Actually, it can help if you have a risk-averse spouse. We aggressively pay off our mortgage so that we'll be free of that expensive obligation sooner. It requi

Actually, it can help if you have a risk-averse spouse. We aggressively pay off our mortgage so that we'll be free of that expensive obligation sooner. It requires sacrifices from everyone, kids and parents--but we're not convinced that the most important portion of a child's upbringing is how much you spend on them.