A key goal for a comfortable retirement is owning your own home outright when you get there. Many renters nearing retirement write to me looking for advice, and it’s difficult to respond given the ongoing housing crisis, a problem without an easy fix. In my view, renting is a bad investment, often a necessity, driven by circumstance rather than desire.

But this week, I decided to dive deeper and asked some people who rent, why they do it. Some of their stories are sad, while others show the tradeoffs people are making.........

© The Sydney Morning Herald