Historically speaking, homes lag far behind common stocks when it comes to asset appreciation. They're reliable nests, but unreliable nest eggs. But they have merit: You can withdraw retirement money from the accumulated value of your home by using a home equity loan or reverse mortgage.

According to expert research, the compounded return from stocks has steadily outpaced investments in real estate. One study found that a dollar invested in stocks in 1963 would have increased, on average, to more than 12 dollars by 2006. Meanwhile, the same dollar would have grown to less than two bucks if invested in a typical single family home.

Your house as your bank

For most people, the biggest investment they'll ever make is the purchase of a home. Because an inordinate amount of our money is tied up in the house we live in, we wind up banking on our home as the primary source of our future retirement savings. About 20 percent of Americans between the ages of 55 and 75 plan to use home equity to help fund their retirements, and many of them expect to sell their homes in order to capture that equity. Others don't want to sell, though, because moving into a new home is costly, inconvenient, and creates a host of other logistical problems they don't want to deal with during their retirement years.

Tapping into your cash cow

If you're wondering how to make the best of this situation, two solutions are recommended:

1. Home Equity Loan: Tap the value of your home without having to sell it by taking out a home equity loan. Once you have the cash in hand, you can put it into higher-yield investments. You pay interest on a home equity loan, but it will most likely be tax deductible. At the end of the year, you'll get a discount on your taxes, which can add a substantial boost to your bottom line.

2. Reverse Mortgage: If you prefer to use your home's equity to fund your monthly overhead with a steady stream of cash, consider a reverse mortgage. These loans allow older homeowners to get paid for the equity in their homes via monthly installments. Instead of you paying the mortgage company, they pay you. The reverse mortgage is a cash advance on the equity in a home, paid in monthly installments (plus interest) to the owner.

Closing costs are involved when establishing a reverse mortgage, but you don't have to qualify for the mortgage because the title doesn't change hands, and there's no such thing as default or foreclosure because the homeowner makes no payments. Reverse mortgage income is tax-free, and you can't be forced to sell or move, which helps to protect home ownership.

Before determining which retirement scenario is appropriate for you, consider all your assets and options. A home equity loan or reverse mortgage may be the perfect solution to help you comfortably retire with a little more gold for your golden years.