Future of Financial Advice

Best Advice Rule & Product Comparison

Following COVID19 the world is expected to remain in a historically low interest rate environment for the next 10 years.  This disrupts retirement funding plans and reduces the income of self-funded Retirees.

Futureproof is committed to delivering new low-risk fiscally responsible financial products to better meet Client needs in retirement.

We believe traditional equity release mortgages are not fit-for-purpose and the market is clearly telling us that annuities are not selling.

There has to be a better solution for asset-rich, cash-poor clients than simply downsizing to free up capital and carrying unacceptable levels of risk in retirement.

Reverse Mortgages

The reverse mortgage uses compound interest, such that debt typically doubles approximately  every 10 years and depletes all home equity usually within 20-25 years.

The market for reverse mortgages will always be constrained by the tight Borrower eligibility age and loan-to-value limits imposed by Lenders to avoid negative equity risk, typically (Source IMB):

  • minimum Borrower age 70 years
  • maximum 45% loan-to-value ratio
  • small loan principal

Age of Youngest Borrower:

70 years = 18% LTV orLVR

75 years = 23% LTV or LVR

80 years = 32% LTV or LVR

85 years = 36% LTV or LVR

90 years = 41% LTV or LVR

95 years = 45% LTV or LVR

The bottom line is that the average annuity amount released by a reverse mortgage is wholly inadequate to fund retirement, at just $80,000-$100,000 per mortgage.  This is insufficient to fund the average retirement.

Equity Preservation Mortgage

Our Equity Preservation Mortgage® is a nextgen smart mortgage developed by Futureproof to underpin our 1st Generation of Futureproof financial products.

The first financial product to be released is the Futureproof Retirement™- an income product to go head-to-head and replace reverse mortgage products.

Futureproof Retirement™ operates very differently by using simple interest, such that it is not constrained by age and LTV or LVR restrictions, has no negative equity risk and delivers greater annuity income – all without depletion of home equity.

It is a game-changing product for financial advisers and their Clients and our average annuity amount released to a Retiree is $400,000 – $450,000 per mortgage, representing an annual draw-down rate that exceeds traditional term annuities, allocated pensions and reverse mortgages.

Equity Preservation Mortgage -v- Reverse Mortgage

Equity Preservation Mortgage

The Black Star represents expected mortality date, with the key financial indictor being the gold graph line showing net equity preserved.

EQUITY LEFT

  • at end of Annuity  Period = $1,100,000 
  • at expected Mortality Date = $3,1112,227

Reverse Mortgage

The Black Star represents expected mortality date, with the key indictor being the gold graph line showing net equity preserved.

EQUITY LEFT

  •  at end of Annuity Period = $1,035,475

  • at expected Mortality Date = $0

The unacceptable retirement gamble

Consumer lending codes, financial advice standards and ‘best advice‘ rules set by Regulators now require financial advisers to consider very carefully what retirement funding products are best suited to meet the needs of their Clients.  

It would be a brave financial adviser that continues to recommend a reverse mortgage that leaves their Clients without sufficient funding to pay for their future medical needs and aged care accommodation. 

These Clients are self-insuring far too many key risks:

  • interest rate risk – any increase in rates will rapidly increase equity depletion
  • house price risk – any adverse changes in property value will rapidly increase their equity depletion
  • retirement funding gap – this emerges following the end of the annuity income period when income runs out and loan cost rapidly increases over the remaining loan term
  • longevity risk – the longer they live, the greater the rapid accumulation of debt and depletion of home equity
  • health risk – where equity depletion robs the Retiree of sufficient financial assets to pay for aged care accomodation bonds, they are forced to remain in their home which is a gamble on their continuing good health

In the reverse mortgage example above, the entire Client scenario from aged 75 years (i.e. from year 15 of the loan term or end of the annuity period) onwards, becomes a self-insured gamble based on their continuing health and longevity.

However, the realities of ageing are likely to see one or both of them needing to transition into low care as they can no longer age in the home or, more urgently, into high care following a medical episode (illness, dementia, heart attack or stroke).

Here the gamble fails – there is insufficient remaining equity to pay for one (let alone two) accommodation bonds….just at the most vulnerable stage of their lives. 

To fail to advise a Client of this hidden risk is neither responsible lending nor ethical advice. 

Some regard might also be had to the Client’s family, as their inheritance is rapidly being eroded by these inferior products. This retirement gamble and the lost inheritance will soon become fertile grounds for professional negligence and class actions by both Clients and their beneficiaries.

Contact us to become product accredited or for more information about our 

Equity Preservation Mortgage® and Futureproof financial products.