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# Is a Reverse Mortgage Right for You?

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## Video: Is a Reverse Mortgage Right for You?

[Watch (HLS stream): Is a Reverse Mortgage Right for You?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/D92KPuTm.m3u8) (1:08)

![Is a Reverse Mortgage Right for You?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/D92KPuTm/poster.jpg?width=720)

_Published 2016-10-03. Wade Pfau explains why retirees should consider a reverse mortgage in retirement._


---

Jul 27, 2023 8:54 PM UTC

---

## More From This Series

[All Videos](https://time.com/video/)

[Why a Reverse Mortgage May Be Right For You](/video/9F3hquhe/)

### Why a Reverse Mortgage May Be Right For You

[What Kind of Mortgage is Best for You?](/video/jAmqF7YX/)

### What Kind of Mortgage is Best for You?

[How Consumers Can Benefit From Easier Mortgage Loans](/video/dI4a8ChF/)

### How Consumers Can Benefit From Easier Mortgage Loans

---


## Transcript

What the reverse mortgage does is it provides a way to get cash out of the home to be able to get an income stream or a spending stream. Someone does need to be eligible, so they have to be at least 62 years old. And really, they should plan to stay in their current home for the foreseeable future, to help justify the effort and any of the upfront costs. Reverse mortgages have had a bad reputation in the past. People do believe that you lose the title of your home. That's just not true. In the past the upfront costs have been very high. There are lower cost options available today. The conventional wisdom was that the reverse mortgage is a last resort when someone's run out of options.

That's not really the time to consider a reverse mortgage. I think it's a retirement income tool. That has to be considered as part of the entire household balance sheet. But when you build a retirement income strategy, you look at all the assets available. That includes your stocks and your bonds. But that also includes social security benefits. That includes home equity. For most Americans, home equity and social security are really their two biggest assets. [ MUSIC ]

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