The study looked at how older households' wealth changed from 1983 to 2004. During the housing boom, older households' overall wealth increased, not just from their homes but also from other investments. Even though house prices went up, older people took on more mortgage debt and used the money for other investments. They found that older people can only access a small portion of their home's value through reverse mortgages, especially when they are younger. This means that older people may have less money to spend than they think they do.