Paying off student loans is an emotional decision, NOT financial

Over the years I have had countless opportunities to payoff my student loans. Sure emotionally I would like to say I am debt free, and if others choose that's the path they want to take I understand. However, I don't make emotional decisions with finance, I make decisions based on knowledge. Let's use an example. I currently have over 18,000 in student loan debt, at 3.5% interest.  Recently I had the privilege of adding another rental to our portfolio that now stands at over 100 doors that I am the majority owner in not including deals I lend on or own as a limited or minority joint partner. I bought it cash with private money and only needed 15k plus closing costs so almost the exact same amount of money to pay off my student loan to acquire an asset. Instead of paying off my student loans I elected for $404 dollars of cashflow a month and turned it over to my property manager to make it happen. THINK ABOUT THIS. I chose 26.9 percent cash on cash return over saving 3.5 percent interest and "oh yeah!" I also get a 0.25 percent discount to setup autopay so I don't have to think about it. Meanwhile I also can get 1-3 percent interest in my CHECKING account and writeoff the interest of my student loan. This is the power of real estate. Make financial decisions NOT emotional decisions. I will have student loans for likely 30 years of my life and yet I will have financial freedom for the rest of my life from making decisions like choosing to NOT pay off my student loans. It's not just freedom, it's opportunities to change more, tithe more, spend more time with those you love the most, volunteer more, give more. Rethink your why...