Tag: Washington DC

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/

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

Play My Guy

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

Recently I attended an event at which the featured speaker, an attorney based in the Washington, D.C. area, led off with, “I hate reverse mortgages – I HATE them.”

Well, I’ll say this: if you’re an attorney, there’s nothing like a forceful opening statement.

As a reverse mortgage specialist who has been in the field several years, I am always interested in hearing what people have to say about reverse mortgages. So, after the event I asked the attorney what he hates about reverse mortgages. I thought he was going recite the same-ol’, same-ol’ outdated information, personal bias, and general peevishness toward the product. But I was wrong.

Here was his answer:

He said his firm sees reverse mortgages after a senior’s family has completely spent down savings, burned through assets, and utterly depleted the reverse mortgage. Then they turn to him for help.

I have to say, I have seen the same thing – an unplanned, undirected spend-down of assets which leaves the senior with no money and few options. Needless to say, this can result in a less-than-optimal outcome. And I hate it too.

In fact, I’ve given this approach to handling finances a name. I call it “Play My Guy.”

“Play My Guy” Approach to Financial Planning

I married young, and we started our family before I even graduated college. Consequently, I was still in my twenties when my girls were old enough to start playing video games, and I’ll admit it – I like video games. But as my girls got older and games got more sophisticated, I didn’t keep up my game skills. So every once in a while I’d be walking through the room where my kids were playing with friends, and would hear, “Hey, Mom, play my guy.”

Play your guy? Play your guy? I can’t play your guy – I don’t even know what this game is called.

A couple other things here.

I don’t know the rules to the game – I’ve never played this game. But let’s say I grab the manual and speed-read the rules. I still don’t have any experience. I’m going to get slaughtered. Preservation of self-esteem dictates you don’t just jump into something you’ve never done…even if it’s in the company of a bunch of 13-year-olds.

In much of life common sense prevents us from jumping headlong into certain activities. And yet, many adult children of aging parents plunge right into handling their parents’ finances and legal matters. The parents say the equivalent of, “Here, play my guy,” and one of the adult kids says, “Sure, I’ll play your guy. I can do this.”

Let’s say for argument’s sake the adult kids put in hundreds of hours on the internet and learn all about wills, trusts, estates, Medicare, eldercare, long-term care. Let’s pretend they’ve really learned all the rules. They still don’t have any experience. They’re going to get slaughtered – and it’s not going to be a roomful of 13-year-old girls laughing at them. In fact, no one’s going to be laughing.

So what this attorney was saying was that he hates mopping up after a slaughter. He hates being called into a situation in which there are few – if any – good options left. However, this same attorney conceded he recommends reverse mortgages when they’re used in strategic retirement planning.

A reverse mortgage is a powerful financial tool when used as part of a comprehensive, long-term retirement plan. It can mean the difference between financial sustainability and a less-than-desirable fallback position.

But just like with many things in life, rarely are deferred planning, poor management, and a piecemeal approach ingredients for a good outcome.

Give me a call or shoot me an email regarding your experiences with finances in an aging population. 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/

The New Version of Old

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

In preparation for writing this I queried friends on who came to mind when I said “old.”

Four of the five answers? “Granny.”

Being, as my husband says, a “pop-culture illiterate,” I had absolutely no idea about anything relating to the topic, so I googled “Granny.” Wanna guess how old Granny was?

60. As in S-I-X-T-Y. And we’re talking a show that first aired in 1962 – not 1862.

New Version of “Old”

Like everyone else, I know 60-year-olds who are running marathons, starting new businesses, attending their daughter’s high school graduation, and looking forward to at least another quarter century of life, a significant portion of which they plan to spend in retirement.

However – however…

This new version of retirement comes with a price – literally. And just what is that price?

According to Ray Ferrara, head of ProVise Management Group in Clearwater, Fla., as quoted in Forbes.com, that price is about $2.69 million (http://alturl.com/ejre6).

Why so much?

In the first decade of retirement, retirees tend to travel more, make more long-anticipated home improvements, entertain more, and dine out more than they did before retirement.

When you add increased medical costs and a life expectancy of 90, the new version of retirement ain’t cheap.

In fact, by some estimates, over the course of the next three decades seniors can reasonably expect their cost of living to triple.

So what to do?

1)     Have a plan: work with a qualified financial planner who specializes in retirement planning.

2)     Stick to the plan: a plan is only as good as its implementation.

3)     Look into ways to reduce unnecessary spending: most of us have expenditures that deliver appallingly little bang for the buck.

4)     Consider a reverse mortgage.

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 instruments.

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/

 

 

The Scarlett O’Hara Approach, or Hope Is NOT A Strategy

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

A friend of mine has a crystal ball sitting on his desk, and taped to its base is a sign that reads, “Temporarily Out Of Service.”

Too bad – because right about now most of us could really use a crystal ball.

Most financial professionals agree that planning for our future is as much art as it is science, and that determining how much money we’ll need to get us through the golden years is akin to trying to predict the future.

This said, however, there is general consensus on what doesn’t work.

The Scarlett O’Hara Approach, or Hope Is NOT A Strategy

Scarlett O’Hara might have been very surprised to learn her approach to bad news – “Tomorrow is another day” – has a name. Optimism bias, also known as unrealistic optimism, is a common trait that causes people to believe they are at low risk of experiencing a negative event. Adolescence is heavily associated with optimism bias, a bias that frequently leads to an increase in risky behaviors. In the medical realm, optimism bias causes individuals to put off measures that contribute to good health.

And for many, optimism bias causes us to believe financial matters will get better on their own as we head into retirement.

Rick Gow, wealth management advisor with Lara, Shull, and May in Falls Church, Virginia, says, “A measure of pessimism is not bad when you’re planning for retirement. You can’t just ‘hope’ you’re going to have enough to get you through the most expensive years of life. A plan is of paramount importance.”

With life expectancies now extending into the 90’s, most of us are eventually going to draw upon every savings “bucket” we have available. And that’s where the FHA Reverse Mortgage comes in.

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 investments and other retirement instruments.

If you, or someone you know, would like to look 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 · 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/

So What is the “Fiscal Cliff,” Anyway?

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

You’re wondering what the Fiscal Cliff is all about? Here are the main issues:

In 2013, tax cuts for individuals will expire, along with long-standing tax breaks for businesses. Taxes for President Obama’s health care law will kick in, as will spending cuts enacted by Congress as part of the debt-ceiling deal. Long-term jobless benefits will also expire.

So What?

Here’s what: The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that if all these items occur, an estimated $600 billion will disappear from the U.S. economy in 2013, and push the country into a double-dip recession. Given that Europe is officially in a recession for the second time in four years, if our leaders don’t act now our economy is going to fall headlong over the same cliff.

And keep your head on a swivel regarding inflation. While the latest Producer Price Index and Consumer Price Index reports show inflation remained tame at the wholesale and consumer levels in October, inflation can quickly get out of hand.

What does this mean for home loan rates?

Inflation is the arch enemy of mortgage rates. However, home loan rates should continue to benefit from the uncertainty in Europe. This is because investors will likely continue to see our bond market – including mortgage bonds – as a safe haven for their money. But inflation is a very real threat to home loan rates: if inflation hits, look for mortgage rates to go up.

The bottom line is this:

Home loan rates remain near historic lows, making now the best time ever to talk with the seniors in your life about extinguishing their “forward” mortgage with a HECM Refinance. Also, there has never been a better time to use a HECM for Purchase to get into a home appropriate for aging in place. It’s hard to say how much longer rates will stay this low.

Call me with questions you or your clients might have – I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker 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

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

Virginia’s Livable Home Tax Credit Program

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

Did your parents want to leave their home when they retired? Do you wish to leave yours?

If you do, you are overwhelmingly in the minority: fully 95% of people polled state they wish to age in place. But what if the layout of the home just doesn’t work?

Tax Incentives for Improving Accessibility in the Home

For individuals with accessibility issues in the home, Virginia’s Livable Home Tax Credit (“LHTC”) program provides financial incentives for improving accessibility in residential housing. The credit applies to the purchase of a home or to the retrofit of a current home.

Tax credits up to $5,000 are available for the purchase or construction of an accessible residence, or up to 50 percent of the cost of retrofitting an existing home, not to exceed $5,000. If the tax credit exceeds the eligible individual’s tax liability, the credit may be carried forward for up to seven years.

It is important to note: applications must be filed with the Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) by February 28, 2013 for a purchase or retrofit completed in 2012.

For more information visit the DHCD website at www.dhcd.virginia.gov/LHTC

Laurie

Laurie Denker 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

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

My Retirement Goal? Get Old, Get Sick, and Move Out of my Home

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

How many times has this happened to you: you ask someone their goals for retirement and they say, “Get old, get sick, move out of my home, and die in a care facility”?

Can I hazard a guess as to the answer?

New Numbers, No Surprises

In a new study entitled United States of Aging, jointly sponsored by National Council on Aging, USA Today, Florida Public Television, and United Healthcare, 2,250 Americans aged 60 and older were queried on a variety of aging-related issues.

Turns out, a whopping 90% of respondents say they wish to age in place. And nearly 3 in 4, or 74%, plan to make adaptive changes to their home in order to make possible aging in place. ⁱ

I just have to ask: Does this surprise anyone?

Senior Strategies, Booming Business

Russell Glickman, Washington, D.C. area universal design specialist and winner of the National Association of Remodeling “National Remodeler of the Year” award, says:

I am seeing definite trends in remodeling. As clients make design changes they’re asking more about long-term, universal design, such as first-floor bedroom suites. Also, lot of Baby Boomers are asking about their parents. They’re not really focused on themselves yet, but they’re planning to move their parents into the home. Then later, when they are at that point, they’ll modify the space for themselves.

With many Americans projected to live well into their 90’s, staying in the home as long as possible is often the most significant cost-containment strategy available.

But containing costs is only half the equation. More available money is the other half.

Alicia Munnell, director of the Center for Retirement Research at Boston College, says, “I see a future where people in their 60s are having dinner with friends and the conversation leads to: ‘Where are you getting your reverse mortgage?’ It will be the norm. It is going to take a while, but we will have a cohort of people entering retirement who only have $100,000 in their 401(k) plans.”ⁱⁱ

New Normal = “Old” Normal

We all are used to hearing the term “the new normal.” Truth is, “old” is the new normal, and we’re all – or soon will be – facing issues of aging.

And as we age, hopefully with grace, in dignity, and with financial soundness, the FHA Reverse Mortgage is likely to play a central role in helping many Americans achieve these goals.

Give me a call with your questions. I always love hearing from you.

Laurie

Laurie Denker 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

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

ⁱhttp://www.ncoa.org/assets/files/pdf/united-states-of-aging/2012-survey/8-2-12-United-States-of-Aging-Full-Findings-FINAL.pdf
ⁱⁱ(http://reversemortgagedaily.com/2012/08/15)

Reversing Years’ Worth of Skepticism

by ReverseLady, posted in FHA HECM, Retirement Planning, Reverse Mortgage

Even if they don’t adhere to it, most people have at least heard of the “bucket” strategy of saving for retirement. Basically, it’s a method of asset allocation, a way to diversify investments and save for the day you’re no longer working full time.

But here’s a question you might not know the answer to: for most people, what is the biggest – and best funded – bucket?  Cash equivalents? Fixed-income securities? Pension?

Answer: No, no, and no. For most people, the single biggest “investment bucket” is their home.

You can think about it this way: you might have designated several buckets. But if you didn’t put sufficient money into them during the working years, those buckets are not going to get you through retirement. However, most Americans paid into their home, even during the past few years when times were tough.

But here’s the problem: after spending years pouring the first fruits of one’s income into the home, that money is frozen, tied up in an illiquid asset. It’s an investment, certainly. But it’s not one easily converted into an income stream for retirement.

Increasingly, however, drawing upon that bucket by means of an FHA reverse mortgage is being recommended as a way to meet seniors’ financial needs during retirement.

FHA reverse mortgages have been around since 1988. But until recently, the financial planning community viewed them as the dirty underbelly of financial products.  It was the rare financial planner who saw any legitimate use for them whatsoever, let alone who used them in a strategic way.

However, within the past few years scores of scholarly studies have shown both the near-term and long-term positive impact of reverse on standard of living, financial portfolios, and estates.

In “How Important Is Asset Allocation To Financial Security in Retirement?” authors Munnell, Orlova, and Webb with Center for Retirement Research at Boston College state:

…[F]inancial advice…tends to focus on financial assets, applying tools that give prominence to the asset allocation decision. But most people have little financial wealth, and financial tools are often silent on the levers that will have a much larger effect on retirement security for the majority of Americans. These levers include delaying retirement, tapping housing equity through a reverse mortgage, and controlling spending [emphasis added].

Of particular interest to many financial planners is that, when set up as a monthly payment option, a reverse mortgage basically annuitizes the home – and it’s a considerably bigger annuity than most people would have been able to establish in the years they were supporting their family, helping with college tuitions…and paying their mortgage.

Rick Gow, wealth manager with the independent investment firm Lara, Shull, and May in Falls Church, Virginia, cites the example of a 66-year-old with a house valued at $400,000.

After subtracting closing costs, the retiree could receive a tax-free, monthly check of $1,252 for as long as the home remains the primary residence. By the time the homeowner turns 85, disbursements would total more than $289,100; by age 95, the total payouts would be over $435,600.

If the homeowner were to take a onetime, lump sum payout, he or she would receive approximately $256,800.  A third option would set aside that amount in a line of credit, the balance of which grows over time, tax free.

There is also a newer, reduced fee FHA reverse mortgage, called the HECM Saver. The over-all payout is less with this option, but Gow points out the lower closing costs make it a good option for some.

The majority of Americans fear running out of money in retirement more than they fear death, according to a May, 2012 AARP bulletin. In an America where 10,000 boomers a day turn 62, the FHA reverse mortgage has an increasingly pivotal role to play in retirement planning.

I always love hearing from you. Call me at any time with questions.

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

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

Babies Don’t Have Dumb Ideas

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

When my daughters were teenagers I often said the biggest difference between teens and babies is that babies don’t have dumb ideas yet.

But both teens and babies have this in common: just a couple years later, both are more capable, more independent, and better able to care for themselves.

It’s tough to acknowledge, but I now have to add my mother to the comparison.

My mother is probably the most gifted person I know: brilliant, beautiful, funny, well read, extensively traveled, graceful and poised.

But she is getting old, and her proficiency in daily tasks is falling away at a relentless pace. And, unlike either babies or teens, a couple more years is not going to make the issue any better.

NPR Morning Edition’s Jessica Smith, in “Baby Boomer Money Squeeze Worsens, Multi-Gen Households Rise” (June 6, 2012), writes,

Roughly 78 million baby boomers are moving into their retirement years now. At first, they will be the “young” old. Legions of retired boomers soon will be walking around the mall, volunteering with community groups and taking grandchildren on trips.

At first, that can be good for the economy. But this immense generation, born between 1946 and 1964, will keep aging. Based on current medical outcomes, most of the people who live beyond age 85 will end up with dementia or other disabilities that require costly care.

Here’s how fast the numbers will ratchet up: In 1990, only about 3 million Americans were over the age of 85. Today, the figure is 6 million. By 2050, the United States will be home to about 19 million people older than 85, according to U.S. Census projections.(http://www.npr.org/2012/06/05/154001412/baby-boom-money-squeeze-is-set-to-get-tighter)

Almost 20 percent of advanced elderly Americans now live with their aging adult children, putting tremendous pressure on “leading edge” boomers who are hitting traditional retirement age. Boomers tended to have fewer children, later in life, which in some cases has resulted in their still having dependents at home at a time previous generations would have been saving intensively for retirement. Additionally, many middle-aged parents find themselves helping grown children who have lost jobs, homes, and businesses – the classic “sandwich generation” squeeze, made more intense by a prolonged recession.

We are a becoming a nation of the old and the older, the squeezed and the very squeezed.

Writes Ms. Smith, “For individuals, families, local government officials and federal taxpayers, this demographic shift will drain dollars and attention, and force extremely difficult decisions about living arrangements, as well as end-of-life care.”

When we have these talks about taxes and government, what kind of numbers are we talking about?  The primary number to watch is the national debt: in 1970, when boomers were young, the national debt ran about 28 percent of gross domestic product. It now stands at 70 percent.

And, as in the case of my mother, a couple more years is not going to make this issue any better.

According to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicare will remain solvent until 2024. Starting last year, Social Security already began paying out more than it takes in.

As former U.S. Comptroller General David Walker, a federal spending expert says, “Government has grown too big, promised too much and waited too long to restructure. It is going to spend less over time … which means that individuals will have to plan, save and invest for the future.”

Plan, save, invest…and take out a reverse mortgage, according to research put out by Boston College in May, 2012.

….but more in my next piece about several watershed reverse mortgage articles published this spring by major research institutions.

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

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