Once-derided reverse mortgages now seen as smart retirement move

Financial planners, who once di sparaged reverse mortgages, are beginning to recommend them for clients as a proactive retirement income strategy, rather than a last-ditch effffffffffffort to remain in a house.

The loans for seniors age 62 and up can help individuals and couples avoid portfolio withdrawals when stocks are down, buy a new home for retirement, or create an income bridge between early retirement and the start of Soc i al Secur i t y benefit s . And because borrowers can choose to pay down the mort- gage, resulting in a mortgage interest tax deduction, they can even help offffset taxes on required minimum distributions from retirement accounts that must begin after age 70½.

Marie and Jerry Watson used one last fall to buy a home in Florida. At age Jerry had recently downshifted from military and corrections careers in Alaska and was moving into parttime teaching roles. Both he and Marie have adequate retirement funds from their careers, including Jerry ’s military pension, and won’t n e e d t o c o u n t o n h o me equit y if one of them has to move to a nursing home.

So they put about $247,000 down on a roughly $500,000 home in Lake Wales, using the Federal Housing Authority’s reverse mortgage program, known as the home equity conversion mortgage, or HECM, program.

Borrowers can also take a n nui t y- l i ke e qui t y payments, called tenure, over their lifetimes or establish lines of credit, among other HECM options.

As long as they maintain the property and stay current on property taxes, the Watsons don’t owe payments on the home. When they move or after both spouses pass away, the loan and the accrued interest is repaid, with any remaining home equity going to the homeowners or their estate. If the amount owed is greater than the value of the home, the lender takes the home but the estate is not charged more than the home value.

“It took a lot of pressure offff of us,” Jerry Watson said. The loan allowed the couple to buy their dream retirement home on a golf course, essentially doubling their budget without worrying about monthly mortgage payments, he said. “It was like going to a car dealership after saving up for a Kia and learning you could drive home in a Cadillac.”

While the strategy is work- ing for the Watsons so far, it’s important to understand the risks and the costs. Chris Bruser of Retirement Funding Solutions LLC sold the reverse mortgage to the Watsons, but has warned others it might not be right for them. Someone with few assets outside the home could exhaust the equity early, and if the homeowner falls behind on taxes or upkeep, they could face eviction.

The psycholo gy of the transaction is also important, said Jonathan Guyton, principal of Cornerstone Wealth Advisors in Minneapolis. Think of reverse mortgages as a defensive strategy for your overall retirement plan, he suggests. That could mean buying a retirement home with half the assets you might otherwise commit to housing and investing the difffffffffffference, or securing a line of credit that can act as longevity insurance.

“It’s important for retirees to understand why they are purchasing these and what they are paying for beyond what is accomplished with a traditional home equity line of credit,” he said. “Imagine what a pre-retiree hears if their adviser says something like, ‘Your retirement still looks really solid, but we think you should put a reverse mortgage in place just in case that ever changes.’”