The

survey,
conducted
in
December
by
bipartisan
pollsters

Echelon
Insights
and

GBAO
Strategies,
collected
responses
from
nearly
2,600
voters
ages
50
and
up.

It
found
that
women
ages
50
to
64
are
especially
anxious
about
their

economic
security,
a
concern
that
extends
to
long-term
retirement
planning.

More
than
half
of
women
surveyed
are
unsure
whether
their
savings
will
last
in
retirement.
Among
those
50
to
64,
two-thirds
express
uncertainty
—
compared
with
half
of
women
65
and
older.

Short-term
financial
stress
is
also
significant,
with
more
than
40%
of
the
survey
group
reporting
that
they’re
unable
to
cover
a
$400
emergency
without
borrowing
or
tapping
into
retirement
savings.

Women
worry
that
a
struggling
economy,
rising
costs
and
uncertainty
over
whether

Social
Security
will
cover
expenses
could
put
a
comfortable
retirement
out
of
reach.

More
than
80%
expect
Social
Security
to
provide
income
in
their
60s,
and
nearly
30%
anticipate
it
will
be
their
only
source
of
income.

Health
care
costs
dominate
worries

Stress
over
health
care
costs
outranks
other
financial
concerns.

Only
45%
of
women
in
the
50-to-64
bracket
strongly
or
somewhat
agree
they
can
afford
medical
expenses.

Many
have
already
made
tough
choices,
with
38%
of
women
in
this
age
group
skipping
medical
care
due
to
costs.
Women
65
and
older
are
slightly
more
confident
due
to

Medicare
coverage,
but
more
than
one-quarter
remain
uncertain
about
affording
health
care.

Older
women
are
more
likely
than
men
to
provide
unpaid
care
for
adult
relatives,
with
37%
of
women
50
to
64
and
42%
of
women
65-plus
reporting
caregiver
duties.

Caregiving
often
comes
with
financial
sacrifices,
with
nearly
40%
providing
some

financial
support
to
adult
children.

Reverse
mortgages
reflect
demographic
trends

Amid
these
concerns,
the

reverse
mortgage
landscape
continues
to
evolve.

Federal
Housing
Administration
(FHA)
data
shows
the
Home
Equity
Conversion
Mortgage
(HECM)
program
predominantly
served
single
female
borrowers
in
fiscal
year
2025,
making
up
41.1%
of
all
endorsements.

Across
all
borrowers,
the
average
age
rose
slightly
to
about
75.
Reverse
mortgage
volume
rose
in
2025,
with
28,172
HECM
endorsements,
although
that’s
less
than
half
the
total
from
three
years
earlier.
The
FHA
attributes
the
drop
to
higher
interest
rates
and
more
stable
home-price
appreciation.