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Today’s reverse mortgage loans have built-in protections designed to make sure the loan is a sustainable solution for the borrower. In this article, we’ll explore what a life expectancy set-aside (LESA) is, how it helps a borrower to pay property charges, when the lender’s underwriter will require it, and why, in some situations, it may be advantageous for a reverse mortgage borrower to voluntarily opt for a LESA.

You probably are well aware that the inflation rate in the U.S. has been hitting fresh 40-year records lately. But did you know divorce rates in the U.S. for older couples have been reaching new highs lately, too? In fact, for couples in the U.S. who are 65 and older, the divorce rate has tripled since the 1990s. The trend is called “Silver Divorce” or “Grey Divorce.”

For older adults who are divorcing, assets have likely been intertwined for decades, adding to the challenge of dividing them. Financial needs are sure to be top of mind, as both parties will need a means to support their own individual lifestyles throughout a potentially lengthy retirement period.

For homeowners 62 and older, a reverse mortgage could help as part of a divorce settlement.

In an advertising campaign in the 1980s, Heinz ketchup used the slogan “Good things come to those who wait.” For your clients who are in their 40s or 50s and yearn to get a Home Equity Conversion Mortgage (or HECM, commonly called a reverse mortgage) loan, well, like the slow trickle of ketchup out of a glass bottle, they are going to have to let time do its thing and wait at least until they reach the minimum qualifying age of 62.

But let’s assume you have a client who is already 62 or better and wants to leverage his or her home equity one day via a reverse mortgage — should the wait to get one continue or is acting now the optimal strategy?

Peer-to-peer lending (P2P for short), one of the newest and fastest-growing investment strategies, is a byproduct of the digital age.