Consequences of elderly people’s financial decisions of illustrated by the example of capital release by means of reverse mortgage

Abstract

Background: Effective functioning requires households to take financial decisions. It is essential that these decisions are rational. It was indicated in the empirical studies that customers are sometimes unable to take decisions requiring mathematical calculations and economic evaluations. Customers from the 60+ age group are considered elderly people who need financial support. Such a possibility can be offered by reverse mortgage. The main objective of the paper is to assess consequences of financial decisions made by elderly people illustrated by the example of capital release by means of reverse mortgage, and to indicate whether such mechanisms are efficient and provide an appropriate level of financial support.

Research purpose: The main objective of this study was to assess consequences of financial decisions of elderly people illustrated by the case of capital release by means of reverse mortgage, as well as to indicate whether such mechanisms are efficient and ensure an appropriate level of support life.

Methods: The authors make an attempt to evaluate to what extent values of monthly payments obtained for the period of ten years from reverse mortgage in such Polish cities as Warsaw, Cracow, Gdansk, Poznan, Wroclaw, Lodz might ensure an achievement of minimum subsistence level. As the hypothesis for empirical verification, it was assumed that potential ten-year monthly payments obtained within equity release in a form of reverse mortgage ensures an achievement of minimum subsistence level for one-person pensioner households. In order to calculate estimated payments from reverse mortgage, an account of terminated allowance was used. To make the assessment, the potential amounts of reverse mortgage benefits were compared with the indicator of minimum subsistence calculated in 2018 for one-person pensioner household in a property located in a city of above 500 thousand residents.

Conclusion: The results obtained show that reverse mortgage is a service that works best as an instrument supporting a household budget with additional money, not its basis. It can be concluded that regardless of whether a senior citizen (a woman or a man) is 65 or 75, they will obtain a benefit within the framework of ten-year reverse mortgage in an amount exceeding a minimum subsistence figure if they possess a property of the area of 60 square meters in Warsaw, Cracow or Gdansk. Besides, a level of minimum subsistence will be achieved in case of a woman signing a contract at the age of 75 and living in Wroclaw as well as in case of a man between 71–75 with a property in Poznan and a man between 68–75 with a property in Wroclaw. However, regardless of a senior’s age (between 65–75) and gender, a minimum subsistence level will not be exceeded if a flat is located in Lodz.