Some bad ideas have crossed my desk over the years — and that’s fine. It’s better to hear all ideas and run them to ground to see if they’re truly bad.

But this one? Easily in the top five: a 50-year mortgage. My blood pressure rises just typing that.

Here’s the setup… Earlier this week, President Donald Trump floated the idea of a 50-year mortgage as a way to make homeownership more affordable. Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte, who oversees Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, quickly voiced support, saying they’re “working on it” and calling it “a complete game-changer.”

The logic is simple — stretch the loan term, shrink the monthly payment. But the trade-off is enormous: borrowers would pay vastly more in total interest, raising serious questions about the long-term wisdom

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