An education-first guide for homeowners 55+, their families, and the advisors who serve them. Plain English. Real strategies. Zero pressure.
"Smart strategies for financial freedom in retirement. Explained without the jargon, without the pressure."
The reverse mortgage program has been rebuilt over the last decade. Tighter consumer protections. Smarter payout structures. New ways to use it as part of a real retirement plan. None of that is the version your dad remembers from late-night TV.
I wrote this playbook because too many homeowners (and too many advisors) dismiss the program before they understand it. Then they leave hundreds of thousands of dollars of equity sitting unused while they take Social Security too early, draw down their portfolio in a down market, or take out a HELOC with a payment they can't sustain.
This book doesn't sell you on a reverse mortgage. It teaches you when one makes sense, when one doesn't, and what the math looks like for your specific situation. Read it. Decide for yourself. If it's not the right tool, I'll be the first to tell you.
What You'll Learn
HECM mechanics, FHA insurance, principal limit factors, the four ways to take the money. No jargon. Step by step.
Lump sum. Monthly tenure or term payments. Growing line of credit. Or a blended draw. Each has a strategic use.
Using a HECM line of credit to bridge to age 70 can permanently boost your monthly Social Security by 30%+. Here's the math.
The answer surprises most families. Heirs keep the home, sell it, refinance, or walk away. The equity that's left is theirs.
Why drawing from your portfolio in a down market is the silent retirement killer, and how the HECM line of credit hedges it.
Honest scenarios where a reverse mortgage is the wrong tool. If your advisor won't tell you these, this chapter will.
Line-by-line worked examples. Mary, 72, downsizing in Westlake. The Hernandez family helping Mom stay in place. Real math.
A framework for talking to adult children about your retirement plan, before the decisions get made for you.
Written For
You've built equity. You're approaching or in retirement. You want to understand what your home can do for your plan, without being sold to.
Mom or Dad mentioned a reverse mortgage and you went straight to a Google rabbit hole. Read this before the next family conversation.
Financial planners, estate attorneys, and CPAs who want a clear framework for when to recommend, when to caution, and when to refer.
Inside the Playbook
What Readers Are Saying
"Most reverse mortgage info is either a sales pitch or a horror story. Austen's playbook is the first thing I've handed to my parents that they actually finished. Cleared up 20 years of confusion in a weekend."
"This book saved my mom $40K and probably more importantly, changed her relationship with money in retirement. She finally feels like she has a plan instead of a worry."
"As a financial planner I've been waiting for a resource I can hand clients without worrying about the spin. This is it. Plain English, real math, no agenda. Now required reading for my retirement reviews."
Common Questions
You do. You remain on title and retain ownership of the home as long as you keep up with property taxes, insurance, and basic maintenance. The reverse mortgage is a loan against the equity, not a sale of the property.
Heirs keep their options. They can refinance the home and keep it, sell the home and pocket any remaining equity, or walk away (the HECM is a non-recourse loan, so they're never on the hook for a deficit). The playbook walks through each scenario with real math.
No. Some of the strongest use cases come from financially healthy households using a HECM strategically: delaying Social Security to age 70, hedging sequence-of-returns risk in their portfolio, or creating a tax-free emergency reserve. The book has full chapters on each.
Not on the loan principal or interest. You're still responsible for property taxes, homeowners insurance, and basic upkeep. The loan balance grows over time and is repaid when you (or your heirs) sell the home or pay it off.
Free if you request a complimentary copy through this page (we ship to US addresses). Or buy paperback / Kindle on Amazon at the link below. Either way, you get the same playbook.
No. We send the book. If you want a no-pressure conversation about your own scenario, the book tells you exactly how to set one up. If you read it and decide a reverse mortgage isn't right for you, that's a successful outcome. Education first.
Read it, decide for yourself, and if you want a real conversation about your situation, Austen can walk through it with you on a 30-minute call.