No Wonder People Are Working Longer

people working longer

Results from recent studies by Northwestern Mutual and the Federal Reserve indicate that people are relying on home equity to carry them through retirement:

  • One-in-five Americans (20%) have NO retirement savings (another 10% have less than $5,000)
  • Almost 50% of adults have taken no steps to prepare for the likelihood of outliving their savings
  • 10,000 Baby Boomers turn 62 every day (the generation closest to retirement age born between 1946-64, representing almost one third of the U.S. population)
  • One in three Baby Boomers have between $0-$25,000 in retirement savings
  • 50% of Baby Boomers have no retirement savings

These are scary statistics, especially given the continuance of rising healthcare costs and the U.S. National Debt now over $22 Trillion (renewing concerns about the adequacy of and reliance on Social Security funds). And 65% and 36% of retirees receive at least 50% and 90% of their income from Social Security, respectively.

The saving grace is that 80% of seniors have substantial equity in their homes (an all-time high).

However, with people living longer (85+ is the fastest growing demographic in America) coupled with nominal income and insufficient savings, many retirees will have difficulty refinancing their homes or qualifying for a purchase mortgage.

One alternative is to sell their home and pay cash for a downsized home – however, the change is not always economical or welcomed, and the new location may carry high homeowner’s association fees. The other alternative to seriously consider is a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (aka Reverse Mortgage).

Here’s the Point: Retirees with nominal savings and income but decent home equity have the FHA-Insured Reverse Mortgage as a commendable solution.

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