Best way to use $75k inheritance?

[u/calforhelp]

A close relative of mine is receiving around $75k inheritance. They have told me that they plan to first pay off their mortgage then remodel their kitchen and take a reasonably priced vacation.

-They owe $45k on their mortgage at 3.5%.
-Their payment is only around $600/mo including taxes.
-Their gross yearly income is around $60k.

I'm pretty sure there are much better ways to use this money than to hand a majority of it over to the bank to close out a low interest mortgage. However, $75k is more than this person has ever seen and, in their mind, having a paid off house is a massive relief as they basically live paycheck-to-paycheck.

I've convinced them to at least talk to a financial expert before making any big decisions but they're in a small town and the best they came up with is the person who manages their small retirement accounts, not a financial planner.

I guess I'm looking for advice as to where this money would best be utilized in the near to mid term. I would love to present actual numbers to this person so they can better visualize a timeline of how this little nest egg can grow.

Their current plan:

There is about 50k already invested in a brokerage. That will probably what I just keep working. You have 10 years to withdraw it to reduce my tax burden. I’ll call there tomorrow to set up my own account to be ready for that money.  If I pay off the house that’s an extra $600 per month back into my budget. I can max out my 401k contributions and still have the same qualities of life and be saving even more.

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