Tag: Aging In Place

Harland, Hindenburg…and Harney

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story
Laurie MacNaughton

April 15, 1912, while on its maiden voyage, the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank within three hours. The ship carried far too few lifeboats, and 1,502 passengers and crew died. Harland and Wolff, who hired the naval architect, was not available for comment for this blogpost.

May 6, 1937, German airship Hindenburg caught fire, exploded, and plunged to the ground at Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Thirty-six people died. The German dirigible had not been designed to use hydrogen; rather, the Nazi government switched to the alternative gas when helium was not available. Neither the Hindenburg’s pilot nor its designer was available for comment for this piece.

Let’s add another historical tragedy:

According to a July 19, 2013 Washington Post article by Kenneth R. Harney, in 1997 Sarah C. Hoge took out a proprietary reverse mortgage. This private-label mortgage was not the FHA-insured reverse mortgage overwhelming represented by today’s reverse mortgages. The terms of Ms. Hoge’s mortgage were apparently horrendous, and her estate is still seeking resolution of issues caused by this terribly-designed product.

Early private-label, non FHA-insured reverse mortgages were filled with structural peril and some left true devastation in their wake; few reasonable minds differ on this point.

The Post’s Mr. Harney, however, appears either remarkably biased against today’s reverse mortgages, or woefully uninformed on their basic tenets, as evidenced by his statement, “Reverse mortgages…can be…potentially costly for [elderly borrowers’] heirs.” I respectfully refer him to the FHA HECM website http://www.hud.gov/, specifically section 6 which states, “No debt is passed along to the estate or heirs.”

Mr. Harney, if you are seeking a crusade, let me recommend you turn your sites toward the proliferation of hard-money lenders, the financial source some seniors seek out when scared away from the FHA-insured reverse mortgage – by articles such as yours, as self-reported by seniors themselves. This scaremongering is unbefitting a contributor to a reputable publication, and is a tragedy in its own right.

The historical movement of tragedy is regulation, redesign, redress and remediation – whether we’re speaking on topics of engineering, medical techniques, political systems – or financial products. As it has matured into the mainstream of financial products, reverse mortgage has gone through these selfsame stages, and has come out far better for it. I believe I am not alone in wishing journalism would go through its own maturation process, moving from sensationalistic pieces to well-researched reporting.

The FHA-insured reverse mortgage is never going to be the full solution to financial needs in retirement. However, when used as part of a comprehensive financial plan, it is going to be an increasingly important part of funding Americans’ ever-increasing longevity. Irresponsible or ill-informed reporting does no one any favors – not seniors, not their heirs, and not an esteemed publication.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 · Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgReverseLady.com

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Hop on the “Aging in Place” Bandwagon

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story
By Jacqueline D. Byrd , Esq.
Used By Permission

He who every morning plans the transaction of the day and follows out that plan, carries a thread that will guide him through the maze of the most busy life. But where no plan is laid, where the disposal of time is surrendered merely to the chance of incidence, chaos will soon reign. — Victor Hugo, French poet and novelist (1802-1885)

The aging in place concept and planning for aging in place is a bandwagon that all seniors should hop on quickly. Just about 100 percent of older adults, if they could have their choice, would choose to grow old and die in their own home.

These days, we are faced with sequestration that looks like it has no end. As government help grows more and more scarce, we need to work together to find other sources of help and to make aging in place the most practical and affordable way to care for a growing population of older Americans.

Aging in place means remaining in one’s home safely, independently and comfortably, regardless of age, income or ability level. It is a concept that is exciting for many reasons, not the least of which is that it can mean the pleasure of living in a familiar environment throughout our lifetime.

The Aging in Place Council, www.ageinplace.org, provides links to organizations collaborating on accomplishment of aging in place goals. The National Association of Home Builders offers courses and certification for aging in place building specialists. This program teaches the technical, business management and customer service skills essential for completing home modifications for the aging in place concept. Sometimes seniors can remain in their own homes with just a few simple modifications such as barrier-free bathrooms, wider halls, grab bars and better lighting. These can be less expensive over the years than an assisted living apartment. A web-based directory, www.nahb.org, lists Certified Aging in Place Specialists who have been trained in the unique needs of the older adult population.

Another industry important to the aging in place concept is the reverse mortgage industry. These programs are largely controlled by the government, and loan applicants must meet with an independent FHA-approved housing counselor to be certain that they understand the reverse mortgage program.

Briefly, a reverse mortgage is a financial tool designed to help you remain in your home and retain full ownership. It allows you to convert the money you have built up as home equity into income that you can use however you choose. Unlike a traditional mortgage, there is no repayment until you permanently leave your home. There are no income or credit requirements to qualify, and because the funds are considered to be a loan rather than income, they are tax free and do not affect regular Social Security or Medicare benefits.

To take advantage of this program, you must be age 62 or older and the home must be your primary residence. If you have a deep desire to leave your home to your children or other heirs, it’s important to discuss the possibility of that with the reverse mortgage people. Sometimes a reverse mortgage and the wish to leave your home to your heirs do not go together well. Make sure you understand that issue completely before signing on the dotted line.

Those who sell long-term care insurance find the aging in place idea a perfect complement to their business. The idea of staying at home comfortably is a consumer hot button, says Nancy Morith, president of N.P. Morith Inc. in New Jersey. “People really want to stay on their own turf. They have created their own nest and want to continue to surround it with family and friends.” Most long-term care policies sold today include care at home options.

Geriatric Care Managers, www.caremanager.org, provide extremely important and helpful resources when seniors wish to stay at home. When care is needed, a professional care manager, often a nurse, will make informed judgments to stretch the senior’s funds. They help you decide such questions as whether you need a full-time or part-time aide, or what equipment or home modifications you may need. To find a care manager in this area, you can check with the Mid-Atlantic Association of Geriatric Care Managers, www.gcmonline.org.

In the rapidly growing senior housing industry, aging in place is a term used in marketing by Continuing Care Retirement Communities. These residences do offer the chance to age in place, but they prefer you first move independently to their community to begin aging. They have independent living, assisted living and perhaps Alzheimer’s care and skilled nursing in one location. In most CCRCs, you must also move from one wing of the campus to another to receive the increased services.

To age in place successfully requires planning. We must think carefully about how to accommodate the physical, mental and psychological changes that often accompany aging and provide for those changes in our own homes. Some communities get together with interested volunteers and work out aging in place in their own neighborhoods. Maybe this could somehow work for Bowie. Please email, call or write if you have ideas.

Thank you for reading. Stay well. See you next week.

The writer, a longtime resident of Bowie, is secretary of the Maryland/D.C. chapter of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and a member of the Elder Law Section of the Maryland State Bar Association. You may email her at seniormoments@byrdandbyrd.com.

© 2013 CapitalGazette.com

Who Is My Neighbor, Part II

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story, FHA HECM, Retirement Planning, Reverse Mortgage

What would make a couple dozen people spend one of the summer’s most beautiful weekends working on a total stranger’s home?

Why would a half dozen local businesses donate thousands of dollars in building supplies to repair the home of woman who will never walk through their door?

And who would load kids in the car and head over to an old, country home, only to spend the next 10 hours sawing, sanding, scraping, drilling, digging, pounding, painting?

I asked this very question of the many people who contributed to last weekend’s work on behalf of an elderly, ill homeowner whose home had fallen into disrepair.

And the answer? Invariably it was a version of what I have come to call “NIMBY in Reverse”:

Not in my backyard am I going to know about this kind of suffering and turn away. Not in my backyard am I going to allow an aging, suffering woman to live in unsafe, unsound conditions. Not on my watch are the needs of the needy going to go unmet.

So here’s a word of thanks to all who turned out at a moment’s notice to do an enormous amount of work on the home of a resident they had never met and may well never again see.

A huge word of thanks goes to Rankin’s Hardware, The Paint Shop, and The Home Depot, all of Warrenton, and Lowe’s of Gainesville, for donating building supplies; to Domino’s Pizza and Chick-Fil-A, both of Warrenton, for providing food for the volunteers; and to Fauquier Jewish Congregation, Saint James’ Episcopal Church, and members of the Fauquier community for turning out en mass to volunteer.

A special thanks also goes to thank Julie Randall, Nancy Lagasse, Dorothy Smith, and Rabbi Rose Jacob for their extraordinary efforts in helping pull this together in a matter of days.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ www.MiddleburgReverse.com

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Things We Forgot to Say Goodbye To – For the 55+ Crowd

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story

This past week I read some very sad news: as of June 1, MetLife’s Mature Market Institute is no more.

To those not familiar with the reference, Met’s MMI was arguably the premier source of data on trends in aging, and typically the first place many in the senior-services sector turned when searching for reliable – and reliably well-written – information.

Had they simply been good summarizers, MMI’s loss would have been lamentable, as those of us obsessive about accuracy will now have to search farther and longer for our data. But MMI’s information was not just summary; it was original, sometimes humorous, often thought-provoking, and their studies addressed surprisingly varied topics. They managed to present sometimes-sobering data without lapsing into the dismal, and the viewpoints they represented seemed to closely reflect those of the seniors I encounter daily.

MMI, you will be missed. Let us all hope your fine writers and researchers find as good a home elsewhere.

On a lighter note, after reflecting on this loss, a friend and I compiled a list – though nothing as profound as the loss of MMI – of items we forgot to say goodbye to:

Missed by my friend, who grew up in the thirties and forties:

  1. Paramount Theater in NYC with two live shows a day. He’d cut school for Frank Sinatra and Tommy Dorsey, and see both for $1.50.
  2. Running boards on cars.
  3. Pasteurized, but not homogenized, milk. It was delivered to your back door in bottles and the cream would rise to the top.
  4. Exploding Bakelite, replaced by melamine.
  5. Really thick ice cream, made with whole milk and cream.
  6. Primary schools (K-12) set aside one day a week as “bank day”; children were given a bank book and encouraged to bring to school whatever the family could afford to give (his was a nickel). The teacher would log the deposit in bank books, then take the proceeds to the school’s bank, where it was held.
  7. Iodine for cuts.

I grew up in the ‘70’s so my list was different:

  1. The Encyclopedia Britannica. I now use mine as a decorative element…and do I admit some of its beautiful renderings have ended up framed on my wall?
  2. Looking up movie times in the paper.
  3. Looking up movie theaters in the Yellow Pages.
  4. Looking up movie theaters’ locations on the accursed fold-up, flip-over, oh-crum-this-is-the-wrong-one, pain-in-the-neck map.
  5. Glass shampoo bottles.
  6. Woodburning kits with 8-inch cords…because that’s where drapes were best accessed.
  7. Iodine – added to baby lotion for extra-dark tans.

Give me a call or shoot me a line – I’d love to hear what you forgot to say goodbye to.

Laurie Denker MacNaughton

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] ∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club ∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road ∙ Ashburn, VA 20147 ∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com ∙ http://www.facebook.com/Laurie.Denker.MacNaughton 

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Don’t Tell Me You Missed National Nursing Home Week?

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story, FHA HECM, Retirement Planning, Reverse Mortgage

Last month’s National Nursing Home week is unlikely to ever find itself prominent on calendars across America. Why do I say this? Primarily because the vast majority of Americans want to remain as long as possible in their own home.

Anyone surprised?

This being said, however, as a reverse mortgage specialist who deals every day with aging-related housing matters, I can attest to the fact there are issues to address when planning for aging in place.

Common considerations include:

  • Are homeowners able to take care of daily needs – or is in-home care required?
  • Are there available community resources, such as day centers, medical facilities, recreation, and transportation?
  • Do homeowners have family, friends, neighbors, or a faith community who can be involved in their care?

But the biggest factor is the home itself, as most homes were not built with aging in place in mind. For this reason, homeowners must ask themselves if their current home can be adapted to meet their needs as they age.

Fortunately for those of us in the greater Washington, D.C. area, close by are some of the nation’s most recognized contractors specializing in retrofitting homes to meet the needs of aging occupants.

Aging in place adaptations usually involve three elements, including:

1)    adding hardware such as grab bars, lever-handled faucets, and hand-held showerheads;

2)    installing ramps, lifts, and extra lighting;

3)    making architectural changes such as wider doorways and curbless shower stalls, and relocating master bedrooms, full baths, and laundry rooms to the main floor.

While some modifications can be done by a general handyman, larger projects, particularly ones involving actual design changes, should be done by a contractor specializing in aging in place remodeling. Specialists who carry the Certified Aging in Place Specialist, or CAPS, designation are typically the most versed on industry standards and age-related modifications.

While some municipalities offer low-cost or no-interest home modification loans to seniors, these are not universally available, and often are for relatively small amounts. Additionally, many include a monthly repayment schedule.

Reverse mortgage fits perfectly into home modification needs, as there is never a monthly mortgage payment required. When the last homeowner permanently leaves the home, the loan is repaid, and all remaining equity goes to the senior or to the heirs or estate.

Reverse mortgage is never going to be the full solution to financial needs in retirement. However, when used as part of a comprehensive financial plan, it is going to be an increasingly important part of funding our ever-increasing longevity.

If you are, or someone you know is, looking into reverse mortgage, give me a call – I always love hearing from you.

    Laurie

 Laurie Denker MacNaughton[NMLS# 506562]∙ Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club∙ Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ∙ 20937 Ashburn Road∙ Ashburn, VA 20147∙ 703-477-1183 Direct ∙ LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com

Visit my informational blog at:  MiddleburgReverseLady.com

Model Home to Set Senior Aging in Place Standard

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story
By Elizabeth Ecker| As published in Senior Housing News, June 6, 2013 | Used by permission

A model home under development could serve as a best practices guide for aging in place housing features geared toward senior living.

Currently on schedule for completion this fall, the Neenah, Wisconsin-based home project, launched by The CareGiver Partnership, includes an automation system, environmental sensors, motion sensors, fall prevention tools and mobility features, among others, that are geared specifically toward the needs of older residents who wish to remain in their homes.

“With thousands of baby boomers turning 65 every day and a shortage of affordable long-term care facilities and trained caregivers, aging in place is an important and emerging trend,” says Lynn Wilson, Founder of The CareGiver Partnership, a national retailer of incontinence products and home health care supplies.

Toward the trend of builders and construction companies that are increasingly implementing design features that help people remain at home, the model works toward security, comfort as well as safety and care of those who it is planned to serve.

“Builders, manufacturers, and service providers are adapting to this growing need for tools that allow seniors to safely and affordably remain in their homes as long as possible,” Wilson says. “Our business is built on helping seniors and family caregivers manage at home,”

The home will serve as a demonstration center and is expected to be completed by November 1, at which point the Partnership plans to publish aging in place best practices.

Planners who Plan, Fixes that Fix – and Real Solutions for Real Life

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story, FHA HECM, Retirement Planning, Reverse Mortgage

Solutions Looking for a Problem

I stood at the paper towel machine waving my hands like a feeble magician trying to conjure paper towels when the thought occurred to me: I frankly can’t remember the last time I heard someone complain about pulling a paper towel from a dispenser. Self-dispensing paper towels solve a problem that was never a problem.

This got me to thinking: how many other fixes fix problems that aren’t problems? And if you can believe it, I actually came up with several – but that’s a different commentary altogether. It’s the corollary that hit home.

Finite choices

Remember functions? Those funky f(x) equations in math class? Basically, a function is a set of inputs and their corresponding outputs. Put another way, a function says if I do this, I get that – one solution for each problem. There is a finite list of outcomes.

Fortunately, most day-to-day issues are not direct functions, and multiple solutions exist for many of life’s problems. But often, the farther one travels into retirement the more limited the solution set becomes. Options become limited and outcome becomes a direct function of input.

Larger solution sets

In what I consider one of the most encouraging transformations in the history of the reverse mortgage product, I am seeing a regular stream of clients referred from the financial planning community. Seniors seeking informed input are turning to an informed source, namely their financial professional. Of course, I’ll never know how many financial professionals steer their senior clients away from reverse mortgage – but I do know an increasing number tell me they view reverse mortgage as a legitimate financial tool when used in concert with a comprehensive financial plan.

Financial professionals refer clients well before catastrophe strikes, before clients’ means have dwindled, before financial limits are reached – before the financial boat plunges over the cliff of desperation. Planners understand multiple inputs equal a bigger solution set.

Real solutions for real life

I hear the same stories everyone else in the financial industry hears: seniors unable to return to full-time employment. A spouse lost, and the resulting 50% drop in income. A catastrophic event – or a chronic condition that became financially catastrophic. Or, simply, too much life left at the end of the money.

Unlike the motion-detecting paper towel dispenser, reverse mortgage is a real solution to a real problem.  When put in place preemptively, before it’s just a crisis management tool, reverse mortgage can be part of a sound retirement plan that maintains independence as long as possible and slows burn-through on other retirement instruments.

If you are – or someone you know is – looking for ways to increase financial options, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 · Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Adult Children Supporting Aging Parents – The Gift That Keeps on Taking

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story

A question I get asked a lot is whether I run into greedy adult kids who don’t want their parents to do a reverse mortgage.

Answer? Yes. But rarely.

More common by far is the family I met with Sunday – a wonderful, functional extended family which includes two adult sons and their widowed mother. Since their father’s passing three years ago the sons have been supplementing their mother’s meager income. However, each son has children approaching the college years, and the mother’s medical expenses are on the rise. They know they cannot continue supporting their mother at the current pace.

The gift that keeps on taking

We all have heard one thing or another referred to as “a gift that keeps on giving.” I have come to call the financial support of an aging parent by an adult child “the gift that keeps on taking.” Money the adult child should be setting aside for retirement is instead being gifted to an aging parent to augment insufficient income.

A short aside about gifting

Currently you can gift another person $14,000 per year before hitting a tax liability. This is called the annual gift exclusion.

In addition to what you can give per year, there is a lifetime exclusion. In 2013 the lifetime exclusion is set at $5.12 million. Gifts that exceed the annual $14,000 limit count against the lifetime exclusion. Frankly, for most Americans this is not an issue. However, if you do go over this amount, the tax liability packs a wallop.

And just exactly how big a wallop? Up to a cool 35%.

Gifting among family members is often under the table. However, make no mistake: this is not a gray area. The IRS requires you to keep tabs on your gifts – and to report these gifts – so it will know how much of your lifetime exclusion has been used up when you die. If the Internal Revenue Service catches you exceeding the annual amount, you will pay taxes, interest, and penalties.

Meanwhile, back to…

Sunday’s family. Not only are the two sons are supporting their mother with after-tax earnings, but over the past couple years they have found themselves having to watch the annual gift exclusion. This is a pricy fix – and one that has long-term implications.

For the average family, the biggest financial boon an aging parent can give an adult child is financial self-sufficiency. This increases the likelihood adult children will head into their own retirement with savings intact.

Life is long and getting longer. Medical costs are high and getting higher. And few people get 10 years down the road into retirement and find themselves financially better off.

Reverse mortgage is not a fit for everyone. But for many, not only is it a good option – it is an excellent option. It lifts the burden on the upcoming generation and allows seniors to live out their final years in dignity, comfort and independence.

If you are – or someone you know is – considering a reverse mortgage, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank ·  20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 · Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem

Life That Looks Like…Life

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story

If I were to recreate a day’s conversations, only one or two would be noteworthy enough to recall in detail. That’s because most conversations are chit-chatty little dialogues of small consequence.

It just happened that one of yesterday’s last conversations was also the most noteworthy.

The background

My day started off with two back-to-back appointments, one with a retired husband-and-wife medical doctor team, and the other with a widowed construction worker. Both had saved for retirement, both have little credit card debt, both own their homes outright. Neither appears to have lived beyond their means – no cavernous homes, no high-end cars, no evidence of life lived loud.

However, there was evidence of…life. Life that got more expensive than anyone could have guessed. Life that contained trials no one could have planned for. Life that plain old looks like life. The husband of the medical doctor team said, “We saved enough to live to eighty. We didn’t bet on living this long.”

The retired construction worker buried his wife after she lost her years-long battle with cancer.

The conversation

Back to last night’s conversation. I was at a party and a colleague said to me, “Someday I would like to meet just one senior who did it right – who actually saved enough for retirement.”

I replied, “Someday I would like to meet just one person with a crystal ball.” We both laughed, and the conversation moved on to other topics.

The joke

There’s the old joke of the hiker who falls off a precipice, but catches a branch halfway down the cliff. As he’s hanging 100 feet in the air three rescuers come by, but the distressed hiker refuses aid. He says to each, “There will be a miracle: God will save me.” Eventually he falls to his death and goes to heaven.

He says to God, “Why didn’t you send a miracle? Why didn’t you save me?”

God’s reply?

“I sent you three Good Samaritans. What more of a miracle did you want?”

The reality

The reality of life is that it is filled with joys and sorrow, good and bad, the expected and that which could never be expected. No one can plan for every eventuality.

I meet a lot of people who are praying for a financial miracle. For many older homeowners, that miracle is reverse mortgage.

Financial soundness cannot cure all the issues associated with aging. But it can relieve the stress of lying awake nights worrying about money. Or what to do if the roof needs repair. Or the car needs new brakes. Or if any other one of life’s unexpected events strikes at a time when income is fixed, funds are limited, and options are few.

Reverse mortgage was never intended to be a replacement for a sound financial retirement plan. However, it can play an important role in augmenting what is already in place, and slow the burn-through rate on other resources.

If you are – or someone you know is – looking into the potential benefits of a reverse mortgage, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 ·Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/

Why This, Why Now?

by ReverseLady, posted in Caring for Aging Parents; A Daughter's Story, FHA HECM, Retirement Planning, Reverse Mortgage

I’m a teacher. I love to teach. I spent many years teaching high school in private schools, public schools, as a private tutor, as a public school tutor, and as a mother.

Unsurprisingly, one of my favorite things about being a reverse mortgage specialist is that I get to teach about a financial instrument that for many seniors makes possible a life of dignity, financial soundness, and independence.

There are two questions I am frequently asked. The first is why do a reverse mortgage (officially called “HECM”) instead of a home equity line of credit (or “HELOC”). The second is whether this is a good time to do a reverse mortgage.

Why This?

So why do a HECM rather than a HELOC? The first thing of note is that a HECM is a type of home equity loan. However, with a “forward” home equity line, there are employment, income, credit, and debt-to-income qualifications that must be met. These can be tough qualifications to meet for someone deep in the retirement years – or even for one nearing retirement.

A second important difference, and one of the main attractions of the FHA reverse mortgage, is that there is never a payment required, so long as at least one person on the home’s title remains in the home. This creates a stark contrast to a forward HELOC, in which the homeowner must make a monthly payment. Drawing down a forward HELOC only to make a payment at month’s end is like using VISA to pay MasterCard – not lots of benefit there.

Though I could point to many additional advantages of an FHA HECM, I will mention only one other, namely the issue of getting “upside down.” Though home values in much of our region have been steadily on the rise, most of us are still understandably wary. We all know homeowners whose lines of credit were frozen when housing prices tumbled.

A reverse mortgage, however, is a non-cancellable line of credit, and only becomes due when the last person on title permanently leaves the home. (Property taxes, homeowners insurance, and normal home upkeep are still required.)

Why Now?

The second most common question I am asked is whether this is a good time to do a reverse mortgage.

The answer is an unqualified “Yes!” and here’s why:

Interest rates have never been lower than they are right now, and property values in much of the mid-Atlantic region have enjoyed steady growth for four straight quarters. Since a reverse mortgage is calculated on age of the borrower, home value, and interest rates, right now might well represent the most favorable conditions that have ever existed in the HECM’s 30+ year history. I’m a geeky numbers person, but you don’t have to be very good in math to know that a rise in rates, or a drop in home values, makes a long-term difference in the amount of funds available.

Remember, reverse mortgage was never intended to be a replacement for a sound financial retirement plan. However, it can play an important role in augmenting what is already in place, and slow the burn-through rate on other retirement funds.

If you are, or someone you know is, looking into reverse mortgage, give me a call. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker MacNaughton [NMLS# 506562] · Reverse Mortgage Consultant, President’s Club · Middleburg Mortgage, a Division of Middleburg Bank · 20937 Ashburn Road, Suite 115 ·Ashburn, Virginia 20147 · 703-477-1183 Direct · LMacNaughton@MiddleburgBank.com · www.middleburgmortgage.com/lauriem

Visit my Informational Blog at https://middleburgreverselady.wordpress.com/