system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
eli5-Why is it “better” to pay a mortgage than to buy a home up front?

Is there any truth to this in modern day economics? Was this something that made sense in the past? I don’t get why paying interest to carry a mortgage is better than paying in full if you can afford and not losing money to interest payments.
gpt
Mortgage interest rates are low, especially now, they are somewhere around 2-3%. Avg yearly returns on investment portfolios is around 7-8%. So, put your extra money in investments instead of at the mortgage and you'll come out ahead.