Housing wealth Archives - Jerry Golden on Retirement

Housing wealth

Does Your Retirement Plan Ignore Half of Your Net Worth? Here’s How You Can Tap Your Housing Wealth for a More Robust Retirement

June 1, 2026 By Jerry Golden in Annuity Tags: HECM, Housing wealth, Jerry Golden, QLAC, Robust retirement

Including your housing wealth in your retirement plan, such as by using a HECM, can lead to higher lifetime income and a significantly larger legacy than a plan based on selling your home to access the cash.

Editor’s note: This is the third article in a five-part series about all-asset retirement planning that is covering such topics as using annuities and housing wealth, making the most of tax benefits and managing investment portfolio risk. Articles one and two are It’s Time to Redefine Retirement for Retirees With $500,000 to $5 Million: Here’s How and Unlock Housing Wealth and Tax Benefits by Adding Lifetime Annuities to Your Retirement Plan.

For most Baby Boomers, their home represents 50% of their net worth, yet retirement planning software and advisers virtually ignore this asset in designing retirement income plans.

A Federal Reserve study shows that the share of net worth in primary residences among households headed by people ages 60 to 69 rose from roughly 40% in 1989 to just over 50% by 2022.

Unlock Housing Wealth and Tax Benefits by Adding Lifetime Annuities to Your Retirement Plan

June 1, 2026 By Jerry Golden in Annuity Tags: HECM, Housing wealth, Jerry Golden, QLAC

Combining a QLAC with a HECM can help mass affluent retirees secure guaranteed lifetime income, tax advantages and liquid savings to cover late-in-life expenses beyond what their 401(k) or IRA savings alone could provide.

Editor’s note: This is the second article in a five-part series about all-asset retirement planning that is covering such topics as using annuities and housing wealth, making the most of tax benefits and establishing an investment strategy. Article one is It’s Time to Redefine Retirement for Retirees With $500,000 to $5 Million: Here’s How.

With the benefit of Social Security, almost all retirees are guaranteed some level of lifetime income. So, the question isn’t “Will I run out of money?” Instead, it’s, “How much income is enough to cover my living expenses, after covering my late-in-life health and long-term care expenses?”