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Today’s reverse mortgage loans have built-in protections designed to make sure the loan is a sustainable solution for the borrower. In this article, we’ll explore what a life expectancy set-aside (LESA) is, how it helps a borrower to pay property charges, when the lender’s underwriter will require it, and why, in some situations, it may be advantageous for a reverse mortgage borrower to voluntarily opt for a LESA.

NAIFA's Limited & Extended Care Planning Center is focused on bringing you comprehensive information to help your business thrive in the long-term care sector. Below are the most read and most relevant articles by professionals like you from this last quarter (April to June 2022), written by NAIFA and our dedicated partners.

Want to see more of this content, or have a suggestion of topics you would like to see discussed? Let us know at lecp@naifa.org.

Annuities and LTC Insurance: Two Case Studies in Planning

By NAIFA

Annuities can be an important part of long-term care planning, Tom Riekse, ChFC, CLU, CEBS, Managing Director at LTCi Partners, told attendees of NAIFA’s Limited and Extended Care Planning Center webinar. “Unfortunately, there has probably not been as much emphasis on how they can work together in a plan for care as there should be based on some of the great benefits available.” 

For your clients who are homeowners aged 62+, a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (HECM, commonly called a reverse mortgage) loan offers some distinct advantages over other types of home-equity-release loans.

According to a survey conducted by Clever,* about half (51 percent) of retirees believe they will outlive their savings. Perhaps even more worrisome, the study also found that 65 percent of retirees say they are not financially secure. They may be facing any number of financial challenges, including how to best pay for long-term care or combat recent jumps in the prices of food, gas, and just about everything else.

As a financial professional, you want to give your clients the best chance at financial success. For most homeowners aged 62 and older, home equity represents the largest portion of their overall net wealth, usually dwarfing their other assets (e.g., retirement savings). While home equity is good, unless the home is sold or the equity is tapped, it is of essentially no functional value to a homeowner in retirement because it is generally very illiquid.

Home Wealth Can Help Your Older-Adult Clients to Fight Inflation.  

These days, inflation is on the minds of most people — and it is of particular concern for seniors. With prices rising at the fastest pace in decades, many people who are in or nearing retirement have heightened fears they may outlive their savings.

The stage is set for home wealth, which has also been on the rise, to play an important role in helping retiree homeowners to support a more efficient retirement income strategy. As a financial professional, you want to give your clients the best chance at financial success, which is why it is imperative that the strategic use of home equity is part of any retirement-planning conversation.

While there are several different types of reverse mortgages, most reverse mortgage loans today are HECMs—the only reverse mortgages insured by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA). 

Many financial professionals now consider today’s HECMs to be an important and effective tool (when used within a comprehensive financial plan) to help improve retirement outcomes for their older-adult homeowner clients.

Join us on February 11, 2022, at 3 pm eastern for the special webinar "Home Equity and Roth Conversions".

The discussion will feature Harlan Accola, CRMP, National Reverse Mortgage Director of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation, interviewing Jim Silbernagel, CFP, CEPS, LACP, LUTCF creator and host of Real Wealth^® Marketing, on how he has helped clients lower their tax burden using the equity in their homes. 

In the early days of reverse mortgage lending, little attention was paid to the impact of tax deductions from accrued interest on the loan. In part, most borrowers had so little income that any deduction was meaningless. Two important changes in the reverse mortgage landscape, however, have generated a more strategic approach to the home asset.

Shelley Giordano, author of  "What’s the Deal with Reverse Mortgages”, now in it’s 2nd edition, discusses the “home” as an important asset, too often overlooked in terms of planning for Extended care needs, Long Term Care, and Retirement Planning.

Join Shelley Giordano & Chris Bruser to Learn Why Reverse Mortgages are Hot Again

Shelley Giordano and Chris Bruser answer all your fears and misconceptions on how the modern reverse mortgage works.