How does this happen?

Have you ever signed an internet petition? Often they are for great causes, and other times it's someone letting off steam about something that irritates them.

I recently received one started by a lady upset that she had to pay tax on her redundancy package.

I'm not here to debate the merits of the tax system, but in her petition she mentioned being 66 years of age and still having a mortgage to pay. What? How can that be? Surely there's something wrong when a couple who have been of working age for 50 years are still making house payments.

This is precisely the kind of terrible situation that I'm hoping to help people avoid.

At this age Linda and her husband should be able to spend time with their grandchild and relax a bit. They shouldn't have to be spending their time chasing the government to change the federal tax system. I hope they sell up, pay off the mortgage, and move into something smaller and/or more affordable. They can have more time with the family and never have to worry about mortgage payments again.

PS. Trivia: the word mortgage is Latin for 'death-pledge' but paying for a home shouldn't take up our whole life.

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