Written by Harlan Accola, as originally published in The Reverse Review.

In our profession we are often tasked with overcoming the uninformed opinions of our clients’ advisors—the Realtors, attorneys, CPAs and trusted family friends they have enlisted for help. Too often, these advisors harbor misconceptions about reverse mortgages that lead them to discourage the client from pursuing the loan.

When placed in this situation, it is easy to blame the advisor. Avoid this trap! The problem is not the advisor—it’s me, it’s you, it’s the industry. Yes, the advisor should have done their research, but every loan officer out there must take it upon themselves to spread the good news about reverse mortgages and correct misinformation in the marketplace. We know many advisors still think of reverse mortgages as a loan of last resort. We must give them the information that changes that!

The facts are on our side. The research proves how sensible it is to take a reverse mortgage early, regardless of your financial situation, to lay the groundwork for a better and safer retirement. We must become teachers. We must supplement the scholarship and press with stories of how we have helped people in various ways—making the most of their Social Security benefits by delaying their withdrawal, avoiding the sale of stocks in a down market, saving a life insurance policy that was going to lapse or reducing the tax burden for IRA distributions.

Every week, let’s make it a point to have an appointment with an attorney, financial advisor or another professional in the aging-in-place community. If 500 reverse professionals saw one referral partner each week, we could collectively connect with 26,000 professionals. If each referral partner worked with 50 clients, we could potentially touch the lives of 1.3 million clients in one year.

I recently spoke with an agent who owned a property and casualty practice and an insurance firm for 40 years and had hundreds of clients. In his career, he only spoke to one person about a reverse mortgage and he quietly admitted to me he told them not to do it. But he was willing to meet with me. After an hour, he had a completely different take on the program. In one short meeting, he became convinced of the power of reverses and was encouraged to spread the word among his many clients.

Taking the time to connect with other professionals will help correct the misinformation in the marketplace. We have a duty as reverse professionals to spread the word about how a HECM can be used to ensure a successful retirement. If we communicate clearly and with sincerity, we can make a substantial difference in the lives of millions of seniors.