Seniors are even dealing with lingering student debt: 706,000 senior households grappled with a record $18.2 billion in student loans in 2013, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

It's not an easy subject to discuss, since older Americans may be ashamed that they are still dealing with debt after so many years in the workforce. They do not want to feel like a burden on their kids or grandkids, and so keep their financial struggles to themselves.

But financial experts stress that not all debt is automatically bad. A reasonable mortgage locked in at current low rates, in a home where you plan to stay for a long period, can be a very intelligent inflation hedge.

"I always suggest clients consolidate it in the form of good debt, like a mortgage on your primary residence," says Stephen Doucette, a planner with Proctor Financial in Sherborn, Massachusetts. "You are borrowing against an appreciating asset, you don't have to worry about inflation increasing the payment, and the interest is deductible.

As long as this debt is a small portion of your net worth, it is okay to play a little arbitrage, especially considering stock market risk, where a sudden decline could leave older investors very vulnerable.

"A retiree who has debt and a retirement account with equity exposure may not have the staying power he or she thinks. The debt is a fixed amount; the retirement account is variable," says David Haraway, a planner with LPL Financial in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

It is important not to halt 401(k) contributions, or drain all other sources of funds, just because you desire to be totally debt-free. Planner Scot Hansen of Shoreview, Minnesota has witnessed clients do this, and ironically their good intentions end up damaging years of careful planning.

"But this distribution only created more income to be reported, and more taxes to be paid. Plus it depleted their retirement funding source." he says.

Instead, take a measured approach. That's what Wanda Simpson did, slowly chipping away at her debt with the help of the firm Consolidated Credit, while living off her Social Security and pension checks.

The result: She just sent off her final payment.

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