How Home Equity Can Help Achieve Retirement Goals
Includes a Live Web Event on 10/22/2025 at 12:00 PM (MDT)
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In this session, participants will explore the strategic use of reverse mortgages as a financial tool within a comprehensive retirement income plan. We will examine how reverse mortgages can impact tax liabilities, address risks such as long-term care costs, sequence of returns, and sustainable asset withdrawal rates. The discussion will also cover whether the home should be treated as a standalone legacy asset or integrated into a broader income and legacy planning strategy. Additionally, we will identify client profiles most likely to benefit from including a reverse mortgage in their retirement plan and delve into the emotional and behavorable biases — from both consumers and financial professionals — that often influence decision-making in this area. By the end of the session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of when and how reverse mortgages may be an appropriate addition to a retirement income strategy.
Competency Level: Intermediate
FPA Competency: Critical Thinking
CFP Board Topic: Retirement & Income Savings Planning
CFP Board CE Credit Hours:
- Evaluate the role of reverse mortgages in retirement income planning, including their impact on tax strategies, healthcare costs, and sequence of returns risk.
- Differentiate between treating the home as a legacy asset versus integrating it into a comprehensive retirement and estate plan.
- Identify client profiles suited for reverse mortgage strategies and recognize emotional and behavioral biases that influence decision-making by clients and advisors.
Stephen J. Resch, CLTC
Vice President Retirement Strategies Division
Finance of America
Steve Resch, CLTC, is Vice President of Retirement Strategies for Finance of America Reverse, where he leads education and training programs for financial professionals. Steve is also an investment advisor, partner in a wealth management firm, and designer of ""The Reverse Illustrator,"" a proprietary program that graphically displays the flexibility and options that a reverse mortgage can bring to a financial plan. Steve is a subject expert source and frequent speaker at both national and regional professional conferences and has been interviewed by various media outlets including Yahoo Finance, Nasdaq Trade Talks, MarketWatch, Barron's and more.
Craig Lemoine, Ph.D, CFP
Director of Financial Planning Program and Clinical Associate Professor
Univeristy of Illinois
Craig Lemoine is the Director of the Financial Planning Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. He serves as an Associate Clinical Professor, teaching courses in risk management, retirement and financial planning. Craig earned his PhD from Texas Tech University in 2013 and currently holds the Certified Financial Planner ™ and Master Registered Financial Consultant™ designations.
Craig currently serves as the Executive Director of the Academy for Home Equity in Financial Planning, vice-chairman of the Master Registered Financial Consultant Board and is working with his team to develop specialized content in the area of agriculture-focused financial planning. Previously, Craig served on and chaired the CFP® Council of Examination (2009-2014) and was the Executive Director of the Northwestern Mutual Granum Center for Financial at The American College of Financial Services in Bryn Mawr, PA.
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