Everyone dreams of living a relaxed life after retirement. A time which they can spend doing the things they want. Relaxing, reading, traveling, returning to hobbies that were left incomplete in the rat race, gardening, doing things that make them happy.
But, they must also make sure whether they have enough savings or enough pensions to support the kind of lifestyle they want to lead. They also have to make sure whether they have enough money to solve any sort of medical or non-medical crisis.
If not they can release equity on their house or property to gather or arrange for immediate funds or money. But there are one cannot release equity without fulfilling certain criteria. The criteria they have to fulfill are as follows:-
- You must be of a certain age (differs from place to place) when you decide to release equity on your property.
- You have to be retired from work.
- You must be the owner of the house or property you wish to release equity on
- The house cannot be damaged or in a bad condition when you wish to release equity on it. If it is then it has to be repaired before you release equity on it.
- The property or house should not have any outstanding debt or mortgage on it and
- At the time of releasing equity, the house should have a standard valuation in the market.
On the release of equity on a property, one will still gold the ownership of the property till death and still get a lump sum at one time based on the value of the property at the time of equity release or they may get the amount in monthly installments, assuring a flow of money till they die. They will also get the benefit of staying in the house till death. Along with these advantages, there are a few disadvantages as well:-
- You will not be able to leave behind the property to any heir or beneficiary and
- Once equity release on the property is made you will not be able to sell the property.
However, this can be overcome by either returning the amount received to the company so that you can pass on the property to a beneficiary and you can also release equity on a part of the property and sell the other portion. Another advantage is that the rate of interest is higher for people older. The older you are the more interest you will get on the property.
If you are planning to release on a property, it is advisable to go to a reputed company so that your property remains in good hands while you’re alive and you still have the surety of getting your money at regular intervals without fail.
Equity release on a property is a good way of assuring a good flow of money after retirement and in old age. With this plan, there will be no monetary crisis after retirement.
Releasing Equity is a Rewarding Decision for Retirees
Do you know the most common misconception among today’s retired professionals? The majority thinks that nothing can beat pension plans that can assure financial stability as well as lifelong security. Instead, there is a superb financial scheme in the name of equity release that has allured a lot of retired professionals to date.
However, what most retirees question today is whether equity release applicants are required to quit their properties to enroll in these plans. In reality, the answer is ‘no’.
Equity release – is it lucrative?
Nearly 95% of the retired personals in the United Kingdom either apply for lifetime mortgage schemes or home reversion mortgage plans every year. Well, if you are one of them, you can release a certain portion of the equity against your home and keep earning regularly till the period you mention in the contract.
Yes, of course, you can continue to stay in your own property. However, if you wish, you can always relocate and even carry the plans along with you.
As mentioned earlier, lifetime mortgage has emerged to be a lucrative equity release plan in the last few years. So, if you are planning to take up this plan, here are some points to keep in mind. Take a look:
- Since the equity you release along with the outstanding interest will be repaid from your property after your death, a lifetime mortgage will lessen your property value as well as the amount you will be passing on to your beneficiaries. So, it’s better if you talk to your property appraiser before signing the contract.
- Conduct market research extensively. Although equity release has indeed brought back happiness and lifelong security to numerous retirees, it might depict a different story for you. You might not be happy with the current interest rates offered by the equity release providers. Therefore, research well and make sure that you talk to someone professional who can help you know about the present scenario on equity release.
- Talk to your family members. As mentioned earlier, equity release is a scheme that relates to your property. In fact, there are several schemes where you will be allowed to sell a certain portion of your home. Now, this might not be entertained by any of your family members. So, talk to them and confirm whether they agree with the terms and conditions of the schemes.
How can you benefit from Equity Release?
- A flexible scheme assuring one to earn lump sums without paying taxes
- One can utilize the cash no matter what is the reason
- One will not have to relocate
- There is an option of guaranteeing inheritance for one’s family members
- The applicant can move to any property without paying any penalty
How an Equity Release calculator can help you?
If you are not able to calculate the right amount of releasable equity against your home, using an equity release calculator will surely serve your purpose. For this, you need to insert the following details:
- The present age of the applicant
- Type of the property
- The approximate value of the property
- Location of the property
Resolve your Post Retirement Debt Burdens at Best
Are you standing at the threshold of your retirement and thinking about how to get rid of the mortgages? Well, it becomes quite difficult to manage with this kind of a situation after retirement, because retirement comes with multiple financial troubles.
Yes, you come to the end of your professional life, your salary reduces to a minimum pension amount and your ways of earning are closed. So, how will you pay off your debts?
In such circumstances, all that you need is a systematic approach towards your financial life.
Start saving
If you keep on saving a good amount of money from the beginning of your professional life, you can easily deal with all these problems of post-retirement life at best. If you have a good amount of bank balance, you can easily pay off all your outstanding debts.
However, it becomes quite difficult to save, because people tend to spend more amounts than what they can actually bear. So, you must take care of certain things, like-
- You should not spend greater amounts on unnecessary things.
- You should make a budget and spend it according to that.
Now, when it comes to paying off the mortgage installments, you cannot neglect because it involves your property in the deal. Therefore, accumulating a good amount of money is a must, so that you can pay all the installments right on time. Applying for an income annuity scheme can be really helpful for you.
- An annuity is a retirement plan which helps you save now and enjoy a secured life after retirement.
- From your salary, you can deduct a certain amount every month. It will help you gather a good amount for your upcoming future.
The amount you get by applying to an annuity scheme can be used for anything you want.
- You can use a small part from the repayments to pay off your mortgage installments right on time.
- You can bear your household expenses easily which becomes difficult when you are left with only a little pension amount.
- You can maintain good credit scores that help you get other financial help in the future.
So, are you all set to apply for an annuity scheme now, and then you should follow the steps mentioned below, like-
Contact a financier
Your financier is the right person to discuss the scheme at best. He can definitely help you choose the best and get better returns at ease.
Use an annuity calculator
In this matter, often using an annuity calculator turns out to be the best tool. It helps you know the approximate amounts you can get in return. Even you can compare the schemes available to pick up the best as per your requirements.
There are different income annuity schemes available, which offer different facilities to the retirees. Therefore, you must stick to the plan which offers you better returns. However, always decide properly before you apply.
Now, apply for getting an annuity scheme and resolve all your post-retirement debt burdens in a better way.
What Savings Options Are Available For Older People?
As you get older there are a lot of things that you need to worry about. One of the main things that you can become concerned about is your financial situation, which you may have decided to address with a savings option.
You never know what type of savings options are available until you look through all of them and make a final decision. Only you can decide which plan is going to work for your long-term needs, but a few of the options are listed below to help you considered:
Health Savings Accounts
Health Savings Accounts are a great resource for saving money and making your life simpler, as well as healthier. If you contribute to an HSA before you turn 65, you will be amazed at what happens to your HSA after you turn 65. Instead of being traditional savings account for medical expenses, it will turn into a traditional IRA.
Now you have a retirement account and it didn’t cost you anything more than what you were already contributing and your money will only continue to accumulate as the years go by. You also don’t lose anything and after you turn 65 you will be able to pull out money each year from the account.
Depending on how much you are using before you turn 65 for health expenses, you may have a lot of money accumulated within your account to spend in your later life.
Cash ISA
With a Cash ISA, you can withdraw your money at any time without having to worry about paying any tax penalties. In a traditional ISA, you are going to have to pay penalties for withdrawing anything before you are 59 ½.
For a lot of people, this can really affect them in the long term and cause them a lot of financial stress. You are only going to be able to contribute a certain amount to your ISA before they do not allow any additional deposits.
Regardless of whether you contributed to a pension scheme or not, you are entitled to contribute to a Cash ISA. Your contributions can be passed on to future generations, so your money will never be lost. However, one of the downfalls of a Cash ISA is that the contributions are not tax-deductible.
That said, if you stay within certain income limits, you can deduct your traditional ISA contributions and the differences can play a big part in your income taxes at the end of the year. You never know when the laws are going to change, so now is the time to jump in and take advantage while you still can.
Equity Release Scheme
An equity release scheme allows you to be able to raise money based on the value of your home, and generally, there are no regular payments. The lender is only paid back when the house is sold. With an equity release scheme, you can have the money you need right now and the lender will get their portion when you sell your home after passing away or moving into a retirement home.
You can choose from multiple types of equity release schemes and the ultimate choice is going to be yours to choose, depending on your current situation. Make sure you choose the right type of plan for all of your needs. You will love the way that you are going to be able to get the extra money that you need now when you are in a crisis, without having to worry about paying anything back anytime soon.
5 Ways Seniors Can Save Money Once They Retired
Once you stop working full-time chances are you will have less money to live on each month. Accordingly, you may have to reduce your outgoings and reign back spending on luxury, non-essential items such as holidays, meals out, and socializing. However, just by being a bit imaginative, you could reduce the amount you spend without having to sacrifice too much enjoyment!
Below we have listed five actionable tips that you can use to save money.
Grow your own food
I bet you buy all your vegetables from the local grocery store? It is quick, easy, and convenient which is why we all get vegetables from a store. However, you could grow much of what you buy yourself and it will probably taste fresher anyhow. The easiest to grow vegetables include potatoes, carrots, and any other root vegetable that does not take too much cultivation work. You can also grow fruit such as strawberry’s which will taste delicious when ripe. You could even sell these to local people and make some extra money!
Get stuff free online
There is a lot of stuff to be had for free using the internet. Examples include requesting free product samples and receiving gifts in exchange for completing online surveys. Some websites also offer money-back schemes if you purchases goods from retailers using their site. If you are retired of course you should have the time needed to find the best deals on the web.
Reduce your heating / Air conditioning usage
Just by reducing or increasing your heating/air conditioning thermostat by a few notches, you could save a substantial amount over time. This has the added benefit of being better for the environment.
Save up coins in a jar
Small value coins really don’t have much use apart from to put into a jar and be saved. Over a 12 month period, you can take your coins to be changed into higher-value coins using self-service machines. Easy!
Get other people’s unwanted goods
This has to be the best tip of all. When you need a new piece of furniture or electrical item, in fact, anything at all, the first thing many people do is think to themselves “where might sell this item the cheapest?” Why not think about where you can get it for free? Using websites such as freecycle you can search for unwanted stuff from people in your local area. Often it is expensive to get rid of items such as refrigerators so people would rather give them away rather than pay a company to collect it.
Some of these tips can apply to everyone, of course, not just seniors, however, to make the most out of them can often require investing time which is why they are perfect for retired folk.
Read also: Getting Retired Soon? Best Investment Options For You