Shifting Into Reverse Blog

#225: Using housing wealth to super-fund 529 plans
REROUTING HOUSING WEALTH NOW TO HELP GRAND-NIECES LATER Your husband’s receipt of an inheritance, combined with the recent sale of a piece of commercial property on your part has started the two of you thinking about upping the amount you’ve been contributing towards your grand-nieces’ college fund. (With no grandchildren of your own, you have, […]

#224: Keeping housing wealth in ready reserve
HOUSING WEALTH AS A BACKUP FORCE For decades, your retirement planning was loosely based around the 4% Rule of withdrawals. Now, seven years in (two in full retirement), the two of you have been wondering about the long term sustainability of taking that 4% annually. Because a good deal of your money is in mutual […]

#223: Housing wealth keeps asset allocation in balance
IN ASSET ALLOCATION, HOUSING WEALTH STANDS IN FOR CASH Now about to enter your sixth year of retirement (for your wife it will be her third), you’re glad that after toying with the idea of moving to a nearby retirement community, the wisdom of your decision to “stay put” in your “big house” was confirmed […]

#222: Using housing wealth to preserve capital gains step-up on other assets
WAIT FOR IT…WAIT FOR IT…HOUSING WEALTH NOW HELPS CHILDREN LATER Having survived some serious post-COVID health challenges, the two of you are happy to be back to Plan A, involving the major home indoor and outdoor redesign you’d originally hoped to do right after retiring. With the newest estimates from contractors totaling some $120,000, you’ll […]

#221: Advisors increasing consider home equity as a wealth management tool
REVERSE MORTGAGES IN REVIEW For many years after the Deering Savings & Loan first issued a reverse mortgage to Nellie Young of Portland, Maine in 1961, CPA Joshua Wiesenfeld writes, the product was viewed with suspicion by CPAs and financial planners. Over the years, that view became outdated, he adds, with the Financial Industry Regulatory […]

#220: Using a reverse mortgage to finance home adaptation
USING REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING TO STAY ROOTED While the original plan was, once you’d both retired, to put your home on the market and join several former neighbors at a nearby independent living retirement community, you’ve changed your minds and decided to stay put. Rather than waiting months for just the right spot in that […]

#219: Using reverse mortgage funding to satisfy a divorce decree
FAIR-AND-SQUARE DIVORCE DIVVY-UP USING REVERSE MORTGAGE FUNDING If there is such a thing as an amicable divorce, that’s what the two of you are trying to accomplish. The one item about which there has been no dispute is the occupancy of your home – while your will be continuing to live in Indiana, your soon-to-be […]

#218: Using reverse mortgage funding for a franchise purchase
HOME EQUITY CAN HELP RETIREE GO FROM EMPLOYEE TO OWNER Although you’ve enjoyed success in your long career in sales, it’s always been as an employee rather than as an owner. In fact, your original idea was to take on sales training gigs after retirement (planned for the end of […]

#217: Using reverse mortgage as backup for Long Term Care insurance
SHIFTING FINANCIAL PREPARATIONS FROM CHILDREN TO SELVES With all three of your sons now heads of families, the two of you have begun to focus your attention on your own future financial security, with plans to retire from full time work three years from now (you’re now 63, she is 62). In reviewing your insurance […]

#216: Using reverse mortgage to fund a loan to entrepreneurial nephews
UNCLE’S HOUSING WEALTH CAN HELP BUDDING ENTREPRENEURS With no children of your own, you have cultivated an especially close relationship with your nieces and nephews over the years, occasionally offering financial help as each of the kids completed degrees and launched careers. Now, with two of your nephews in the process of launching a travel […]

#215: Using a reverse mortgage funding to augment an inheritance
LEAVING YOUR HOUSING WEALTH, NOT YOUR HOUSING, FOR HEIRS Widowed for the past decade, you’re grateful to have been able to keep up the management of the beautiful home where the two of you raised your children. Your hope is to live out the rest of your years there, but in the process of organizing […]

#214: Tapping home equity to avoid taking early Social Security benefits
REVERSE MORTGAGE AS A MEASURE OF RELIEF FOR BOTH MOM AND DAUGHTER As the only daughter (and the only unmarried, locally-based child) of a chronically ill parent, you are weighing the decision to retire at the end of the current school year (May 2025), in order to take on some of the duties of caretaking […]

#213: Using a reverse mortgage to buy investment property
HOME EQUITY Retired for the past nine years, the two of you have found various ways to supplement your income, with your wife teaching dance at a local studio and you doing handyman work and assisting at a roofing company. You long ago made the decision to continue living in your home, which is fully […]

#212: Using a reverse mortgage to fund a 529
HOME EQUITY CAN FUND GRANDKIDS’ FUTURE NEED — OR YOUR OWN Shortly after each of your grandchildren was born, you would start a 529 account in each one’s name, making modest additions to those accounts every year on their birthdays. Their parents also contributed, and those accounts ended up being a big help to your […]

#211: Using a reverse mortgage to prepare for future cost escalation
HOME EQUITY CAN BE THE KEY TO PROACTIVE PLANNING Retirement planning means a complete review of retirement needs, including health care and end-of life planning, an article in the October issue of Financial Planning magazine reminds readers in a piece about Long-Term Care insurance. While clients with sufficient assets might prefer to self-fund, consideration of […]

#210: Thorough financial planning can include both life insurance and housing wealth
PLANNING DISCUSSIONS WITH SENIORS TO INCLUDE ALL ASSET TYPES Similar to the misconception that reverse mortgages are last-ditch tactics for cash-strapped retiree homeowners, is the notion that taking a life settlement in exchange for one’s life insurance policy represents an inability to pay premiums and an urgent need to raise cash. An interesting study reported […]

#209: High net worth clients can use a reverse mortgage to control taxable income
HIGH NET WORTH CLIENTS CAN USE HOME EQUITY IN TAX PLANNING In last week’s blog post, we talked with a 69-year old gentleman who had chosen to defer social security benefits to age 70 and who was hoping to continue deferring IRA withdrawals until age 73. While he’d been able to offset some of his […]

#208: Using a reverse mortgage to control taxable income
HOME EQUITY CAN BE A TAX DEFERRAL TOOL Officially retired three years ago from your corporate position, you chose to defer social security benefits to age 70, allowing the amount to increase. You’ve been able to earn part time income, avoiding the need to tap your IRA rollover account. In fact, you’re hoping to defer […]

#207: Using a reverse mortgage to prepare for health care services at home
THINKING AHEAD ABOUT CARING IN PLACE Several of your neighbors have sold their homes, with one moving to live with her daughter in another state, the other relocating to a suburban retirement community. But, for your part, you’ve made the firm decision to continue living in your own modest-size Indianapolis home. With all your favorite […]

#206: Using a reverse mortgage to allow deferring Social Security benefits
IN A QUANDARY ABOUT DEFERRING SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS After attending three different seminars, plus listening to umpteen radio ads about leaving six figures on the table when claiming Social Security benefits the “wrong way”, you’re still in a quandary as to the best route to take. With your planned retirement date (career curtain time”?) only […]

#205: Using a reverse mortgage to help after a job loss
AFTER A DOWNSIZING, TURN TO HOUSING WEALTH FOR SUPPORT At age 56, you’ve just received the very unwelcome news that you, along with several co-workers in your department, are being “downsized” (aka let go) just weeks from now (with pay continuing for six months). While you began immediately to put out job feelers, the horizon […]

#204: Using a reverse mortgage to finance the purchase of a smaller home
WHEN SMALLER BEGINS TO SEEM BETTER Years ago, having a big back yard with an in-ground pool meant keeping your kids and their friends “in sight”. At your present stage in life (widowed and retired, age 67), these amenities have become more burden than boon. You continue to prize owning property over being a tenant, […]

#203: Using a reverse mortgage to fund hybrid life insurance
STAYING HOME THROUGH SICKNESS AND HEALTH Even before retiring just a year ago at age 69, you had decided against moving to a retirement community in favor of remaining in your own home (where you have the space to host a child or grandchild when they are in town to visit you).While far from handy, […]

#202: Plan combining a reverse mortgage with life insurance
THINKING OF POSSIBLE OWNERS-TO-BE Following a round of visiting friends who have sold their homes and moved into various luxury retirement communities, you’ve decided that lifestyle is not for you. After an extended period of mourning your wife’s passing, you have become very involved in community and cultural activities, making the decision to “stay put” […]

#201: Using a reverse mortgage to shore up Retirement Chapter 2.
REACHING FOR REASSURANCE IN RETIREMENT CHAPTER 2 Over the final third of your careers, the two of you had done a lot of planning for your retirement years, envisioning trips and activities and planning for a do-over of your home to make it “elder-friendly”. Today, six years into retirement, you’re taking stock. You have, in […]

#200: More about using a reverse mortgage as a deferred annuity
DEFERRED FIXED ANNUITIES & REVERSE MORTGAGES – BROTHERS FROM ANOTHER MOTHER “Perhaps the best protection from market downturns is a steady stream of income,” Penelope Wang pointed out in a recent issue of the AARP Bulletin After mentioning Treasury Inflation Protected Securities, or TIPs, the author suggests another option: income annuities. In fact, single premium […]

#199: Using a reverse mortgage as a deferred annuity
USE HOME EQUITY NOW TO GROW FUTURE INCOME STREAM You consider yourself (your spouse generally agrees with this assessment) a very reasoned person when it comes to handling financial decisions. Now retired and in your early 70s, you’ve been witness, over the years, to some of the best and worst times in the stock market. […]

#198: Using a reverse mortgage to avoid excess taxes on Social Security
REVERSE MORTGAGE – A “NEW” IDEA THAT DOESN’T TRIGGER “NEW” TAX In your seventh year of retirement (you’re 69, he’s 73), you’re becoming increasingly concerned with rising everyday costs, especially those for food and gasoline. You home is fully paid for and you’ve kept it well-maintained, so that’s not a present concern. As you consider […]

#197: The importance of sharing your plan with heirs
REVERSE MORTGAGE PLAYS PROMINENT ROLE IN ESTATE PLAN Now about to “really retire” at ages 71 and 70 (you have each continued to work part time for the past five or six years), you’re in the process of updating your investment and estate plans. Having now made the firm decision to remain in your present […]

#196: Dealing with a reverse mortgage during a divorce
WHEN DIVORCE DO US SENIORS PART You wryly describe your situation as a “gray marriage turned black”. When you (a widower) and she (a divorcee) married six years ago, you bought your present home together, financing it through a combination of equal contributions of cash and a HECM-for-purchase reverse mortgage. Your soon-to-be ex has already […]

#195: The place of reverse mortgages in retirement planning
REVERSE MORTGAGES TAKE RIGHTFUL PLACE ON CLIENTS’ NEED-TO-KNOW LIST Fully three and a half years ago, in an early Shift Into Reverse blog post, we addressed the compliance principles that apply when financial advisors discuss with clients products they themselves are not licensed to sell, such as property/casualty or long term care insurance and reverse […]

#194: After age 62, consider housing wealth as line of first resort
FOR THOSE OVER AGE 62, A FIFTH OPTION MIGHT PROVE MOST FEASIBLE In Kiplinger Personal Finance magazine, financial planner Mario Hernandez recalls a conversation he had with a client who was looking to fund the construction of a swimming pool at his house. The client had enough cash to pay for the project, but had […]

#193: Using housing wealth to take over from Rule of 55 withdrawal plan
RULE OF 55 NOW, REVERSE MORTGAGE LATER Now 57, you’re planning to take early retirement from your current full-time position in order to be more available to help your parents, who need assistance getting to doctors’ appointments and with managing their affairs. You may or may not find yourself able to take on some temporary […]

#192: Using housing wealth to realize second home dream
ACQUIRING A SECOND HOME NEED NOT BE A NIGHTMARE “For some clients, a second home might sound like an impossible dream. But advisors warn that the maintenance, tax bills, and insurance headaches (if you can even get insurance) can easily turn the reverie into a nightmare,” Ben Mattlin cautions in Financial Advisor Magazine. On the […]

#191: Using home equity to become a real estate investor
FROM HOMEOWNER TO HOMEOWNER-INVESTOR You’ve long understood the wealth-building power of real estate, but, until recently, the demands of family and career have made becoming an investor a non-feasible proposition. Now retired and “born again single”, you are considering buying and renting out (initially one, eventually a couple of other) modest residential properties in […]

#190: Using home equity to reconfigure living quarters for Mom and new spouse
HOUSING WEALTH HELPS MOM MAKE A NEW START You and your sister have been told by your 72-year-old mother that she has met the man with whom she intends to “finish out her days”. While you’re very happy for her, you want to be sure she protects her own finances and property. Each of you […]

#189: Using home ownership to help 3rd generation become homeowners
HELPING YOUNG’UNS BECOME HOMEOWNERS You have always made clear to your children that, once you’d helped them get through four years of college, they would be expected to take full charge of their own financial futures. Apparently, your one grandchild was raised with the same expectation. In a recent discussion, though (much to your consternation), […]

#188 Using a reverse mortgage as part of a charitable giving plan
HOUSING WEALTH PROVIDES BALLAST FOR CHARITABLE TRUST Now that retirement has become a reality for both of you, you feel blessed to have been able to devote more time to charitable projects, in particular those that relate to medical care for impoverished people around the globe. As part of the process of preparing to retire, […]

#187: Using a reverse mortgage to start online sales training center
HOME EQUITY ENABLES FROM-HOME BUSINESS At age 63 and recently retired from a long-time, top-level corporate sales training position, you’re looking forward to having greater control over your own time. An idle existence, on the other hand, would never be to your liking, and the plan is to develop an online sales training business offering […]

#186: Using a reverse mortgage to reduce tax on Social Security benefits
APRIL 15 STARK REMINDER FOR RECENT RETIREES After retiring at the end of 2022 (at the age of 67), you began collecting Social Security benefits in 2023. Your wife retired at the end of last year, but she is not quite of age to qualify for a full benefit. Your plan was to wait until […]

#185: Using a reverse mortgage to settle back in the U.S.A
BACK TO BUILDING HOUSING WEALTH IN THE GOOD OL’ USA After close to thirty years working abroad as an international education consultant, at age 74, you’ve moved back to the U.S. to be closer to family. For the past year, you’ve been renting an apartment in Indianapolis, waiting for the right time and the right […]

#184: Using a reverse mortgage to help sibling
HOUSING WEALTH ENABLES SIBLING CHIVALRY While you have both been U.S. citizens for many years, some of your fondest childhood memories revolve around Brothers and Sisters Day in Canada. Fraternal twins, your brother and you have remained very close over the years. At age 68 and single with no children, you are still actively self-employed […]

#183: Using a reverse mortgage to age in place – a new place!
AGING IN PLACE, BUT NOT IN THE OLD PLACE At the urging of your adult children (neither of whom lives in this state), you paid quite a number to check out senior living communities in and around the city. As a very socially active widow, it quickly became plain to you that you treasure your […]

#182: Using a reverse mortgage the old fashioned way
REVERSE MORTGAGES – TOOLS AT BOTH ENDS OF THE SPECTRUM As an advisor who deals primarily with high-net-worth individuals and couples, you’ve come to understand the many ways in which using housing wealth can help your clients preserve and grow their investment assets, avoiding wealth depletion through taxation or ill-timed withdrawals. Ironically, a recent conference […]

#181: Using a reverse mortgage to fund world travel
HOUSING WEALTH AS A BUCKET LIST BRACE Because each of you has survived a near-death experience (a bout with cancer in her case, a serious injury in yours), you are determined, within the limits of prudence, to check certain items off your world travel bucket list in the early years of retirement, rather than waiting […]

#180 Using a reverse mortgage as a buffer against a stock market downturn
HOPING TO CONTINUE CLIMBING, PREPARED IF THINGS GO THE OTHER WAY With the bulk of your invested assets in tax-deferred accounts, you’re pleased with this year’s portfolio results. You’re also pleased not to have been forced to tap those accounts, managing living; expenses with a combination of income from part time work/consulting assignments, rents from […]

#179 Using a reverse mortgage to rebalance investment “diet”
USE AN OWNED ASSET TO DIVERSIFY INTO “LOANER” TERRITORY As recent retirees who only recently attended an intense three-day investment seminar on portfolio allocation, you two are feeling yourselves in somewhat of a quandary. Not only does your combined portfolio consist of almost 85% equity (a category the speaker dubbed “owner investments”), but the greater […]

#178: Using a reverse mortgage to pay niece’s education costs
BEING A GOOD UNCLE WITHOUT “CRYING UNCLE” ON INCOME PLAN While many of your friends have been helping fund their grandkids’ education, you have no children of your own. Over the years, though, you’ve provided funding for your niece and nephew’s college costs, since your younger brother, a self-employed widower, has not been in a […]

#177: Reverse mortgage as a coordinating link between in an estate plan
A THREE-FOR-ONE APPROACH TO ESTATE, RETIREMENT AND INVESTMENT PLANNING A recent health scare (fortunately, you have been pronounced fully recovered) has focused your attention on an intensive estate planning review. While you can hardly be described as “super-wealthy”, your three highest value assets are your IRA Rollover account and to pieces of real property — […]

#176: Using a reverse mortgage to defer taking early social security benefits
HOUSING WEALTH ALLOWS WAITING TO COLLECT SOCIAL SECURITY With your relationship ending, you find yourself faced with some daunting financial realities. While you maintained sole ownership of your home (originally purchased together with your now-deceased first wife), it was helpful to have two incomes supporting the ongoing upkeep and maintenance costs. Your soon-to-be ex “roommate” […]

#175: Using a reverse mortgage to defer tapping HSA
REVERSE MORTAGES TO PRESERVE THE POWER IN A POWERHOUSE At age 66, you plan on working two more years; your wife has plans to retire in a little over a year from today. With your children fairly well established in careers of their own, the two of you have been quite diligent about making maximum […]

#174: Advising financial planning clients on a reverse mortgage
REVERSE MORTAGES AS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIO COMPLEMENTS Over the past few months, perhaps due to the plethora of TV ads for reverse mortgages, you’ve been receiving a number of inquiries from your financial planning clients about reverse mortgages. With a quarter to one third of your client base now in their sixties and seventies, their home […]

173: Using a reverse mortgage to offset portfolio equity with debt
REBALANCE ASSET MIX WITH REVERSE MORTGAGE BALANCE A longtime believer in asset allocation in investing, you have been “in charge” of guiding the choices in your wife’s 401K (she is still working), as well as in your own SEP-IRA account (you continue to generate modest income as a self-employed metallurgics consultant), as well as in […]

#172: How a reverse mortgage relates to the client’s estate plan
REVERSE MORTGAGE DOES NOT REVERSE ESTATE INTENTIONS After hearing so much about reverse mortgages, the two of you have become interested in exploring that option as a way of establishing a funding source as major updates become urgent on your seventy-year old home. Your big hesitation in moving forward is that, early in 2023, you […]

#171: Using a reverse mortgage to “regularize” retirement income
GETTING CLOSER TO A GOLDILOCKS RETIREMENT WITHDRAWAL PLAN As a financial advisor, you’ve found, the trickiest aspect of advising clients who come to you at the brink of retirement, is helping them select an appropriate and “safe” system of withdrawals from their investment accounts to support their lifestyle needs. As Morningstar observed in its White […]

#170: Using a reverse mortgage to bail grandkids out of student debt
STUDENT DEBT NO THING OF THE PAST Over the years, when the grandkids were younger, the two of you always made efforts to help fund their college costs by both making direct cash gifts at holiday time and also by contributing to both their educational savings accounts. Now widowed yourself and with both grandchildren now […]

#169: Preparing a home for aging in place with a reverse mortgage
PREPARING FOR UPKEEP WHILE AGING IN PLACE “I’m not sure just where I’ll be going, but I can’t put up with all the repairs and upkeep this place needs. There are always things that need to be fixed and they are taking up more and more of my time, so I’ve decided to move to […]

#168: Deferring Social Security benefits by using a reverse mortgage
REVERSE MORTGAGE SUPPLIES INCOME STREAM WHILE YOU WAIT When you retired a little over a year ago at age 66, your intention was to defer claiming Social Security benefits until age 70, so as to collect the maximum benefit possible. Now, after several unexpected home repairs and a big dental expense, not to mention the […]

#167: Refinancing a reverse mortgage to make spouse the co-borrower
STARTING AFRESH WITH A NEW PARTNER AND A NEW REVERSE MORTGAGE LOAN Four years ago, in establishing your reverse mortgage loan, you had been recently divorced. Your ex was moving to another state and you kept sole ownership of the home. Establishing a reverse mortgage at the time enabled you to revamp the home; you […]

#166: Using a reverse mortgage to manage long term care insurance premium increases
DIP INTO HOUSING WEALTH TO AVOID DROPPING LONG TERM CARE COVERAGE The postal service has delivered some very bad news to you in the form of a major increase in the quarterly premium for both of your Long-Term Care Insurance policies. None of the choices offered is savory: In order to maintain your current coverage […]

#165: Using a reverse mortgage to grow a fledgling business enterprise
HOUSING WEALTH HELPS PROMOTE FLEDGLING ENTERPRISE While your late wife’s protracted illness forced you to put plans of launching a specialty LLC consulting/coaching practice on hold, you are now ready, at age 69, to get back to the project.. In reanalyzing your finances, you realize that, since you plan to work out of your home […]

#164: Reverse mortgage on son’s home to pay parents’ CCC buy-in fee.
SON’S HOUSING WEALTH CAN HELP PARENTS BUY INTO CONTINUING CARE Following a series of health scares, your parents, both in their early eighties, recently made the decision to move into a local high-end continuing care community. Once their home is sold, the proceeds should be more than enough to cover the six-figure upfront “buy in” […]

#163: Debunking reverse mortgage myths
REVERSE MORTGAGE AS A LINE OF FIRST RESORT As a financial advisor, you’ve tried to steer clear of extremes, believing that your clients’ retirement and tax planning should be centered around the preservation of assets with sufficient growth to outpace inflation. Particularly in recent years, you’ve focused on helping your clients avoid scams and […]

#162: Using a reverse mortgage as portfolio protection
SAFEGUARDING THE SEQUENCE USING HOUSING WEALTH Now in your third year of retirement, (in both your cases precipitated by COVID-related downsizing), the two of you are becoming concerned with all the pundits’ warnings of oncoming recession. The original plan was for you to work three more years and retire at age 67 (66 for […]

#161: Using a reverse mortgage to make gifts ahead of sunset
GIFTING IN THE FACE OF ESTATE TAX EXEMPTION SUNSET While your career earnings and savings have enabled the two of you to accumulate a very respectable net worth, you have not needed to worry about federal estate taxation. However, you’ve become aware that unless Congress acts before the end of next year (you don’t have […]

#160: Using a reverse mortgage to adapt home to age in place
STAYING AT HOME BY CHOICE At recent gatherings of friends in senior hobby groups, it seems the conversation invariably centers around how much of a deposit each couple or individual has put down to reserve their spot in one of the local upscale retirement communities. I seems the two of you are the only ones […]

#159: Using a reverse mortgage to pay for relative’s medical costs
HOUSING WEALTH CAN HELP PAY FOR MOTHER-IN-LAW’S HEALTH CARE With your wife’s father and both of your own parents now gone, you have maintained a very close loving relationship with your wife’s mother, who unfortunately has endured a series of health setbacks in recent months. After considering various facility options, you have come to the […]

#158: Using a reverse mortgage to overcome location inflation
HOUSING WEALTH ALLOWS MOVING TO HIGHER-PRICE ALTITUDES Ever since the pandemic, the two of you have been wrestling with the decision of moving to the Washington, D.C. suburb where your daughter and grandchildren make their home. Basically retired (you each take on part-time speaking gigs from time to time to supplement the budget), you are […]

#157: Using a reverse mortgage to help daughter move closer
HOUSING WEALTH OFFERS A WEALTH OF POSSIBILITIES FOR PARENTS AND DAUGHTER The two of you have owned your Indianapolis home for many decades and, notwithstanding certain health issues, hope to remain there for the rest of your lives. Your only regret is that both your children live in other states. In fact, there was a […]

#156: Using a reverse mortgage to help nephew pay student loan
GREAT-AUNT WILLING TO STEP IN FOR UNCLE SAM With no children of your own, you and your late husband always maintained a strong connection with your brother’s kids and grandkids in a neighboring state. Now, you’ve become aware, your older grand-nephew, who recently completed a Masters of Fine Arts, is facing somewhat of a financial […]

#155: Using a reverse mortgage to fund son’s startup
DAD’S HOUSING WEALTH HELPS SON BUILD HIS Before your wife’s death five years ago, the two of you had been focused on building up financial assets in preparation for retirement, and now that you’re just a few years away from bidding farewell to full time employment, you are turning your focus on helping your only […]

#154: Using a reverse mortgage tofund overseas travel
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO CREATE TREASURED MEMORIES It has been a long term dream of yours, after retiring, to take all four grandkids on a cruise. During and even after the pandemic, you had not felt safe going ahead with your plans, but now you’re thinking that this January might be the right time. With […]

#153: Using a reverse mortgage to finance an RV
HOME EQUITY HELPS FUND COME-ONE-COME-ALL FAMILY TRAVEL ON WHEELS You always knew your retirement lifestyle would involve spending as much time with the grandchildren as they were willing and able to spend with the two of you. Now in your mid-seventies, you’re finding that flying back and forth to visit families on opposite coasts has […]

#152: Helping clients cull correct information on reverse mortgages
ADVISOR QUANDARY ABOUT REVERSE MORTGAGE MISINFORMATION With the vast amount of information on financial topics being served up to your clients on a daily basis, you’re tasked with helping them separate wheat from chaff. When it comes to the topic of reverse mortgages, you’re finding, conflicting statements and claims are leaving even you confused and […]

#151: Using a reverse mortgage to help keep grandkids in their same school district
REVERSE MORTGAGE KEEPS GRANDKIDS IN THEIR OWN SCHOOL DISTRICT The two of you have always felt blessed in having your only two grandchildren living a mere 30 miles away. Even with you, both in your mid-sixties, still working full time, you’ve enjoyed having the grandkids spend many a weekend at your home. Unfortunately, your son-in-law […]

#150: Reverse Mortgage Takes Over “CPR”, Keeping LTC Alive
One of the fortunate few with the foresight to purchase long term care insurance decades ago, adding a lifetime inflation rider, you’re now facing a double challenge keeping up with the escalating policy costs. Some seven years ago, at the suggestion of a tax advisor, you began paying the annual long term care premiums by […]

#149: Using a reverse mortgage to help realtors help seniors downsize
REALTORS CAN HELP SENIORS BUY UP AND SIZE DOWN As a long time real estate professional, you’ve always prided yourself of finding solutions to serve your clients’ needs. This is a tough time, you’re finding, for seniors. Many of the folks whom you helped purchase homes years ago are now finding those homes much too […]

#148: Using a reverse mortgage to help pay student loans
PROVIDING STUDENT LOAN HELP FROM UNCLE, NOT UNCLE SAM Learning that the Supreme Court has struck down the President’s plan to forgive student loan debt, you knew immediately how severe an effect that decision would have on your younger sibling’s family. A hard-working single mom, your sister is very proud of her two sons, both […]

#147: Using a reverse mortgage to pay for in-home elevator.
MOVING UP AND DOWN WITHOUT MOVING OUT The two of you have always committed to taking care of both sets of elders. With your mother-in-law having recently passed, your father-in law, in his early nineties, insists he wants to “age in place”, continuing to live in the modest two-story home they’d owned for many, many […]

#146: Using a reverse mortgage to help grandchild start a business.
HOUSING WEALTH CAN GIVE GRANDDUGHTERS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EDGE Despite your having made clear to your two children that, once they were through with their schooling they would be expected to manage their finances on their own, you now find yourselves feeling differently when it comes to your twin granddaughters. Passionate and very hardworking entrepreneurs, the […]

#145: A reverse mortgage as backup resource to fund home healthcare.
FOR AGING IN PLACE, PUT A RESOURCE IN PLACE With no formal training in finance or accounting, the two of you nonetheless pride yourselves on discussing important financial matters and (after consulting your advisors), coming to your own conclusions. You’re both close to age 67, and after dealing with various health issues in recent months, […]

#144: Using a reverse mortgage to fund home redesign
THUNDERSTORM DAMAGE DICTATES A PLAN, NOT A POEM Moving into your home some twenty years ago, you were both thrilled with its woods-like setting. Now that three recent thunderstorms have resulted in downed trees and quite a bit of damage to the roof, you’re not so sure “Trees” remains your favorite poem. Luckily, none of […]

#143: Using a reverse mortgage to “power” the next generation
KEEPING THE POWER ON FOR KIDS AND GRANDKIDS After retiring from the corporate world five years ago, you have continued your tradition of treating the kids and grandkids to a three day lakeside family reunion at a state park. Now, after recent storms and power outages wreaked havoc in the lives of one of your […]

#142: Using a reverse mortgage to help fund grad school for grandson
IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE? With neither of you having had the benefit of a college education, you’re proud of the fact that both your children and now your one grandchild are all college graduates. In fact, your granddaughter is planning to continue her studies, working towards a medical degree. Retired three years […]

#141: Using a reverse mortgage to finance a full family getaway.
SOONER THAN LATER MIGHT PROVE BEST A longtime dream of yours has been treating your entire extended family (some forty people with all the in-laws, cousins, and kids) to a week-long getaway reunion in the mountains. You want to do this before the youngest of the grandkids starts college next year. Rather than shaking up […]

#140: Using a reverse mortgage to reconfigure the residence
SETTLING IN WITHOUT SELLING THE STOCK After months and months of dabbling with the idea of moving to a retirement community, the two of you, now in your mid-seventies, have decided to spend your remaining years in your own home. In the past, you’ve taken pride in being property maintenance do-it-yourselfers, but going forward, you’ll […]

#139: Using a reverse mortgage to go solar
FINANCING THE BIG CONVERSION TO SOLAR ENERGY After much home-searching and soul-searching, the two of you have decided to say put in the home you’ve furnished, decorated, repaired, and remodeled over the past thirty-seven years. The next step, you’ve decided, is to install solar roofing, including charging stations for the electric vehicles you plan to […]

#138: Using a reverse mortgage to pay off consumer debt
CHANGE THE DEBT, RELIEVE THE PRESSURE While your original plan had been to work through your early seventies, a downsizing three years ago forced you into retirement at age 64. Now, even working various part time gigs, you have been unable to retire your nearly $40,000 in credit card debt. Thankfully, your home is mortgage-free […]

#137: Using a reverse mortgage can be used to hedge against property devaluation
LOCKING IN” HOUSING WEALTH AT A “HIGH” Although the remarkable profits you saw friends and neighbors making on the sale of their houses, one important decision you and your wife had made was that, post-retirement (hers last year, yours five years ago), you would continue living in your home, hopefully spending the rest of your […]

#136: A reverse mortgage as a source of funds to beef up LLC
SHORING UP A BUSINESS USING HOUSING WEALTH After retiring four years ago at age 63, you have been supplementing your pension and investment income with dividends from a one-man electrical and plumbing repair business structured as an LLC. The arrangement has, overall, worked quite well, but, in order to expand, it is now important for […]

#135: A reverse mortgage can be part of retirement tax and income planning
USING HOME EQUITY AS A RETIREMENT MANAGEMENT TOOL With you and your husband of forty years on the brink of retirement, you’ve taken on the job of researching planning options. (While all financial decisions will always be made jointly, your work schedule happens to be a bit more flexible, and so you’ve taken on the […]

#134: Using a reverse mortgage to move ahead following a job loss
HOME EQUITY CAN HELP TURN AN EMERGENCY INTO A PLAN While you had each planned to work up until social security “normal retirement age”, you have just been notified (you are now 63) of an involuntary severance. The company will continue to pay your salary and benefits through the end of this year, you’ve learned. […]

#133: Using a reverse mortgage to buy out spouse’s share in a divorce
HELPING HOME OWNERSHIP GO FROM TWO TO ONE The two of you have actually been living apart for the past two years (you in the home you own jointly, she in an apartment in Kentucky). Now in your early seventies (she in her late sixties) you had hoped to keep the marriage together despite your […]

#132: Using a reverse mortgage to defer Social Security benefits
TURNING HOUSING ASSETS INTO A BRIDGE With your tentative retirement scheduled for the end of this calendar year, you have been considering whether to begin claiming Social Security benefits at the start of retirement (you will have reached the age for full benefits). In the course of researching this topic, you found an article about […]

#131: Using a reverse mortgage to pay tax on 401K Roth conversion
AVOID CURRENT TAXATION, INCREASE FUTURE LEGACY After retiring in 2020, you had planned on leaving your 401(K) plan where it was in the company plan. Basically, satisfied with the investment options offered through that employer plan, you saw no reason to roll the money into an IRA. (Needless to say, your account was affected by […]

#130: Using a reverse mortgage to move from the coast to the heartland
HEARTLAND HECM FOR PURCHASE Your parents, in their mid-seventies and now fully retired, are planning to relocate from Washington State to the Midwest to be closer to you and the now college-aged grandkids. The two of you have been helping them search for the perfect suburban home. Expecting to clear close to $600,000 on the […]

#129: Incorporating a reverse mortgage as part of an overall estate plan
REVERSE MORTGAGE IDEAL TOPIC FOR “THE TALK” In advance of your daughters’ and grandkids’ upcoming Easter visit to Indiana from the West Coast, your oldest has mailed you a copy of the book Having the Talk, by Jack Tatar. The two of you, both retired and now in your late 70s, have experienced various health […]

#128 Using a reverse mortgage to pay Roth conversion tax
ROTH CONVERSION PROCESS SMOOTHENED WITH REVERSE MORTGAGE Now in your 70s, you’ve been giving thought to those looming required minimum distributions from IRA. Despite the recent dismal market performance, your rollover account is still over the seven-figure mark, and your accountant is actually recommending converting it to a Roth, either all at once or in […]

#127 – Using a reverse mortgage to supplement retirement plan withdrawals
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO “PAD” RETIREMENT PLAN WITHDRAWALS 03/06/23 With no training or expertise in finance, you have always liked to keep yourself informed by reading about the investment markets and the economy in general. The other day you came across a piece from Morningstar that seems to sum up your own situation: “retirees have […]

#126 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Prepay Funeral and Burial Expenses
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO LIGHTEN HEIRS’ LOAD 3/2/2023 The extended illnesses of several close friends have made you conscious of the burden their adult children are shouldering. You have estate planning documents; those were updated after you were widowed seven years ago, directing the disposition of your assets. However, you’ve come to realize that more […]

#125 Using a reverse mortgage to improve healthy living
A HEALTHY HOME ENABLES HEALTHY AGING IN PLACE 03/01/2023 In the process of setting in motion plans for your retirement two years from now (at age 67), you’ve made several important decisions concerning your home. First, you’ve decided not to move. As a single homeowner with no children, you appreciate having supportive neighbors (mostly younger […]

#124 Using a reverse mortgage to launch a new start in life
REVERSE MORTGAGE MIGHT MAKE YOUR TURN FOR THE BETTER EVEN BETTER 02/28/2023 Widowed eight years ago, you’d planned to age in place – the old place, that is, – your long-time family home. Nothing wrong with that home, which is fully paid for and which you had remodeled just five years ago to accommodate your […]

#123 Using a reverse mortgage to fund installation of a solar roof
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO MAKE HOME MORE ECO-FRIENDLY 02/27/2023 For many years now, the two of you have been environmentally conscious, participating in recycling services and bagging your own groceries in eco-friendly carriers. You each own a hybrid vehicle, with the plan to select an all-electric car for the next purchase. Retired two years ago, […]

#122 Using a reverse mortgage to rebalance a portfolio
RESTORING REBALANCE USING HOUSING WEALTH 02/21/2023 For decades now, the two of you have been very level-headed when it comes to managing your investments, never succumbing to panic when movements in either stock prices or interest rates have made others frantic. With both of you having taken retirement from full time jobs a little under […]

#121 Using a reverse mortgage to fund
HOUSING WEALTH PUTS ON A NEW FACE 01/29/2023 While your career as a corporate spokesperson will be coming to a close later this calendar year, you will be continuing to offer coaching to executives on interacting with members of the press. In preparing for retirement, you have set the basic elements of insurance and estate […]

#120 Reverse mortgage can retire debt and build a reserve fund
REVERSING THE DIRECTION OF OVERSIZED PAYMENTS 01/23/2023 With retirement now on the horizon (your husband plans to retire at the end of 2024, just after he turns 66, with you retiring the following spring at age 65), you’ve resolved to begin the 2023 year by making oversized mortgage payments each month. The goal – retiring […]

#119 A reverse mortgage can do double duty
REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN DO DOUBLE DUTY 01/17/2023 Although grieving the loss of your husband five years ago and continuing through the first two years of your own retirement, you were beginning to feel you had your financial affairs under control. This past year, however things have become increasingly stressful for you. The dramatic drop in […]

#118 Using reverse mortgage to effect a divorce settlement
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS SPLIT PROPERTY, KEEPING INVESTMENTS INTACT 01/10/2023 With the divorce pending, your soon-to-be ex-wife is moving to another state. You, meanwhile, are remaining in the home, buying her out of her share. With both of you retired from full time careers, (you’re 72, she 69), you continue to work as a contractor on […]

#117 Using reverse mortgage to become a homeowner again
RECYCLING FROM RENTING TO BUYING WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE When you retired five years ago, relocating from the northwest to Indiana to be closer to family, you made the decision to rent a luxury apartment rather than rushing into a permanent home buying choice. As a widow, what with COVID and the crazy competition for […]

#116 Using reverse mortgage to buy a new home
MOVING “UP” IN LIFE WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE 12/27/2022 Ever since their father’s death three years ago, your son and daughter have been urging you to move closer to your daughter’s location in eastern Indiana. Now age 73, you had envisioned remaining in your present home for the remainder of your life, but now, the […]

#110 Benefiting two generations with a reverse mortgage
REVERSE MORTGAGE DAUGHTER CAN HELP DAUGHTER GO HOME AGAIN November 15th, 2022 Your 85-year old widowed mother is becoming less and less able to manage her large home in central Indiana. With you hours away in eastern Illinois, your plan had been to help Mom move into a retirement community. Mom, though, is adamant that […]

#111 Contingency financial planning with a reverse mortgage
LOOKING BOTH WAYS WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE November 22, 2022 Six years into retirement, you’re only now beginning to feel the “pinch” from the increase in everyday living costs. Generally speaking, you consider yourself fortunate, able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, pursuing your arts and theatre-related pastimes. Widowed eleven years ago, with both children financial […]

#112 Reverse mortgage allows retiring now as planned
REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN ALLOW ROLLOVER ACCOUNT TIME TO RECOVER November 29th, 2022 As recently as two-three years ago, things seemed simpler than they now appear to you. The plan was for your wife to retire at the end of this year (she just turned 66), but she has changed the date to summer of next […]

113 Using reverse mortgage to supplement income in early years of retirement
“CARPE” DIEM” WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE DRAW December 6th, 2022 With the last two years of your careers having been marked by the pandemic (each of you, despite having been vaccinated and boosted, has now had COVID twice!), you were moved to make two admittedly emotionally driven decisions. First, despite the drop in the value […]

114 Using reverse mortgage in an uncertain housing market
CONCERNED HOW A DROP IN HOME VALUE MIGHT AFFECT REVERSE MORTGAGE December 13th, 2022 A year or so ago, then four years into retirement and in the midst of the real estate “craze”, you had briefly considered selling your home, but instead made the decision to stay put. You arranged for a small home equity […]

115 Using reverse mortgage to pay for in-home care
REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN KEEP MOM AT HOME SWEET HOME December 20th, 2022 Over the four years since your father’s death, it has been a relief to you and your sister to see Mom, at age 76, resuming an active social life. While she is able to drive and continues to manage her own finances, she […]

#109 Substituting reverse mortgage draw-downs for IRA withdrawals
EASING THE BURDEN OF SOCIAL SECURITY’S “GOOD NEWS” November 8th, 2022 You’ve just realized that all the Social Security “good news” flooding your newsfeed might well be bad news in disguise when it comes to taxes. Yes, you’re each scheduled to receive a hefty raise in your Social Security benefit due to the more than […]

#108 Using a reverse mortgage as a stabilizer during stock market turbulence
HOME EQUITY – A STORM SHELTER DURING MARKET TURBULENCE November 1st, 2022 When you retired from full time employment just four years ago, you never imagined becoming a “poster child” for the “negative sequence of returns” you’d read about in the magazines and journals.. Divorced ten years ago, you were awarded sole ownership of your […]

#107 Using a reverse mortgage to replace credit card debt
AFTER SETBACKS, CONVERTING TO A MORE MANAGEABLE FORM OF DEBT CAN BE HELPFUL October 25th, 2022 The past three years have, unfortunately, not been good ones for the two of you. Although you had generally been very prudent about managing your finances, you were forced into taking retirement years earlier than planned, because your employer […]

#106 Using a reverse mortgage to manage rising expense
SHORING UP RESOURCES IN PREPARATION FOR RETIREMENT October 11th, 2022 With retirement from full time employment planned for 2025 (when you will turn 65), you’re beginning to scrutinize your budget, estimating which expenses are likely to escalate (and at what estimated rate). In addition to holding a full time job, you run a part-time, independent […]

#105 Using a reverse mortgage to build up Roth inheritance for adult child
BUILDING DAUGHTER’S INHERITANCE FROM BOTH DIRECTIONS October 11th, 2022 As a single gentleman at the “ripe old age” of 71, you’re still able to command a sizeable income, and God willing, hope to continue your very active lifestyle indefinitely. While you travel extensively, you’re proud of your home, which you’ve kept in good repair and […]

#104 Using a reverse mortgage to help make Long Term Care insurance premiums affordable
FOR LONG TERM CARE INSURANCE, REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN REPLACE “RIDERS” September 27th, 2022 With your third child now finished with college and all three seemingly firmly ensconced in the world of work, the two of you have begun to focus your attention on your own future financial security. In your early 40s with full-time careers, […]

#103 Using a reverse mortgage to avoid 401K withdrawals
REVERSE MORTGAGE FOR WHEN BEST-LAID PLANS GO AWRY September 27th, 2022 A little over two years ago, you accepted a buyout offer from the company where you’d worked for thirty-one years. At the time, there seemed to be several alternate employment opportunities (in any event, you would have been let go in the downsizing). Unfortunately, […]

#102 Using a reverse mortgage to provide help to your adult children
REVERSE MORTGAGE September 20th, 2022 It’s ironic, those recent headlines about forgiveness of student loans, since the two of you had agreed long ago to pay for your three children’s college education (and did just that). Post Bachelor’s degree, the concept was, each child would be responsible for his or her own support. Your general […]

#101 Using a reverse mortgage to add a granny flat
MAKING ROOM FOR MOM WITH THE HELP OF A REVERSE MORTGAGE September 13th, 2022 After your husband died several years ago, you had been strongly considering selling your home. After retiring from your position as executive assistant, you contemplated living in a retirement community. Since then, you’ve changed the direction of your planning. With your […]

#100 Using a reverse mortgage for annual gifting
REVERSE MORTGAGE – A GIFT TO KEEP YOU GIVING September 6th, 2022 With summer swiftly waning, you’re beginning to think about the winter holidays. Unfortunately, with inflation having noticeably strained your budget, you have concerns around your traditional role as “Uncle Santa”. Each Christmas for the past ten or more years, you’ve made Christmas gifts […]

#99 Using a reverse mortgage to future-proof your home
HELPING YOUR HOME HELP YOU KEEP SAFE August 30th, 2022 Ever since first falling in love with this house some twenty five years ago, the two of you have agreed that this is where you want to spend the rest of your lives. Now, moving into retirement, with the house paid for, you have been […]

#98 Annuitizing housing assets through a reverse mortgage
YOUR HOME — AN ANNUITY WITH WIGGLE ROOM August 22nd, 2022 Of all your investments, the one that, ironically, feels most comfortable right now is the one that’s the least exciting — a fixed annuity you bought seven years ago. That annuity has been faithfully delivering a monthly deposit into your bank account. Given the […]

#97 Using a reverse mortgage to fund a home-based business
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO FUND A FRANCHISE August 16th, 2022 After four decades as a kindergarten teacher, you retired just as the pandemic was getting underway. With your pension, investments, and Social Security allowing you to cover expenses with some luxuries added, you are now considering ways to raise your standard of living without re-entering […]

#96 Using a reverse mortgage to fund energy-efficiency home remodeling
A NEW “WINDOW” ON RETIREMENT PLANNING – IN REVERSE! Once having made the decision to spend your retirement years in your present home, you realized that everyday cost savings are going to be key to your budgetary survival over the next two to three decades. You briefly explored solar paneling, but for a number of […]

#95 Using a reverse mortgage to fund interim health insurance coverage
FROM HERE TO MEDICARE, REVERSE MORTGAGE EASES THE WAIT August 2nd, 2022 For a variety of reasons, the two of you have made the monumental decision to retire from your careers at the end of the next calendar year. The frustrations and issues have begun to outweigh the motivation to keep working, and, with your […]

#94 Using a reverse mortgage as insurance against Social Security cuts
REVERSE MORTGAGE – INSURANCE AGAINST SOCIAL SECURITY CUTS July 26th, 2022 Two years into what you’ve dubbed Retirement Stage One (the first six to seven years when you do your long-planned European and South America biking and hiking vacation trips while still keeping up some income flow through part time work), you’ve become concerned about […]

#93 Financing a big home makeover with a reverse mortgage line
TO DEAL WITH REVERSALS OF FORTUNE, THINK REVERSE MORTGAGE July 19th, 2022 While the two of you had long ago made clear that your children were expected to manage their own affairs once they’d graduated and left the nest, life has not followed the expected pattern. Because of some mental health issues, one of your […]

#92 Tapping housing wealth, not portfolio
APPROACHING NEW HOME PURCHASE IN REVERSE July 12th, 2022 At a recent social gathering, friends of yours mentioned that they’d narrowly succeeded in winning the bid for their new home only because they’d been able to make a cash offer. The only way they’d been able to raise that cash before selling their prior home, […]

#91 Estate & Income Tax Planning – The Forgotten Strategy of a Reverse Mortgage & Roth Conversion
Estate & Income Tax Planning – The Forgotten Strategy of a Reverse Mortgage & Roth Conversion Home prices have recently reached historic highs in the United States with the median home sales price increasing to over $400,000.00. Many homes have over $1,000,000 of equity built up over the years. This provides for excellent opportunity to […]

#90 “Even newer need” reverse mortgage guidance for financial advisors
NOT THEIR FATHERS’ “NEEDS-BASED” NEEDS June 28th, 2022 “Get ready to discard old notions of who a needs-based borrower really is,” comments blogger Shannon Hicks, explaining that house-rich, very cash-poor retirees used to be the ones who turned to reverse mortgages, making ends meet by eliminating their monthly mortgage payment. In contrast, today’s retirees, she […]

#89 A reverse mortgage can finance retirement living right at home
READY TO RETIRE IN A FIRST HOME … June 21st, 2022 The two of you have always done things just a little bit differently. While most of your friends have owned homes, with some now relocating to retirement communities, you’ve always rented, moving from place to place to accommodate various long-term corporate consulting assignments. Now, […]

#88 Using a reverse mortgage to fund a 529
LAW CHANGE + HOUSING WEALTH = EDUCATION FUNDING For the past two years, you have been helping your son by contributing towards his oldest daughter’s college costs. You stayed away from opening a formal college savings plan, because you had heard that, as your granddaughter would make withdrawals to pay college expenses, that would have […]

#87 Using a reverse mortgage to reduce monthly expense drain
PUTTING A CHECK VALVE ON MONTHLY CASH OUTFLOW June 7th, 2022 Just four short years ago, when you both retired from full-time careers, you thought you had a foolproof plan in place for managing regular expenses and keeping up with the maintenance of your beautiful home and grounds. The plan was to postpone social security […]

#86 Using a reverse mortgage to cover tax on Roth conversion
HOUSING WEALTH HELPS MAKE ROTH CONVERSION FEASIBLE May 31st, 2022 As you enter your 70s, you’ve been considering converting your IRA account to a Roth before being obliged to take – and pay tax on, required minimum distributions. The size of the tax bill that would immediately come due has thus far scared you off […]

#85 Using a reverse mortgage to stop cash outflow
TURNING OFF THE MORTGAGE PAYMENT May 24th, 2022 After toying with the notion of moving to a smaller home, the two of you have decided to stay put. In the recent ‘hot” real estate market, you knew, the profit from selling might have liquidated your mortgage debt and still enabled you to afford the new […]

#84 Using a reverse mortgage to round out investment strategy
USING HOME EQUITY AS A FIXED DOLLAR INVESTMENT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 May 17th, 2022 Five years ago, having made the decision to spend the rest of […]

#83 Using a reverse mortgage to help child over a hard spot
HOME EQUITY ENABLES PARENTAL RESCUE PLAN David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 May 10th, 2022 There’s never a good time for bad things to happen, and unfortunately, just as […]

#82 Using a reverse mortgage to supplement retirement income
HOME EQUITY AS AN ANTIDOTE TO INFLATION David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 May 3rd, 2022 Although the two of you had done a lot of carefully planning leading […]

#81 Using a reverse mortgage to fund care costs
HOME EQUITY ASSISTS WITH COSTS OF ASSISTED LIVING David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 April 26th, 2022 After your father’s death three years ago, you moved your mother into […]

#80 Using a reverse mortgage to fund landscaping overhaul
HOME EQUITY FUNDS HORTICULTURAL FACELIFT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 April 19, 2022 Following a few months spent “window shopping” in this frenzied real estate market, you’ve made […]

#79 Using a reverse mortgage to cope with a family upheaval
HOME EQUITY ENABLES PARENTS TO PROVIDE HELP NOW David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 April 12th, 2022 When it comes to sharing cash or assets with your children, the […]

#78 Using a reverse mortgage to enable at least one of you to remain in the home contribution
USING HOME EQUITY TO HOLD DOWN THE FORT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 April 5th, 2022 With a twelve year age difference between you and your wife, you’ve […]

#77 Using a reverse mortgage to make a significant humanitarian contribution
USING HOUSING WEALTH TO FIGHT POVERTY WHEN MOST NEEDED David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 The two of you have always made annual charitable gifts to humanitarian causes, and […]

#76 Using a reverse mortgage to avoid investment withdrawals
REVERSE MORTGAGE “STANDS IN” FOR PORTOFOLIO DRAWS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Given the state of the economy, you can’t help thinking you should have waited before retiring. […]

#75 Using a reverse mortgage to finance a winter home
REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN HELP FEATHER A NEST IN THE SUN David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve been toying with the idea for years, but all that ice and […]

#74 Using a reverse mortgage to finance home renovations
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS RESCUE BIDDING WAR REFUGEES David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 While your original plan was to move to a smaller home with fewer outdoor grounds to […]

#73 Using a reverse mortgage to keep up with LTC premium increases
REVERSE MORTGAGE BUFFERS RISING LTC PREMIUMS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 March 1st, 2022 When the two of you retired just seven years ago, you took comfort in […]

#72 Reverse mortgage in a two-generational household
DAUGHTER REASSURED BY MOM’S REVERSE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 February 24th, 2022 Five years ago, when your father fell ill, you moved back to Indiana from Tennessee […]

#71 Reverse helps senior newlyweds deal with two homes
LOVE AND HOME OWNERSHIP CAN BE LOVELIER THE SECOND TIME AROUND David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 February 14th, 2022 Sinatra was right, the two of you agree, as, […]

#70 Reverse Mortgage as a factor in portfolio planning
REVERSE MORTGAGE TO TAKE THE PLACE OF THE 40% David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 February 10th, 2022 The two of you have always agreed on a conservative approach […]

#69 Reverse Mortgage to help postpone portfolio draws
REVERSE MORTGAGE ENABLES LONG-TERM PORTFOLIO STRATEGY David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 January 25th, 2022 As a financial advisor, you’ve prided yourself on working in cooperation with your clients’ […]

#68 Using a reverse mortgage to help fund grandkids’ education
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS GRANDPARENTS GIVE HELP David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 January 24th, 2022 You never thought this would happen, but in your late sixties, the two of […]

#67 Reverse Mortgage to help fund at-home care
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS KEEP HEALTHCARE AT HOME David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 January 13th, 2022 In the year or so leading up to your retirement earlier this year, […]

#66 Reverse Mortgage to Stabilize Retirement Income Flow
REVERSE MORTGAGE BACK-LOADS LONGEVITY RISK David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 January 11th, 2022 In accordance with this way of thinking, pre-pandemic, you splurged on a number of luxury […]

#65 Reverse Mortgage to Stabilize Retirement Income Flow
REVERSE MORTGAGE GIVES PORTFOLIO RECOVERY TIME David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 January 1st, 2022 At age 65, you’re almost one full year into what you call “3/4 retirement”, […]

#64 Reverse Mortgage to Help Finance a Franchise
REVERSE MORTGAGE CUSHIONS FORAY INTO FRANCHISING David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 December 21st, 2021 Although your original plan had been to take on consulting gigs after retirement (planned […]

#63 Refinancing Your Reverse Mortgage
A REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN BE BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Seven years ago, after arriving at two important decisions (retire from full-time employment […]

#62 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Avoid Tax on Social Security
BLOCKING THE TAX TORPEDO WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Effective anti-torpedo defense depends on early detection of the torpedo. … Once the torpedo is […]

#61 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Buy a New Home
JUMPING AHEAD WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 At age 66, now three years into living on your own following your spouse’s passing, you’ve decided […]

#60 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Renovate
REVERSE MORTGAGE FOR A LIFT AND A SWIRL David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 After much back-and-forth discussion, with each other, friends, the doctors, you’ve decided that despite the severe problems you’ve been having in […]

#59 Using A Reverse Mortgage to Finance Dental Costs
USE HOUSING WEALTH TO RESTORE A SMILE David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 Eight years into full retirement, you have been able to maintain your lifestyle needs very comfortably, particularly given the nice gains in […]

#58 Including Heirs in Reverse Mortgage Planning
INCLUDING HEIRS IN REVERSE MORTGAGE PLANNING David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 Comforted by the fact that all three of your adult children are financially stable, the two of you have been able to focus […]

#57 Reverse Mortgage Broadens Choices Post-Divorce
STAYING HOME POST-DIVORCE David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 In the fourth year of a second marriage that unfortunately is not going to work out, you are in the process of exploring your legal and […]

#56 Reverse Mortgage as an Inflation Hedge
LET YOUR HOUSING WEALTH BE YOUR UMBRELLA David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 Now almost five years into a “three-quarters retirement”, you had been feeling pretty good about the degree to which consistent planning and […]

#55 When Heirs Need Your Help More Than Your House
When Heirs Need Your Help More Than Your House David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve always been conscious of the importance of estate planning. Now, however, in your late seventies and in the aftermath […]

#54 Housing Wealth Provides Fallback After Big Gift
Housing Wealth Provides Fallback After Big Gift David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 Starting with assets inherited from parents and grandparents, the two of you have succeeded, through your own endeavors, in building those assets […]

#53 Reverse Mortgage Income to Reduce IRMAA
INCOME FROM HOUSING WEALTH CAN REDUCE “BRACKET CREEP” David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 After retiring from long professional careers, the two of you have been able to maintain a relatively high standard of living […]

#52 Reverse Mortgage to Capitalize On Home Value Boom
LOCK IN HOME VALUE BY “TRADING” LOANS David GarrisonHome Equity Retirement SpecialistNMLS # 1595194Serving the State of Indianap (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151Corporate NMLS #1025894 Your income has been more than sufficient to keep up mortgage payments of just over $2000 a month. But as retirement draws […]

#51 Using a Reverse Mortgage to “Divide” Up the Most Indivisible of Assets
DIVVYING UP A HOME DURING DIVORCE? A REVERSE MORTGAGE OFFERS OPTIONS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 The original plan had been of the “till-death-do-us-part” variety, yet here the […]

#50 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Finance Long-Term Care (LTC) Premiums
AGING IN PLACE STARTS AS EARLY AS NOW David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Hopefully, your list of “daily living activities” includes things such as dancing, golfing, cooking favorite […]

#49 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Finance Home Renovations
HOME RENOS ENABLE AGING IN PLACE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 According to experts, it’s now easier – physically, financially, and emotionally – to pursue a cosmetic surgery […]

#48 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Buy A Place For Wintering In The Sun
SNOWBIRDING MADE SIMPLE WITH A REVERSE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Like so many other older adults, you cherish the memories you’ve created in Indiana, and have decided […]

#47 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Avoid Depleting Savings
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS AVOID THE ONE BIG RETIREMENT NO-NO David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 In “5 ways to help protect retirement income,” Fidelity Viewpoints lists 4 to-dos and […]

#46 Using A Reverse Mortgage As An Investment Buffer
REVERSE MORTGAGE BUFFERS INVESTMENT RISKS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 No doubt about it – when it comes to living off your retirement savings, the “big bad wolf” […]

#45 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Make Charitable Gifts
REVERSE MORTGAGE FEES CHARITABLE DOLLARS NOW, NOT LATER David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 For all of your adult life, to the extent your means permitted, you’ve been a […]

#44 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Add Portfolio Diversification
REACTIVATING STATIC ASSETS TO IMPROVE PORTFOLIO DIVERSIFICATION David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 As a first step in launching the next great phase of your life, you’ve recently accepted […]

#43 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Pay Adult Kids’ College Debt
RESCUING ADULT KIDS FROM NEVER-ENDING COLLEGE DEBT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Like many of your friends, you’ve tried to help fund the grandchildren’s college costs by making […]

#42 Adding Longevity To Retirement Assets With A Reverse Mortgage
GIVING RETIREMENT ASSETS MORE “STRETCH” David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve been building up financial assets for a long time in preparation for retirement, and now that you’re […]

#41 Using A Reverse Mortgage to Stay Home After a Divorce
KEEPING THE HOUSE POST DIVORCE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 In these “worst of times”, your primary goal is to keep life as stable as possible for your […]

#40 Using A Reverse Mortgage to Increase Accessibility
“RAMPING UP” ACCESSIBILITY IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 While a number of your friends have been selling their homes, relocating themselves and their […]

#39 Using A Reverse Mortgage To Launch A Late-Life Career
REVERSE MORTGAGE EMPOWERS ENCORE CAREER David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 After a long and quite successful career, you’d been looking forward to retirement, but soon learned you’re not […]

#38 Using A Reverse Mortgage for Income Planning
REVERSE MORTGAGE HELPS HOMEOWNERS PLAN, NOT PREDICT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 In a recent article, Dan Moisand, CFP® notes that predictions about “safe withdrawal rates” in retirement […]

#37 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Cover Pandemic-Imposed Needs
BE READY TO REBOUND FROM PANDEMIC-INDUCED COSTS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve both always carried on a very active lifestyle, and the first couple of years since […]

#36 Using a Reverse Mortgage to Prepare for Long-Term Care Costs
TAKING CARE OF LONG-TERM CARE WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 So far, so good, you’d been thinking. In fact, looking back over the five […]

#35 The Positive Effects of Reverse Mortgage Strategies on Financial Plan Sustainability Belong on Your Need-To-Know List
TALKING COMPLIANTLY WITH CLIENTS REGARDING REVERSE MORTGAGES David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 As a financial advisor, you’re keenly aware of the need to avoid offering tax advice or […]

#34 Combining Roth Conversion and Reverse Mortgages
REVERSE MORTGAGES AND ROTH CONVERSIONS – LIKE A HORSE AND CARRIAGE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve been doing quite well in semi-retirement, both health-wise and financially. However, […]

#33 Avoiding Forced Early Pension Withdrawals Through a Reverse Mortgage
RULE OF 55 WITHDRAWAL? A REVERSE MORTGAGE MIGHT BE A BETTER IDEA David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Like a number of your friends and former co-workers, you’ve been […]

#32 Avoiding Early Social Security Through a Reverse Mortgage
EARLY SOCIAL SECURITY? A REVERSE MORTGAGE MIGHT BE A BETTER WAY TO GO David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Your plan had been to work at least until your […]

#31 Hedging against property value risk through a Reverse Mortgage
LOCKING IN HOME VALUE ON A HIGH NOTE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 With all the buzz about the incredibly competitive market for homes in Indiana, you’ve been […]

#30 Saying it Isn’t So about Reverse Mortgages
REVERSE MORTGAGE MYTH: All DEBT IS TO BE AVOIDED David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 After a close friend (like yourself in her mid seventies) confided that she had […]

#29 Saying It Isn’t So About Reverse Mortgages
You’ll Saddle Heirs with Debt David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Four years in, you continue to reap the benefits of the saving and planning you’d done in preparation […]

#28 Saying It Isn’t So About Reverse Mortgages
REVERSE MORTGAGE MYTH: LIFETIME TENURE PAYMENTS ARE LIKE MUSICAL CHAIRS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 The events of 2020 – in terms of both the pandemic and the […]

#27 Increasing Income, Yet Avoiding Increased Tax on Social Security
“REVERSING” THE TAX BURDEN ON SOCIAL SECURITY & MEDICARE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 As a couple, your careful savings habits leading up to your retirement a year […]

#26 A Reverse Mortgage Can Represent Value-Added Financial Planning Advice
IN-THE-NOW FINANCIAL ADVISORS CAN WEAVE HOUSING WEALTH INTO THE PLAN David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve been helping people manage their financial decisions for decades. Many of your […]

#25 Reverse Mortgage Preserves Highly Appreciated Assets for Next Generation
PRESERVING YOUR CHILDREN’S INHERITANCE THROUGH A REVERSE MORTGAGE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 At 73 and 72 years old, you’re juggling a set of decisions that make feel […]

#24 Reverse Mortgage Accrued Interest Can Benefit Heirs
UNUSED REVERSE MORTGAGE TAX DEDUCTIONS BECOME PART OF LEGACY TO HEIRS David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 A recent discussion with your stepson (a highly successful professional who helps […]

#23 Using Housing Wealth in a Divorce Settlement
FOR DIVORCE SETTLEMENT, TAP HOUSING WEALTH, NOT PORTFOLIO After months and months of back and forth negotiations and mediation, your divorce is at last being finalized. The one item about which there has been no dispute is the occupancy of your home, since you are the only one interested in continuing to live and work […]

#22 Switch from Portfolio SWIP to Reverse Mortgage Draw
DRAW FROM HOUSING WEALTH, LET PORTFOLIO GROW David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 At age 67, you’ve just retired and already are experiencing some concern about the Systematic Withdrawal […]

#21 Reverse Mortgage Decisions Involve Family Members and Advisors
WHO NEEDS TO TALK THE HOUSING WEALTH TALK? David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 After reading an article about the advantages of a reverse mortgage, the two of you […]

#20 A Nonborrowing Spouse Protected on a Reverse Mortgage
YOUNGER SPOUSE? A REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN PROTECT YOU BOTH David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 While the years following the death of your wife have been extraordinarily difficult, you […]

#19 Whole Life Insurance/Reverse Mortgage Combo Serves as Equalizer
REVERSE MORTGAGE/ LIFE INSURANCE COMBO CAN HAVE MULTIPLE USES David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 With retirement planned for each of you within the next year or two, you’ve […]

#18 Postponing Plan Withdrawals Until Reverse Line of Credit is Exhausted
Reversing The Sequence with a Reverse Mortgage David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 By next spring, when you will both be qualified to receiver social security benefits, you’re going […]

#17 Reverse Mortgage Offers Solution for Mom and Daughter
DAUGHTER WANTS MOM INDEPENDENT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 As an only child, daughter of a mom who was widowed 2 ½ decades ago, you were always taught […]

#16 Housing Wealth Used to Fund Whole Life Insurance
HOUSING WEALTH COMES FULL CIRCLE WHOLE LIFE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Before your wife of almost fifty years passed in 2020, the two of you had planned […]

#15 Reverse Mortgage Can Be Tailed to Second Marriage Situation
HOUSING WEALTH CAN FUND A SECOND LIFE David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 Yours is a story of senior dating site success – after nine years of widowhood, at […]

#14 Benefit from the Run-Up in Home Prices Without Selling
LET YOUR HOME FUNCTION AS YOUR BACKUP RESERVE FUND David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 It’s a good time to sell a home in Indiana, as you and your […]

#13 High Home Values, Low Interest Rates Increase Utility of Reverse Mortgage Line of Credit
IN COUNTDOWN TO RETIREMENT, LET YOUR HOUSING WEALTH COUNT David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’re the proverbial “ducks-in-a-row” type, and you’ve already begun to plan for your retirement […]

#12 Reverse Mortgage Helps Keep Retirement Assets Intact
REVERSE MORTGAGE CAN MAKE SNOWBIRDING A REALITY David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 In this, your fifth year of “semi-retirement” following 40+ year careers in the private education system, […]

#11 Reverse Mortgage Helps Pay Health Insurance Costs
REVERSE MORTGAGE TO BRIDGE THE COBRA-MEDICARE GAP David Garrison Home Equity Retirement Specialist NMLS # 1595194 Serving the State of Indiana p (317) 644-2595 c (765) 516-0130 e [email protected] 2169 East Rutland Lane, Martinsville, IN 46151 Corporate NMLS #1025894 You’ve both been employed at the same company (in different departments) for the past nineteen years. […]

#10 Paying Down Reverse Mortgage Builds Up Reserve Fund
PAYING AHEAD IN REVERSE The unusual rise in prices of residential real estate made taking out a second mortgage on your home tempting. After careful thought, though, you’ve decided to approach the issue at the other end of the spectrum. Over the coming two and a half years, you’re resolved, you’ll make “oversized” monthly payments […]

#9 Refinancing a Reverse Mortgage to Improve Security for Spouse
STEP UP SPOUSAL BENEFITS WITH A REVERSE REFINANCE Listening to neighbors discussing refinancing their mortgage loans (in order to lock in current lower interest rates) has made you think about the reverse mortgage you had taken out just three years ago on your home following your remarriage. Your husband was 60 years old at the […]

#8 Overlaying Debt and Equity in Portfolio and Housing Wealth
BALANCING ASSET CLASSES WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE Now ten years into partial retirement from careers in counseling, you’ve both decided to take full retirement as of year-end 2021. You want to pay more attention to managing your financial assets along with expanding your involvement in photography (you) and art collecting (she), firmly resolved to spend […]

#7 Reverse Mortgage Enables Foray into Impact Investing
IMPACT INVESTING USING HOUSING WEALTH Now that you and your spouse have each survived both your first four years of retirement and COVID-19, you’re more than ever determined to make a difference in the way you conduct your lives, including the way you invest your money. Your portfolio choices in your retirement accounts have been […]

#6 “Annuitizing” Housing Wealth Through a Reverse Mortgage
REDUCING DEPENDENCY ON STOCK MARKETS MOVEMENTS WITH A REVERSE MORTGAGE Now in your fifth year of retirement, you’ve been generally satisfied with the plan you had set up for automatic quarterly withdrawals out of both your rollover account and your non qualified investment account. Those withdrawals notwithstanding, both accounts have increased substantially in value. While […]