Tools and resources for a better,
more financially secure retirement.

Ah, summer: cookouts, camping, outdoor concerts, and a break from high energy bills, right? Not exactly. Record-setting temperatures throughout the United States and Canada this summer are sending even the most frugal consumer to their nearest air conditioner, never mind the cost. With climate change bringing more frequent heat waves, taming summer energy costs is […]

If you’re like many Americans, you may feel that 2020 pushed you to the breaking point. It was back in August 2020 that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that more than 2 in 5 U.S. residents reported struggling with mental or behavioral health issues associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.1 […]

Until you were eligible for Social Security and Medicare, or approaching the age when you would be, you may not have known exactly how these two pillars of retirement worked. You may not have understood, for example, that Medicare isn’t free or that for every year that you delay taking Social Security past full retirement […]

You’re a big proponent of reverse mortgages. You saw how one gave your parents the extra cash they needed to stay in and fix up their home, pay off bills, and have enough money to travel and see you and the grandkids whenever they wanted. Of course, they were still required to stay current with […]

If you are the heir of a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage borrower who has passed away, you are not personally responsible for paying off the debt, but you are in a position to decide how the debt is paid. You have several options and should select the one most advantageous for your situation. Here are […]

The coronavirus has spread well beyond being just a health crisis. Fallout from the virus has also forced Americans to grapple with how they are going to pay their mortgages, rent, and put food on the table as unemployment trends hold steady. The U.S. government has responded with an unprecedented economic package totaling trillions of […]

If a reverse mortgage borrower sells the home or moves away permanently, the loan becomes due and payable. But the truth is, most reverse mortgage borrowers use the loan to age in place, leaving repayment of the loan to their heirs. As with any mortgage, the borrower could be subject to foreclosure for failing to […]

Seize the moment! Remember all those women on the Titanic who waved off the dessert cart. – Erma Bombeck One of the biggest stories of 2020 was the record-low mortgage rates that continued to favor borrowers. Mortgage rates fell to record lows 16 times throughout 2020, feeding a home purchasing and refinancing frenzy.1 Driving the […]

A long time ago, in a galaxy, far, far away, you might have been debt free. Maybe it was before you bought your first car, went off to college, bought a home, or started buying nice things to fill your home. Or maybe it was before you were handed a jaw-dropping medical bill you simply […]

There may be as many reasons to consider a reverse mortgage loan as there are people at least 62 years old — the minimum age to apply for one. That’s because each older American is unique, with diverse financial needs and goals. The first reverse mortgage in 1961 went to a widow whose wish was […]