Surprise! Your home may be costing more than you think.

It’s a common belief that owning a home is an investment, but the reality is otherwise. While the national year-over-year appreciation rate of 14.5% (as of April 2021) may seem high, this figure includes both areas where housing prices are skyrocketing as well as regions where appreciation is relatively low. Once you add the costs of owning a home—mortgages, taxes and home repairs—into the equation, the actual appreciation rate of the average home barely matches the inflation rate. So, for many people, their home not only isn’t an investment, but, depending on the never-sending cycle of home maintenance costs, it may end up being a money-losing proposition. 

Om Podcasten

Whatever life after 50 looks like to you, thinking about money in retirement shouldn’t keep you up at night. We’re all dealing with the big questions about money and aging: How much you can really spend, how to invest your life savings without risking it all in the stock market, and should you sell your home and downsize? Then there’s the biggest unknown: how much health care you’ll need, and whether your savings and insurance is enough to cover the costs. This is personal. These topics may not be easy to talk about with your own family. That’s why nationally known personal finance experts Terry Savage, Richard Eisenberg, and Pam Krueger and are here to open up the dialogue so you can learn how to define your retirement and deal with your money on your own terms. These three friends think, write, and speak about these issues. And now they’re joining forces to give you the benefit of their experience, wisdom and advice in their new podcast, Friends Talk Money. Each week Richard, Pam and Terry will discuss a different piece of the retirement pie. Everything from Social Security and Medicare to investing and cash flow management is on the table, with practical, common-sense advice on how to deal with these and other challenges. But don’t expect cut-and-dried answers. These friends have strong opinions, and aren’t afraid to debate the pros and cons of their friends’ recommendations. But what you will walk away after each episode is a greater awareness of the retirement planning issues you’ll need to address with the help of your family, friends and financial advisor.