I don't see why this whole mortgage payoff thing is such a controversy.
Admittedly with a slightly high 4.79% rate and Floating it is
a tougher calculation and with unknown future increases/decreases.
Over time, you can certainly earn more than the mortgage rate.
As far as comfort, I'm way more comfortable with a liquid $50,000, growing
at a rate faster than the interest rate on a $50,000 debt, than I am with $0 and no debt.
And to add safety to the $50,000 liquid, there are plenty of Preferred stocks that will pay you 7%+.
Keeping the mortgage not only grows your stache faster, if your lose a job or run into other financial trouble, that liquid $50,000 is there to pull you out of trouble.
That should end the controversy, and the top is in. :-)