What’s Really Fraying Older Homeowners’ Confidence — and Who Is Hit Hardest

A new nationwide survey highlights gaps in retirement confidence among Americans age 55 and older.

For two-thirds of US homeowners aged 55 and older, inflation has become the biggest financial strain heading into late 2026, outweighing healthcare expenses, property taxes and home upkeep by a wide margin, according to new research from Longbridge Financial, LLC, a nationally licensed reverse mortgage lender based in New Jersey.

The 2026 Longbridge Financial Home Equity Confidence Index, conducted by Morning Consult among 2,021 homeowners age 55 and older, found that 67% of respondents pointed to inflation and the rising cost of living as a major concern. That was 24 percentage points higher than healthcare costs, which ranked second at 43%.

Property taxes and home maintenance were each cited by 38% of respondents, while homeowners insurance was named by 26%.

Overall, 90% of those surveyed said they faced at least one of the financial pressures measured.

Confidence about the future remains limited. Only 28% expect their financial situation to improve over the next 12 months.

Meanwhile, 44% think things will stay about the same, and 23% believe their finances will worsen.

The results come at a complicated time for the reverse mortgage industry. According to the National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association and RiskSpan, senior home equity in the US has reached $14.92 trillion, underscoring how many older homeowners may hold substantial paper wealth even as everyday expenses continue to weigh on confidence.

Chris Mayer, chief executive officer of Longbridge Financial, said the top-line inflation figure only tells part of the story.

“The topline inflation number is important, but I think the more revealing story is what sits underneath it,” Mayer said.

“The financial pressure we're seeing among older homeowners isn't uniform. When you dig into the data, you see that confidence looks very different depending on household income, and women are reporting greater concern than men across several financial pressures. That matters because the averages only tell us so much. If we want to understand how older homeowners are really feeling about their financial security and retirement, we have to understand who is feeling confident and who is facing more uncertainty right now.”

Income differences show the widest divide in retirement confidence

Among homeowners age 55 and older earning $100,000 or more a year, 76% said they feel confident about their long-term financial security. That compares with 58% for those earning between $50,000 and $100,000, and just 39% for those earning less than $50,000, a gap of 37 percentage points.

The widest split appears when it comes to leisure and travel in retirement: 79% of higher earners said they are confident they can afford those expenses, compared with 36% of those in the lowest income group, a difference of 43 points.

Women express higher concern on several financial pressures

The index also shows steady differences by gender. Home maintenance produced the largest gap, with 45% of women calling it a major concern versus 31% of men.

Women were also more likely than men to cite inflation as a concern, at 69% versus 64%. The same pattern appeared for homeowners insurance, at 29% versus 23%, and debt payments, at 24% versus 20%.

“The differences by income and gender add important context to the overall findings,” Mayer said.

“Confidence in long-term financial security varies considerably by household income, while women report greater concern than men across several of the financial pressures measured. Looking beneath the topline numbers helps us better understand the different financial circumstances older homeowners are navigating.”