This is an interesting &quot;investment&quot; example. In addition to the listed trade-offs, the mortgage would&#x27;ve likely allowed 25% cash down in 1976, approximately $18,000. Furthermore, savings in rent would&#x27;ve largely gone toward mortgage interest, repairs and capital expenditures. Given these assumptions, the result over a 40 year period would be an annual return of 10.12%[0].<p>Even so, the approximate return from the S&amp;P 500 (reinvesting dividends) over the same period would be 11.468%[1].<p>[0] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.moneychimp.com&#x2F;features&#x2F;portfolio_performance_calculator.htm" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.moneychimp.com&#x2F;features&#x2F;portfolio_performance_cal...</a><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;dqydj.net&#x2F;sp-500-return-calculator&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;dqydj.net&#x2F;sp-500-return-calculator&#x2F;</a>