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

Homeownership offers many advantages, not the least of which is the opportunity for appreciation, an increase in your home’s equity over time. For example, a median-priced home in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area was about $164,000 in 2011. By July 2020, the median home price in the same Twin Cities metro region was $305,000, an increase […]

It’s easy to understand why so many people mistakenly believe the lender takes ownership of the home in exchange for giving the borrower a reverse mortgage. The loan’s many advantages make it seem almost too good to be true. Some of these advantages are: But, in fact, all the features listed above are true. There […]

Trying to anticipate your medical expenses in retirement isn’t easy. Who’s to say whether you will need a hip or knee replacement next year, or 10 years from now if ever? Now, you may be thinking that Medicare, the U.S. national health program, will cover the majority of your medical costs once you turn 65, […]

You have no job, mounting medical bills, and poor credit. You’re 62, and your home is even older and in need of repairs. You might think you would be the least likely candidate to be eligible for a mortgage loan, but you could be wrong. To find out if a reverse mortgage loan is right […]

You think life goes on the way it has forever. Hope and John Scott had made a lovely home and marriage in Lakewood, Calif., anchored by John’s 42 years of employment for a major supermarket chain. Hope kept the house up and worked occasional jobs for extra income. Like so many Southern Californians, upon retirement […]

“If you think nobody cares if you’re alive, try missing a couple of car payments.” – Earl Wilson Over the decades, you’ve probably uttered a variation of the statement, “I need to get my act together.” In your 20s, maybe you were trying to decide on a career path. In your 30s, maybe you wrestled […]

Growing older introduces a lot of new challenges, whether it’s learning to deal with a few more aches and pains or mastering Zoom so you can video-chat with your grandkids. That you can handle. What’s really got you tied in knots is how to gain financial stability in retirement. You wouldn’t be alone in your […]

If you had asked a senior who saw their precious nest egg cut in half in the 2008-09 Great Recession but was able to lean on their reverse mortgage line of credit — until their stocks and bonds had a chance to rebound — they would likely tell you it was a good idea. If […]

The holidays may be the most joyous time of the year and the most dangerous. The temptation and societal pressure to overspend, whether splurging on a new outfit, spoiling a spouse or a grandchild, or filling your shopping cart with shiny, sparkly objects to bedazzle your holiday guests, is almost impossible to resist. If you […]

Even when you were younger, you wouldn’t think of scaling Half Dome without exhaustively planning every detail and contingency for your ascent. Well, the importance of financial planning for your retirement should take on a similar approach. Here are five reasons financial planning is so essential for your retirement: Planning implies active intent, interest, and […]