Everyone who believes the advertisements for reverse mortgages that say they can stay in their home as long as they want to needs to know that may not be true.

The current ads, in my opinion, are misleading. I’ve tried to get them to amend the ads to say not everyone who signs a reverse mortgage can live in their home as long as they want.

It depends on how young you and your spouse are and whether you both sign the reverse mortgage.

It depends on how much money you get for signing a reverse mortgage.

The money you get may run out while you and/or your spouse are still alive and well.

If only one of you signs a reverse mortgage, the survivor may be forced to buy back the house, pay off the mortgage — or pay rent or leave.

If either or both of you sign a reverse mortgage, but the bills are not paid up, you can be forced to leave your home.

I advise everyone to think before signing any reverse mortgage. Signing may lead to nightmares later on instead of providing future security.

Once “bagged and tagged,” additional information may be taken too lightly by homeowners anxious to get what appears to be future security.

In my opinion, homeowners are taken advantage of by inviting ads that appear to solve their financial problems.

If these are government lending programs, I question our government’s failure to be up front in ads to say “not everyone maybe able to stay in their homes as long as they want to.”

If you are 62-70 and appear to be in good health, you and/or your spouse could outlive the money you get when you sign the reverse mortgage.

As the saying goes, if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. And, homeowners could lose big time.

Essie Golden, Bingham