About once a month, I get an email or comment from a reader criticizing adjustable-rate mortgages (ARMs) as a poor financial choice. Since I’ve been a proponent of ARMs since starting Financial Samurai in 2009, I understand the pushback.

However, I still prefer an ARM over a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage because I don’t want to pay more in interest than necessary. Yes, there will be periods of higher interest rates, like the one we’re experiencing now. And yes, your ARM may occasionally reset during a high inflation period. However, over the long run, I believe the broader interest rate trend is to remain low, driven by technology, efficiency, and globalization.

Here’s an example of ARM pushback:

Hey Sam,

I know you’ve been a supporter of ARMs for years. I get the logic as you’ve laid it out, but for my investment properties and my primary home, I refinanced in