[tbw2]

That only works if:

1. You still have an income.

2. The stock market is still allowed to make a profit

[posterchild]

1. You still have an income.

Even if you don't have an income at that point you will have the 401K savings to live on rather than having all of it prepaid on the house debt.

2. The stock market is still allowed to make a profit

There are a lot of bad things that could happen either way. If we look at that doomsday scenario we could just as easily look at his property taxes becoming unbearable causing him to lose his paid off house and have no money in the IRA.