Reverse mortgage issues are the issues of life and money.

Even when reverse mortgages are not mentioned, topics relevant to finance, lifestyle, and home equity management are usually relevant. Get in the habit of reading reverse mortgages into what you read, watch, hear about and talk about, and you’ll discover why I say, "Reverse mortgages (RMs) are not as complex as the financial, lifestyle, wealth management issues involved."

 For instance, the combined November/December 2010 issue (the one with Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis and Kristen Bell on the cover) of the American Association of Retired Persons (www.aarp.org) monthly full-colour publication, AARP The Magazine, doesn’t mention RMs, but it features many topics relevant to home equity conversion and management.
    ▸   Page 28: “Family Affairs — When a Relative Needs a Hand: Should you give your adult child a loan? How to help a loved one in a financial bind.” This article offers suggestions to avoid pressure to arrange anything (including a reverse mortgage, I say) solely for the benefit of others.
    ▸   Page 68: “Just Ask the Lonely: Our landmark survey reveals a dramatic rise in loneliness—and ways to avoid it in your life.” This special report encourages readers to face their fear of loneliness and take proactive steps to live a fulfilling life. Loneliness is an often ignored factor in decision making for reverse mortgages. This is particularly important when the RM could run for decades.

What have you considered important without looking at it through the reverse mortgage lense to see long-term, extended living implications?

Please continue to email when you see or hear something on reverse mortgages, right or wrong, so we can share details and correct misconceptions...