It is the Smith Manoeuvre investment approach. (
The Smith Manoeuvre - is your mortgage tax deductible? )
The whole idea is about good debt and bad debt in Canada.
- Good debt: e.g. a loan borrow to invest, and the interest payment is tax deductable.
- Bad debt: e.g. a mortgage loan for a personal home, and the interest payment is not tax deductable.
In brieft, the approach is to borrow money for income generating investment. (i.e. not target for capital gain because of the taxation rule). The interest paid for the loan to invest in income generating investment is tax deductable. So, you get the tax refund of the "investment interest" deductable. Then, you pay back the mortgage balance using the tax refund.
People usually borrow the investment loan in term of home equity line of credit (HELOC). So, the more mortgage principle is paid, the more amount of HELOC is available for investment. i.e. with some financial institutes' mortgage/borrowing plan, the HELOC credit limit is increased every time (i.e. week, 2-weeks, month) you paid back the mortgage principle.
From my understanding, this approach may affect a personal credit score in Canada because of the huge amount of HELOC loan as shown in the credit report.
It may be good for some people (i.e. with stable income or having a government job). It may not be good for other people when it comes to mortgage renewal time.