Moving to a New State? Be Sure to Update Your Estate Plan

Although you likely won’t need to have an entirely new estate plan prepared for you, upon relocating to another state, you should definitely have your existing plan reviewed by an estate planning lawyer who is familiar with your new home state’s laws. Each state has its own laws governing estate planning, and those laws can differ significantly from one location to another.

Given this, you’ll want to make sure your planning documents all comply with the new state’s laws, and the terms of those documents still work as intended. Here, we’ll discuss how differing state laws can affect common planning documents and the steps you might want to take to ensure your documents are properly updated.

 

Last Will and Testament
The good news is, states will generally accept a will that was executed properly under another state’s laws. However, there could be differences in the new state’s laws that make certain provisions in your will invalid. Here are a few of the things you should pay the most attention to in your will when moving:

 

Your executor: Consider whether or not the executor or administrator you’ve chosen will be able to serve in that role in your new location. Every state will allow an out-of-state executor to serve, but some states have special requirements that those executors must meet, such as requiring them to post a bond before serving. Other states require non-resident executors to appoint an agent who lives within the state to accept legal documents on behalf of the estate.

 

Marital property: If you are married, give special consideration to how your new state treats marital property. While a common-law state might treat the property you own in your name alone as yours, community-property states treat all of your property as owned jointly with your spouse. If your new state treats marital property differently, you might need to draft a new will to ensure your wishes are honored.

 

Interested witnesses: Another important role under your will to consider when moving to a new state is an interested witness. An interested witness is someone who was a witness to your will who also receives a gift from your will. Some states allow interested witnesses to receive the gift, while other states do not allow such gifts. And still other states allow such gifts provided the witness is a family member.

 

Revocable Living Trust

A valid revocable living trust from one state should continue to be valid in your new state. However, you need to make certain that you transfer any new assets or property you acquire, such as your new home, to your trust, so that those assets can avoid the need to go through probate before being distributed to your heirs upon your death.

 

Power of Attorney
A valid power of attorney document, such as a durable power of attorney, medical power of attorney, or financial power of attorney, created in one state is likely to be valid in your new state. However, in some cases, banks, financial institutions, and healthcare facilities in your new state may not accept a power of attorney document if it’s unfamiliar to them. Also, simply as a practical matter, it may be a good idea to have your power of attorney agent live in the same state you do, so keep that in mind as well.

 

Beneficiary Designations
If you have accounts with beneficiary designations, such as 401(k)s, life insurance policies, and payable-on-death bank accounts, these should be valid no matter which state you live in. That said, you should still review these documents when you move to ensure that your address and other personal information is updated.

 

Keep Your Plan Current
As with other major life events, such as births, deaths, marriage and divorce, moving to a new state is the ideal time to have your plan reviewed by a professional.

Californians Approve Prop. 19; Ending Major Property Tax Exemption –  Linkenheimer LLP CPAs & Advisors

Proposition 19 changes the way real estate may be passed down from parents to children in California. Here are 6 key things you should know about this new law:

  1. Prop 19 eliminates the ability for children to receive property from their parents without a property tax reassessment unless (adult) children use the property as their own primary residence andthe property has gained less than one million in value over the original assessed value.
  2. Previously, a parent could transfer their primary residence and up to one million of assessed value of other real estate (residential and commercial) to their children without reassessment. Please note that Prop 19 does notimpact capital gains taxes or eliminate the step up in basis for inherited properties – it only affects property tax reassessments.
  3. Prop 19 goes into effect on February 16, 2021 and will impact properties transferred after that date. Because of holidays, however, the transfers must be recorded by February 11, 2021 to meet the deadline.
  4. There is special Prop 19 planning available to avoid the consequences of Prop 19. This Special Prop 19 planning consists of transferring the property to an irrevocable trust before the deadline to preserve the lower property tax basis.
  5. This special Prop 19 planning is best suited for those (a) who own a property with a high current market value and a low property tax assessed value, and (b) who plan to gift that property to their children upon death, and (c) whose children intend to keep the property for a rental, vacation home, or commercial building.
  6. This special Prop 19 planning is not for everyone. There are many drawbacks and unknowns (the legislature has yet to write the details so there is much yet still to be determined) with this planning. For example, it would require you to give up all rights and use of your primary residence from now on, meaning your children could potentially kick you out of the home. For commercial properties, you would have to give up all rights to the rental income and principal now, meaning your children would receive it from this point forward. Also, please be aware, properties with a mortgage generally will not qualify for this special Prop 19 planning because lenders often legally prohibit these types of property transfers. Finally, if the transfer is allowed, there is added expense in creating the irrevocable trust now and administering it into the future.

If you would like to discuss whether Prop 19 planning is appropriate for you, please call CaliLaw at 626.355.4000 to schedule a phone call with a member of our team.

5 Questions To Ask Before Hiring An Estate Planning Lawyer—Part 1 | Cava & Faulkner

Since you’ll be discussing topics like death, incapacity, and other frightening life events, hiring an estate planning lawyer may feel intimidating or morbid. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Instead, it can be the most empowering decision you ever make for yourself and your loved ones. The key to transforming the experience of hiring a lawyer from one that you dread into one that empowers you is to educate yourself first. This is the person who is going to be there for your family when you can’t be, so you want to really understand who the lawyer is as a human, not just an attorney. Of course, you’ll also want to find out the kind of services the lawyer offers and how they run their business.

To gather this information and get a better feel for who the individual is at the human level, we suggest you ask the prospective lawyer five key questions. Last week in part one https://www.calilaw.com/5-questions-to-ask-before-hiring-an-estate-planning-lawyer-part-1/, we listed the first two of these questions, and here, we cover the final three.

  1. How will you proactively communicate with me on an ongoing basis?

The sad truth is most lawyers do a terrible job of staying in regular communication with their clients. Unfortunately, most lawyers don’t have their business systems set up for ongoing, proactive communication, and they don’t have the time to really get to know you or your family.

If you work with a lawyer who doesn’t have systems in place to keep your plan updated, ensure your assets are owned in the right way (throughout your life), and communicate with you regularly, your estate plan may be worth little more than one you could create for yourself online—and it’s likely to fail when your family needs it most.

Think of it this way: Yes, your estate plan is a set of documents. But more importantly, it’s who and what your family will turn to when something happens to you. You want to work with a lawyer who has systems in place to keep your documents up to date and to ensure your assets are owned in the right way throughout your lifetime. Ideally, the lawyer should get to know you and your family over time, so when something happens, your lawyer can be there for the people you love, and there will already be an underlying relationship and trust.

  1. Can I call about any legal problem I have, or just about matters within your specialty?

Given the complexity of today’s legal world, lawyers must have specialized training in one or more specific practice areas, such as divorce, bankruptcy, wills and trusts, personal injury, business, criminal matters, or employment law. You definitely do NOT want to work with a lawyer who professes to be an expert in whatever random legal issue walks through the door.

That said, you do want your personal lawyer to have broad enough expertise that you can consult with him or her about all sorts of different legal and financial issues that may come up in your life—and trust he or she will be able to offer you sound guidance. Moreover, while your lawyer may not be able to advise you on all legal matters, he or she should at least be able to refer to you to another trusted professional who can help you.

Trust me, you wouldn’t want the lawyer who designed your estate plan to also handle your personal injury claim, settle a dispute with your employee, and advise you on your divorce. But you do want him or her to be there to hear your story, refer you to a highly qualified lawyer who specializes in that area, and overall, serve as your go-to legal consultant.

  1. What happens if you die or retire?

This is a critically important—and often overlooked—question to ask not only your lawyer, but any service professional before beginning a relationship. Sure, it may be uncomfortable to ask, but a truly excellent, client-centered professional will have a plan in place to ensure their clients are taken care of no matter what happens to the individual lawyer managing your plan.

Look for a lawyer who has their own detailed plan in place that will ensure that someone warm and caring will take over your planning without any interruption of service. If your lawyer prepared a will, trust, and other estate planning documents for you, or if you are in the middle of a divorce or lawsuit, you want to make certain your lawyer has such a contingency plan in place, so you won’t be forced to start over from scratch should your lawyer die, retire, or become otherwise unavailable.

If you’ve watched TV lately, you’ve likely seen ads selling reverse mortgages. A reverse mortgage can be a great tool to help you realize your dreams.  However, it is a very specific type of tool for a very specific type of situation.  If used incorrectly, it can cause a borrower to lose their home.  You owe it to yourself and your loved ones to learn the good, the bad, and the ugly of reverse mortgages.

How they work
A reverse mortgage is a loan which allows homeowners 62 and older to convert some of the equity they have in their primary residence into cash. The amount of equity required to obtain a reverse mortgage depends on your age. Younger borrowers need about 60% equity in their homes to qualify, while those over 80 may need just 45%.

Once approved, you can receive the money in one of three ways: as a lump sum, as monthly installments, or as a line of credit. Because you receive payments from the lender, your home’s equity decreases over time, while the loan balance gets larger, thus the term “reverse” mortgage.

With a reverse mortgage, you no longer have to make monthly mortgage payments, and you can stay in your home as long as you keep up with property taxes, pay insurance premiums, and keep the home in good repair. Lenders make money through origination fees, mortgage insurance, and interest on the loan balance, all of which can exceed $10,000 to $15,000.

Be aware, the reverse mortgage loan (plus interest and fees) becomes due and must be repaid in full when any of the following events occur:

  • Your death
  • You are out of the home for 12 consecutive months or more, such as in the case of needing nursing home care
  • You sell the home or transfer title
  • You default on the loan by failing to keep up with insurance premiums, property taxes, or by letting the home fall into disrepair

A still evolving industry
In 2011, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau cracked down on some of the misleading advertising practices by lenders. All reverse mortgage advertisers are now required to disclose that the loans must be repaid after death or upon move-out. Additionally, advertisers can no longer claim the loans are a “government benefit” or “risk free.” 

In 2014, HUD developed new policies to better protect surviving spouses who were often being “left out in the cold” literally under the old rules. Now, if a married couple with one spouse under age 62 wants to take out a reverse mortgage, they may list the underage spouse as a “non-borrowing spouse” with rights to retain the home if the older spouse dies.

Despite these recent changes, however, the number of ads for reverse mortgages hasn’t declined and too many borrowers (and non-borrowing spouses) still end up going through foreclosure.  The industry continues to need to offer better protections for the elderly against unscrupulous reverse mortgage lending practices.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

Marc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s the middle of the night.

The authorities just notified you that you have 20 minutes to evacuate your home before a raging wildfire cuts off the exit from your neighborhood, leaving you trapped.

The fire is advancing at the rate of a football field every second, so the actions you take in the next few moments will determine whether you and your family can get to safety or not.

While this may sound like a scene from a blockbuster disaster movie, it’s the very scenario faced by many California families recently. And it’s a possibility we should all be ready to face.

Be ready to go
I’ve always believed the responsibility for protecting my family lies squarely with me. I may not be able to count on, or in the worst of circumstances even hope for, outside help. If I can’t shelter in place and protect my family, evacuation is my Plan B. And as the recent wildfires should remind us all, when you have mere minutes to evacuate, you won’t have time to think about what you should bring with you to survive the days—or weeks—to come.

To be optimally prepared, have a “go-bag” on-hand packed with the essential items needed to survive for AT LEAST three days following a disaster.  While numerous online retailers sell fully equipped go-bags for such emergencies, and both FEMA and the American Red Cross provide checklists to help you pack your own, I’m providing a basic summary of the most-recommended supplies here.

1) ID and other essential documents: Bring copies of your passport, driver’s license, and/or state ID card and store them in a sealed Ziplock bag. Other documents to consider packing include the deed to your home, vehicle titles/registration, printed maps, and a recent family photo with faces clearly visible for easy identification.

2) Cash: Carry at least $250 in relatively small bills and keep it with your ID in a waterproof bag.

3) Shelter: A lightweight tent, along with mylar emergency blankets can help keep you warm and dry no matter where you must spend the night.

4) Water and filter: One gallon of water per person per day is a good estimate of needs. Bring as much bottled water as possible, but also include a water purification straw and/or purification tablets, along with a steel container to boil water in.

5) A multi-tool: These modern-day cousins to the Swiss Army knife come with a wide array of essential tools, from a knife and screwdriver to tweezers and a can opener.

6) First-aid kit and prescription medications: Whether you buy one ready-made or pack your own, the likelihood of injury skyrockets in the wake disasters, so not having a first-aid kit can make a bad situation worse. And don’t forget to include prescription medications and other life-sustaining medical supplies if needed.

7) Light: Flashlights with extra batteries are great, but headlamps are even better because they’re ultra-compact and leave your hands free.

8) Fire: Fire can keep you warm, purify water, and cook food. I keep a plasma lighter, waterproof matches, a small portable stove, fuel and tinder in my personal go-bag.

9) Solar-powered emergency radio and cellphone charger: Without power, you’ll need a way to stay in touch with the outside world. Today you can find devices that include a combination radio, cell-phone charger, and flashlight all in one, with the extra option of hand-cranked power to keep things charged even in the dark.

10) Sanitary items: Pack toilet paper, baby wipes, hand sanitizer, soap, as well as tampons and/or pads if needed.

11) Clothes: You only need enough clothes to keep you warm and comfortable for a few days, so don’t try to bring your entire wardrobe. Stick to essentials like underwear, socks, extra shoes, a jacket, a poncho, a hat, and gloves.

12) Food: Focus on high-protein, high-caloric foods that will give you the energy you need to live and get from point A to point B. The most recommended options include, energy bars, MREs (Meals-Ready-to-Eat), freeze-dried survival food, and meal-replacement shakes.

Stay totally safe and secure
While go-bags are a critical part of helping your family survive the immediate aftermath of a natural disaster or other emergency, they’re just a start. For instance, this list doesn’t address any of your precious sentimental items, such as photos, old love letters, and treasured cards from the past. Nor does it mention estate planning documents or insurance policies.

Copies of your insurance policies and estate planning documents should be uploaded to the cloud and stored online. You should also store sentimentals, like family histories and photos online, so you don’t have to worry about packing any of that in the event of a natural disaster. Indeed, safely storing your sentimentals online is so important, we are constantly innovating ways to help our clients do more of this.

Of course, to keep your family totally safe and secure, you’ll need to make sure you have the right insurance coverage and necessary legal documents in place to cover possible emergency contingencies. Contact us if you have questions about what you need or how we can support you.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

The recent wildfires in California were devastating to the communities and families affected by them. The threat of earthquake is always present for those of us in the Golden State. Yet despite the danger posed by natural disasters, many California homeowners still lack the insurance needed to protect their property and possessions from such catastrophes.

In fact, roughly two-thirds of all homeowners are underinsured for natural disasters, according to United Policyholders (UP), a nonprofit organization for insurance consumers. One contributing factor to this lack of coverage is the mistaken belief that homeowners insurance offers protection from such calamities. In reality, natural disasters are typically not covered by standard homeowners policies.

In order to obtain protection, you often need to purchase separate policies that cover specific types of natural disasters. Here, we’ve highlighted the types of insurance coverage available and how the policies work.

Wildfires

While homeowners insurance typically doesn’t pay for damage caused by natural disasters, most policies do protect against fire damage, including wildfires like the recent ones in California. The only instances of fire damage homeowners policies won’t cover are fires caused by arson or when fire destroys a home that’s been vacant for at least 30 days when the fire occurred.

That said, not all homeowners policies are created equal, so you should check your policy to make certain that it includes enough coverage to do three things: replace your home’s structure, replace your belongings, and cover your living expenses while your home is being repaired, known as “loss of use” coverage.

In certain areas that are extremely high-risk for wildfires, it  can be be difficult to find a company to insure your home. In such cases, you should look into California’s FAIR Plan.

Earthquakes

Unlike fires, earthquakes are typically not covered by homeowners policies. To protect your home against quakes, you’ll need a freestanding earthquake insurance policy.

While earthquake insurance is available throughout the state, policies in high-risk areas (such as on fault lines) typically come with high deductibles. What’s more, though earthquake insurance covers damage directly caused by the quake, some related damages such as flooding are likely not covered. Carefully review your policy to see what’s included—and what’s not.

Floods

Though homeowners insurance generally covers flood damage caused by faulty infrastructure like leaky pipes, nearly all policies exclude flood damage caused by natural events like heavy rain, overflowing rivers, and hurricanes. You’ll need stand-alone flood insurance to protect your property and possessions from these events.

The threat from flooding is so widespread, Congress created the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) in 1968, which allows homeowners in flood-prone areas to purchase flood insurance backed by the U.S. government. To determine the risk for your property, consult FEMA’s Flood Map service center.

Get the disaster coverage you need today
To make certain you have the necessary insurance coverage to protect your home and belongings from natural disasters, consult with your insurance agent or let us know and we’ll be happy to refer you to one of the trusted insurance advisors we know.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

With the cost of long-term care (LTC) skyrocketing, you may be concerned about your (or your elderly parents’) ability to pay for lengthy stays in assisted living and/or a nursing home. Such care can be massively expensive, with the potential to overwhelm even the well-off.

Because neither traditional health insurance nor Medicare will pay for LTC, some people are looking to Medicaid to help cover this cost. To become eligible for Medicaid, however, you must first exhaust nearly every penny of your savings.

Given this, you may have heard that if you transfer your house to your adult children, you can avoid selling the home if you need to qualify for Medicaid. You may think transferring ownership of the house will help your eligibility for benefits and that this strategy is easier and less expensive than handling your home (and other assets) through estate planning.

However, this tactic is a big mistake on several levels. It can not only delay—or even disqualify—your Medicaid eligibility, it can also lead to numerous other problems.

Medicaid Changes
In February 2006, Congress passed the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA), which included a number of provisions aimed at reducing Medicaid abuse. One of these was a five-year “look-back” period for eligibility.

This means that before you can qualify for Medicaid, your finances will be reviewed for any “uncompensated transfers” of your assets within the five years preceding your application. If such transfers are discovered, it can result in a penalty period that will delay your eligibility.

If you transfer your house to your children and then need LTC within five years, it may significantly delay your qualification for Medicaid benefits—and possibly prevent you from ever qualifying.

A potentially huge tax burden

Another drawback to transferring ownership of your home is the potential tax liability for your child. If you’re elderly, you’ve probably owned your house for a long time, and its value has dramatically increased, leading you to believe that by transferring your home to your child, he or she can make a windfall by selling it.

Unfortunately, if you do that, she or he will have to pay capital gains tax on the difference between your home’s value when you purchased it and your home’s value at the time she or he received it. Depending on the home’s worth, these taxes can be astronomical.

In contrast, by transferring your home at the time of your death, your child will receive what’s known as a “step-up in basis.” It’s one of the only benefits of death, and it allows your child to pay capital gains taxes based on the value of the home at the time of inheritance, rather than the value at the time you bought it.

Debt, Divorce, Disability, and Death

There are numerous other reasons why transferring ownership of your house to your child is a bad idea. If your child has significant debts, his or her creditors can make claims against the property to recoup what they’re owed, potentially forcing your child to sell the home to pay those debts.

Divorce is another problematic issue. If your child goes through a divorce while the house is in his or her name, the home may be considered marital property. Depending on the outcome of the divorce, this may force your child to sell the home or pay his or her ex a share of its value.

The disability or death of your child can also lead to trouble. If your child becomes disabled and seeks Medicaid or other government benefits, having the home in his or her name could compromise eligibility, just like it would your own. And if your child dies before you and has ownership of the house, the property could be considered part of your child’s estate and be passed on to your child’s heirs, creating a problem for you.

No substitute for proper estate planning
Given these potential problems, transferring ownership of your home to your children as a means of “poor-man’s estate planning” is almost never a good idea. Instead, follow a sound estate planning strategy designed to protect your assets while enabling you to better afford whatever long-term healthcare services you might require.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

Aretha Franklin, heralded as the “Queen of Soul,” died from pancreatic cancer at age 76 on August 16th at her home in Detroit. Like Prince, who died in 2016, Franklin was one of the greatest musicians of our time. Also like Prince, she died without a will or trust to pass on her multimillion-dollar estate.

Franklin’s lack of estate planning was a huge mistake that will undoubtedly lead to lengthy court battles and major expenses for her family. What’s especially unfortunate is that all this trouble could have been easily prevented.

A common mistake
Such lack of estate planning is common. A 2017 poll by the senior-care referral service, Caring.com, revealed that more than 60 percent of U.S. adults currently do not have a will or trust in place. The most common excuse given for not creating these documents was simply “not getting around to it.”

Whether or not Franklin’s case involved similar procrastination is unclear, but what is clear is that her estimated $80-million estate will now have to go through the lengthy and expensive court process known as probate, her assets will be made public, and there could be a big battle brewing for her family.

Probate problems
Because Franklin was unmarried and died without a will, Michigan law stipulates that her assets are to be equally divided among her four adult children, one of whom has special needs and will need financial support for the rest of his life.

It’s also possible that probate proceedings could last for years due to the size of her estate. And all court proceedings will be public, including any disputes that arise along the way.

Such contentious court disputes are common with famous musicians. In Prince’s case, his estate has been subject to numerous family disputes since his death two years ago, even causing the revocation of a multimillion-dollar music contract. The same thing could happen to Franklin’s estate, as high-profile performers often have complex assets, like music rights.

Learn from Franklin’s mistakes
Although Franklin’s situation is unfortunate, you can learn from her mistakes by beginning the estate planning process now. It would’ve been ideal if Franklin had a will, but even with a will, her estate would still be subject to probate and open to the public. To keep everything private and out of court altogether, Franklin could’ve created a will and a trust. And, within a trust, she could have created a Special Needs Trust for her child who has special needs, thereby giving him full access to governmental support, plus supplemental support from her assets.

While trusts used to be available only to the mega wealthy, they’re now used by people of all incomes and asset values. Unlike wills, trusts keep your family out of the probate court, which can save time, money, and a huge amount of heartache. Plus, a properly funded trust (meaning all of your assets are titled in the name of the trust) keeps everything totally private.

Trusts also offer several protections for your assets and family that wills alone don’t. With a trust, for example, it’s possible to shield the inheritance you’re leaving behind from the creditors of your heirs or even a future divorce.

Don’t wait another day
Regardless of your financial status, estate planning is something that you should immediately address, especially if you have children. You never know when tragedy may strike, and by being properly prepared, you can save both yourself and your family massive expense and trauma.

Don’t follow in Franklin’s footsteps; use her death as a learning experience. Proper estate planning can keep your family out of conflict, out of court, and out of the public eye. If you’re ready to create a comprehensive estate plan, or need your plan reviewed, call us today.

Dedicated to empowering your family, building your wealth and defining your legacy,

 

estate planning 91024To many people, living debt-free is a lifelong dream. It’s the picture of the easy life. Retired with no debt. . .

You may be surprised to learn, however, that debt-free is not always the best decision – particularly if the choice is between paying off a mortgage or using the money more wisely to invest in the future using low-interest rate funds.

What? I Shouldn’t Pay Off My House?

Most of us don’t have huge piles of extra cash lying around. We simply don’t have the luxury of being able to pay off our family home and maxing out our retirement contributions or investing in a side business. It’s pretty much an either-or proposition.

With that said, from a financial standpoint, it is usually most favorable to make additional contributions to a company 401(k) program, if your company is matching your contributions, or investing in growing a side business, rather than using extra money to pay off the mortgage.

Putting money into a 401(k) plan has many advantages:

  • Taxes on these contributions are deferred;
  • Employers often max 401(k) contributions, doubling your money;
  • Money can be liquidated for unexpected expenses; and
  • In most cases, if you are connected to how your 401(k) is invested, investing the extra money could result in a more significant return than the interest you are paying on your mortgage, leading to greater net wealth in retirement.

 

Creating a side business has many advantages as well:

  • You can create a side income stream that provides you with the kind of security a job working for someone else never can;
  • You can write off business expenses for things you are already paying for already, such as using the home office deduction to deduct part of your home costs;
  • You can use your creativity, knowledge, experience, and other resources gained over a lifetime of learning to help others and get paid for it;
  • You can employ your children, teaching them financial principles and how to be personally sovereign from a young age;
  • You can learn, grow and evolve — starting and running a business is one of the best ways to push the edges of your own comfort, bringing you closer and close to true internal liberation.

 

And, remember this: Mortgage interest deductions help during tax time.

After all is said and done though, the mortgage versus 401(k) versus side business decision is a personal one that you must ultimately make for yourself. Just keep in mind that if your priorities are financial, it is probably best to lean towards making additional contributions to your retirement account or starting a business rather than paying off your mortgage.

Dedicated to your family’s wealth, health, and happiness,
Marc Garlett 91024

real estate 91024It seems that we can’t turn on the television or radio without hearing an ad for a “reverse mortgage.” So what is a reverse mortgage exactly, and who can benefit from using one?

A reverse mortgage is a type of loan taken out against your home. With a reverse mortgage (as with a traditional mortgage) you are borrowing against your home equity which is the difference between your home’s market value and the amount you owe on your mortgage. The difference in a reverse mortgage is that you do not have to pay it back while you are alive. Instead, the loan is paid off after you pass away.

What Are Some of the Benefits of a Reverse Mortgage?

Reverse mortgages can be a fantastic tool, depending on your goals. They can provide additional income and improve your cash flow, particularly if you have already paid off your home. Here are some reasons to consider a reverse mortgage:

  • They can help you maintain your financial independence by providing additional income;
  • They can allow you to stay in your home until you die;
  • For most people, the risk of default is low; and
  • They are not taxed.

One of the best things about a reverse mortgage is that the amount paid back will not exceed your home’s value.

What Are Some of the Disadvantages of a Reverse Mortgage?

As with any financial tool, reverse mortgages are not for everyone or every situation. Before you decide to take out a reverse mortgage on your home, you should consider the following potential disadvantages:

  • Interest costs are higher because you are making no payments;
  • The amount paid back after your death will cut into the estate left for your family or heirs; and
  • Because they are based on a formula, the amount you can borrow is lower than with traditional home equity loans.

Reverse mortgages can also be complicated and rather difficult to understand.

The bottom line is this: A reverse mortgage is one financial tool you can use to achieve your goals. However, before you commit to a large loan, you should make sure you understand all aspects of the loan. If you are not sure whether or not a reverse mortgage is right for you, talk with a trusted financial adviser or attorney.

Dedicated to your family’s health, wealth, and happiness,
Marc Garlett 91024