There were normal diplomatic disagreements that all allies have. And consider the source of that statement. Yeltsin’s critics would have included any anti-democratic groups. This was a period of unprecedented cooperation and trust that was growing until Russia turned its back.
Sounds like he’s not factoring in the money saved after the mortgage is done. I’ll be done in a little over a year then my housing costs drop to property tax and insurance. That’ll come to a little under 15% of what rentals in my neighborhood go for. Even with an aggressive withdrawal schedule an extra million wouldn’t make up the difference.
Edit: I also doubt his calculations. Maybe he’s not taking inflation into account? When I bought my house the mortgage, property tax, and insurance was a little more than renting a house in my neighborhood. Almost 19 years later, the mortgage is the same, the property tax has gone up about 25%, and the insurance has increased about 50%. Since the mortgage is the largest part by far my total costs have gone down significantly adjusted for inflation and they are only around 50% the cost of rent. Even counting maintenance and remodel costs I would have paid much more in rent over the years.
Edit 2: If I had invested my 5% down payment in the s&p in August 2005, with reinvested dividends, before taxes, it would only be 13.7% of my current home equity. Your boy’s math ain’t mathin’.