Is homeownership still the best way to build wealth?

Diversified investing is usually more reliable than a leveraged, location-dependent home purchase.

With mortgage rates and home prices both elevated in 2026, high entry and carrying costs make housing a slow, illiquid bet that low-cost index funds tend to outperform for ordinary savers.

High transaction costs and interest rates make disciplined index fund investing a more liquid, diversified, and historically higher-yielding wealth-building path.