Introducing the Mastermind Consortium

Welcome to the Mastermind Consortium for Tax, Silver Divorce, and Retirement Cash Flow Solutions

Thank you for visiting our Retirement Income Forum , a resource for professionals — and their mature clients, navigating life transitions, such as splitting assets when divorcing later in life, losing income from a spouse’s passing, encountering enormous spike expenses due to care needs, buying out a sibling to keep the family home, and seeking to optimize liquidity and lifestyle throughout their retirement years.

The Consortium is a team of highly experienced professionals who work closely to solve complex financial problems for older adults. In addition to expertise in their individual specialties, Consortium members efficiently collaborate when needed to create better outcomes particularly for intricate situations. The Forum is an online collection of some of their knowledge.

The Founder

As a dedicated Home Equity Retirement Specialist for over two decades (since 2003), I have worked closely with a wide range of professionals: financial advisors, attorneys, CPA’s, enrolled agents, fiduciaries, public guardians, aging and adult services, caregiving agencies, and real estate professionals — in California and across the United States.

Due to my specialty in helping older homeowners with their retirement cash flow and liquidity needs, I have guided clients through the full spectrum of complex problems, like:

• Equity Buyouts in Silver Divorce
• Equity Buyouts when Settling Estates
• Paying for Care — their own care at home, or a spouse’s needs in a care home
• Refinancing a HELOC or conventional mortgage they can no longer afford
• Downsizing to a more appropriate home for aging — or to be near family and grandchildren for a better quality of life
• Deferring or eliminating capital gain taxes, and an endless number of additional tax planning scenarios.
• Elder Law consulting by a Marin County Super Lawyer

I have co-authored numerous articles and provide continuing education classes with national experts on topics relevant to tax, pension, and retirement income planning. These include Sequence of Returns Risk, Silver Divorce, RMLOC as a Buffer Asset, Cash Flow Management during the Decumulation Phase.

I have also written about ways to protect the assets and lifestyle of Americans born from the early 1900s to the mid-century — and recently, to those born during the Summer of Love — reverse mortgage minimum age has been reduced from 62 to 55 years of age on the proprietary reverse mortgage HomeSafe loans.

About the Retirement Income Forum

It has been a goal of mine for more than a decade to provide one place for my partners and clients to access a group of specialty resources and academic research on topics important to older citizens.

At the Retirement Income Forum, you have access to a plethora of tools designed to help homeowners, and those seeking homeownership, live their best life — later in life.

Material is organized according to the audience to make it easier to find articles that may interest you, your colleagues, or those you serve.

At the Forum you’ll also find:

Upcoming Webinars: Don’t miss our free events

Silver Divorce Classes: Click here to learn about the Silver Divorce classes that I am collaborating on with my colleagues — Actuary Peter Neuwirth, FSA, FCA and Barry Sacks, PhD, JD, Reverse Mortgage/Retirement Portfolio Longevity Expert

CE Courses: Our two-hour continuing education program, entitled Using Housing Wealth and Qualified Retirement Benefits to Facilitate Asset Division in ‘Silver Divorce, is approved by the California State Bar as a presentation for two hours of MCLE. It is also approved by the Certified Financial Planner Association as a Continuing Education class for CFPs and other financial professionals. Click here to learn more!

The Retirement Income Forum is for you: If you are hosting an event you think others should attend, if you run or admire a non-profit organization that we should promote, or have written important articles about the value of reverse mortgages, silver divorce, Medi-Cal, or other topics relevant to Boomers and Seniors, please reach out so we can discuss how to best share and add to our site. I created the Forum so your voice can be heard.

Let’s work together:
I am your guide and resource on reverse mortgages. Housing wealth is the largest retirement asset for most Americans entering the “Distribution Phase” of life. Home equity is a key factor and often the only source of tax-free “income,” whether being used:

as a Buffer Asset to protect their securities portfolio during market volatility,

to mitigate the devastating financial effects of a client’s divorce near or after retirement, or

paying for care for oneself or for a loved one.

One example is one of the biggest shock waves affecting retirees today mortgages and HELOC’s resetting to a new, higher monthly payment. The proper guidance can help retirees solve this — and other cash flow crises without having to sell their home if they are not ready to make a move.

Let’s collaborate and brainstorm to find the best solution for your client in need.

I look forward to connecting with you!

In health, Mary Jo

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Listen to the podcast

September 2023: Join us for "Plan For Divorce: Your Next Chapter" with Brooke Benson - Asset Division in Silver Divorce: What You Need to Know

Click here to listen.