THE FUSE

We had a brilliant idea. What if the place where you live could also make you rich? It was an appealing proposition because it appeared to offer something close to a free lunch. A home would provide shelter, security and somewhere to raise a family, while at the same time increasing in value. The mortgage would gradually become equity. The equity would become wealth. That wealth could fund retirement, provide a safety net, be borrowed against or eventually be passed on to the children. There was no obvious victim in the transaction.