The retirement landscape is changing as we speak.
Longer life expectancy, rising health care costs, unstable market returns, and inflated cost of living increases over the last decade are just a few of the issues confronting retirees who’s ultimate fear is the fear of “outliving their money”
Middle Village Resident, Mark Fuchs, is making sure that his local community is aware of the financial tools available to them.
Mark’s financial firm, Innovative Equity Solutions, is a firm who’s primary objective is to provide seniors and their families with honest and caring service, while educating them on all aspects of Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (HECM’s).
If you are a homeowner, and at least 62 years of age, a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage can give you the
extra cash you need to live comfortably. By accessing the equity in your home, A HECM will grant you a line of credit, monthly payments, or a partial or lump sum payment. An untapped line of credit becomes an increasing supply of tax-free cash that can be used any way the homeowner chooses.
This means that if you are granted a HECM, and you leave the line of credit available, it can protect you from a housing market crash or if the value of your house goes down.
To highlight ways that a HECM can help you, Fuchs provided three case studies:
Mr. and Mrs. Smith from Middle Village, Queens were living on a fixed income based on withdrawals from their portfolio. They thought they had more than enough money when they retired, but at 80, they realized that that their withdrawals in a down market would eventually deplete their portfolio. They were worried about outliving their money, so they applied for a HECM and received a 0 closing cost line of credit. Since then, they were able to to manage better through a volatile market and strengthen and lengthen their retirement portfolio.
In this example, a HECM prevented the couple from being forced to sell their portfolio assets in a bear market. The HECM allowed them to draw money from their home while allowing their portfolio to grow.
In the next example, Mr. Jones from Middle Village rented a vacation home in Lake George for 2 weeks every summer. Jones always wanted to buy the vacation home, but did not have enough cash. He did have 700k in equity from first home, so he qualified for a 300k HECM, and was able to buy his Lake George dream home with cash. Now he and his family spend weeks at a time there, and both homes are continuing to gain in value.
In another example, Mr. Thomas, a 90 year old retired fireman, needed care but did not want to go into a nursing home. Although he was receiving a sizable pension and social security, it was not enough for the around-the-clock home care he needed. His children decided that it would be best for him to tap into the equity in his Forest Hills, Queens home. Monthly HECM Tenure payments enabled him to make up the shortfall. He is now able to stay in the comfort of his own home and receive the care he needs.
“We approach Reverse Mortgages as a “family affair”, specifically involving all members of a senior’s family, and their trusted advisors to make sure the decision is the right decision for the senior and their families,” said Mark Fuchs, Founder and President of Innovative Equity Solutions.
You can contact Mark Fuchs at 917-705-8919 or email him at mark@innovativeequitysolutions.net for a free consultation.