off the debt completely? Or do I just let it ride for the remaining years, collect that sweet 3% interest in my favor, and keep the IRA compounding untouched?

It's not just about the numbers. There's the peace-of-mind factor of being debt-free versus the tax implications of yanking money out early, plus missing out on years of tax-deferred growth in that retirement account. Every crypto investor knows the power of letting assets compound over time—same principle applies here, right?

But then again, a $35K debt is still a $35K anchor, and some folks would argue that's leverage you don't need. Where do you draw the line between aggressive debt payoff and protecting long-term wealth accumulation?