As we often point out in these pages, the business of selling reverse mortgage loans is unlike any other. HECM specialists need not only to understand the ins and outs of a complicated financial product, but they must also keep up with constant regulatory change. And because the clientele comprises seniors who are making life-altering financial decisions based on the use of their home equity—a sensitive topic for many who have spent years working to pay off a mortgage—reverse professionals must have an enormous amount of sensitivity and compassion.

In this issue of TRR, we asked a dozen reverse professionals working around the country why they do what they do. Many cited the HECM’s unique ability to provide a sound solution to an increasingly common concern among many of today’s retirees. Several mentioned how moved they were when witnessing firsthand how a HECM changed a client’s life. Nearly all expressed a firm belief in the product’s potential to help a sizable percentage of the population find security in their later years. While the job of a HECM professional can no doubt be challenging, it is these weighty factors that keep many in the business doing what they do.