U.S. News &amp; World Report - Despite being financially stressed and worried about retirement, homeowners, by and large, continue to see their homes as a roof over their head and not a key financial asset that may improve their retirement prospects. According to research by the Society of Actuaries, only about 20 percent of homeowners plan to use their home equity to help finance retirement. Of those who do, few have thought about tapping their home's value and simply plan to sell it to generate retirement funds.