Is Buying a Home or Renting Right for You?

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This Element is an excerpt from Your Money Milestones: A Guide to Making the 9 Most Important Financial Decisions of Your Life (9780137029105) by Moshe A. Milevsky, Ph.D. Available in print and digital formats.

Why millions of people should rent, not buy--and keep renting as long as possible!

Many individuals should not own a house--or they should at least delay the purchase as long as possible. Anyone that followed this advice in the United States over the last few years, possibly the last few decades, would be much better off today. This is not just me dispensing hindsight. If you consider the spreading of resources over time, you can arrive at the same conclusion. But the reason is not as simple as you might think.