I'm not sure about borrowing as much as possible (though publicly traded companies sure did buffer their balance sheets with low cost debt). I am sure though t

I'm not sure about borrowing as much as possible (though publicly traded companies sure did buffer their balance sheets with low cost debt). I am sure though that I won't be pre-paying my mortgage at any point, given that it's more economic to buy savings bonds, use the yield to pay the interest on the mortgage, and pocket the difference. Never mind comparing to the yield on positively performing risk assets once the markets stop seizing up (and if they don't, we all have bigger problems anyway). Taking on as much debt as possible is rarely the best idea, especially if your income could at all have been at risk at any point. But yes, with interest rates as low as they were for years, more than average was probably a pretty good idea as long as it was within one's means to support. The Fed lowers interest rates as a means of stimulating the economy, and as the old adage goes, "Don't fight the Fed."