Would getting a HELOC be a good financial starting point? I read an article where one can pay their home off in 5 years using the HELOC. Is that financially smart?

Heloc is a great tool, but it's essentially a credit card against a portion of equity in your home.

It can make you rich, but it can bankrupt you even faster. Make sure you learn and use it appropriately.

There is some discussion about "velocity banking" where you use the heloc to pay your mortgage and it returns a slight advantage. In my opinion this is a really insignificant advantage and distraction from real wealth building.