Moving Forward
Embrace the Unanticipated Changes Ahead By Steve Irwin, President, National Reverse Mortgage Lenders Association
“Because things are the way they are, things will not stay the way they are.” —Bertolt Brecht, German theater practitioner, playwright and poet
AS WE COLLECTIVELY anticipate another great year, we continually work to manage our businesses, our opera- tions and our lives so we might find stability. We anticipate and prepare for the strong headwinds we might face. We diligently strive to manage the future through robust analytics and our collective relevant experiences. Naturally, we desire consistent and predictable out- comes. These desires often prove to be futile, however. Of course, we need action plans and contingency plans. This is the responsible and prudent way to operate. We must also collectively recognize change is coming. We can’t control change, and we can’t always predict it. Chaos happens, and we need to anticipate it. We need to look forward to changes that unexpect- edly get thrown our way and embrace them when they happen. We must prepare to be as nimble as possible and mitigate those previously unknown risks. We must understand how unanticipated change impacts our teams, our families and, importantly, the customers we serve. Then, we get to work, adapt, execute and come out stronger. So, we already know the coming year will see changes to our regulatory environment, to the dynamics of the
secondary markets and to the evolv- ing technology we all employ. As I write this column, I don’t know what these specific changes will be, but I do know that change is coming to our critically import- ant marketplace. There are also changes com-
Steve Irwin
ing our way that none of us can anticipate. There will be changes that NRMLA and its membership will lead. There will be changes that we all cause and will do our best to prepare for. I look forward to the opportunity to be creative and innovative in handling unknowns and dealing with situa- tions that need quick reactions. I eagerly anticipate advocating for our members in light of these unanticipated changes. I embrace the opportunity to further our cause as a membership organi- zation that advances the need for responsible retirement financing and supports the mission of enabling older homeowners to safely age in place. I also look forward to celebrating with you all as we come out the other side of those unanticipated changes. We deserve to take a breath, reflect on the outcomes and ask ourselves: What’s next? Onward.
4 REVERSE MORTGAGE / SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2024
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