Another reason it is not a good idea to make extra mortgage payments: I made double payments for years, and then when I finally divorced my alcoholic husband, I was forced to give him the house. His statement was that since he was an alcoholic and therefore couldn't work, I had to support him. My lawyer said I had a choice: Pay him half of my salary for the rest of my life, hiring a lawyer to go to court to lower the amount if I was out of work or when I retired. Or give him the house. I was in my 40s, with many years of work ahead of me. So I gave him the house.