6 October 2025

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Simple maths says the AI investment boom ends badly Why we should follow Canada and cut migration Are LICs licked?Australian house price speculators: What were you thinking?Retirement income expectations hit new highs

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Home / Reverse Mortgages

Reverse Mortgages

1-12 out of 13 results.

Four reasons many Australians will work until they're dead

Satyajit Das
4 August 2021
12

Despite the maturing of the super system, 70% of retirees rely in part or full on the age pension. Access to pensions will become more restrictive and fewer people will have options such as a reverse mortgage.

Ralston on accessing equity in the family home

Deborah Ralston
31 March 2021
17

A member of the Retirement Income Review explains the focus on home equity. For homeowners at retirement, homes represent three to four times as much wealth as superannuation, but the average age at which mortgages are paid out has increased from 52 to 62.

Home equity access and four challenges of retirement

Joshua Funder
11 November 2020
11

The Australian retirement funding system relies on three pillars: the age pension, superannuation and voluntary savings. Most retirees have their wealth tied up in the family home, so what role does it play?

Five ways to use the family home for retirement income

Arthur Naoumidis
12 August 2020
3

The family home is the bedrock on which many retirement plans sit, with special tax and social security benefits. Many products generate an income stream from the home to make retirement more comfortable.

Robert Merton on retirement incomes and Jane Austen

Graham Hand
20 November 2019
19

1997 Nobel Laureate Robert Merton wants greater focus on the income that will sustain a retirement, and even Jane Austen understood this. And he has a surprising proposal to help with longevity risk.

Rethinking home equity and retirement funding

Joshua Funder
20 March 2019
6

Using the value of home equity built up over many years seems an obvious part of retirement planning, but reverse mortgages have been unsuccessful in Australia. Is it time for a fourth pillar of retirement income?

Reverse mortgages: short-term gain, long-term pain

Robin Bowerman
17 October 2018
10

As the population ages and property prices rise rise, equity in owner homes has more potential as a significant source of 'retirement income'. But an ASIC report highlights complexities in reverse mortgages not well understood.

Why are reverse mortgages unpopular?

Graham Hand
4 September 2015
4

Using the equity in the home to supplement retirement income is worth considering for certain people, so why are banks dropping reverse mortgage products and why do so many retirees feel it's not for them?

Robert Merton on retirement incomes and Jane Austen

Graham Hand
7 November 2014
9

Nobel laureate Robert Merton wants us to focus on the income that will sustain us in retirement, even Jane Austen understood this. And he has a surprising proposal to help with longevity risk.

Pension Loans Scheme should have much greater use

Les Goldmann
26 September 2014

The little-known Pension Loans Scheme allows asset-rich but cash-poor retirees to top up their part-pension income to the full amount via a loan from the government, effectively unlocking the value of their assets.

Home equity release, the fourth pillar of retirement funding

Christine Brownfield
22 August 2014
1

In the search for retirement funding solutions that address longevity, the retirement age and costs of living, home equity release could help fund the retirement of those who own their home.

Shared home equity worth a look for retirees

Alastair Peattie
24 January 2014
1

There's sometimes a gap between lifestyle expectations and retirement savings that can be filled by accessing the underutilised equity in the family home. There are alternatives to reverse mortgages such as shared equity.

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Most viewed in recent weeks

Simple maths says the AI investment boom ends badly

This AI cycle feels less like a revolution and more like a rerun. Just like fibre in 2000, shale in 2014, and cannabis in 2019, the technology or product is real but the capital cycle will be brutal. Investors beware.

Harris Kupperman
27 August 2025

Why we should follow Canada and cut migration

An explosion in low-skilled migration to Australia has depressed wages, killed productivity, and cut rental vacancy rates to near decades-lows. It’s time both sides of politics addressed the issue.

James Gruber
27 August 2025

Are LICs licked?

LICs are continuing to struggle with large discounts and frustrated investors are wondering whether it’s worth holding onto them. This explains why the next 6-12 months will be make or break for many LICs.

James Gruber
10 September 2025

Australian house price speculators: What were you thinking?

Australian housing’s 50-year boom was driven by falling rates and rising borrowing power — not rent or yield. With those drivers exhausted, future returns must reconcile with economic fundamentals. Are we ready?

Larry Bricks*
27 August 2025

Retirement income expectations hit new highs

Younger Australians think they’ll need $100k a year in retirement - nearly double what current retirees spend. Expectations are rising fast, but are they realistic or just another case of lifestyle inflation?

Vanguard Investments Australia
24 September 2025

Welcome to Firstlinks Edition 627 with weekend update

This week, I got the news that my mother has dementia. It came shortly after my father received the same diagnosis. This is a meditation on getting old and my regrets in not getting my parents’ affairs in order sooner.

4 September 2025

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