Columns

On December 13, the Fed raised its benchmark rate for the third time this year, this time by a quarter point to 1.5 percent. This is the rate that banks charge each other when they borrower money from each other. Banks raised the prime rate on the news from 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent. The prime rate is a variable rate that controls home equity rates, car loans, commercial loans and credit cards. The Fed decided to increase rates because of a solid economy that has been running at very low employment. In early December, it was reported that the …

Last month we looked at birth certificates and what you can learn from them. This month, we follow with marriage licenses and death certificates. Why do we cram two types of documents into one column? Well, frankly, the Cook County marriage license has so little data that it would be the world’s shortest column! The fact is that Cook County created a format for the marriage license in 1871, and at least as of 1964 the format was relatively the same. The paper is split into two halves. The top half lists the name of the groom and his age, …

Every year when February rolls around, memories of Cupid, Valentine cards, childhood memories, loves lost and won, and family and friends who are no longer with us all come flooding back. Back in 1966, the group The Association came out with the song “Cherish” and in my humble opinion that word has never been given its due. Say it a few times slowly, deliberately, until you feel it. That’s the feeling we Roselandites get when we think of our formative years. Not only do we cherish each and every one of those years, but also each and every memory we …

If your home hasn’t had a facelift in a while, you should take a long hard look at it before putting it on the market. Many times, homeowners will update their kitchen or bathroom as a way of breathing new life into your property and increasing its value. But there are a few steps you need to take before applying hammer to nail. First, take a step back and evaluate the spaces you have. Have a plan in place prior to starting: Draw or diagram out your room showing where everything will end up. Many times, your local big box …

Federal Reserve Chairwomen Janet Yellen will be ending her term in February of 2018, and she should be handing the gavel over to our new chairman, Jerome Powell, who was nominated by president Trump. Bond and stock markets welcomed the nomination as Powell is seen as having a very similar leadership style to Yellen, who was dovish, meaning that they are less inclined to raise rates. Powell had been on the Federal Reserve’s board of governors since 2012 and studied at Georgetown Law and Princeton. Raising rates faster than the markets would prefer could jeopardize our economy’s health and could …

When starting our research, most of us were eventually given guidance by experienced genealogists. At least I hope we all were. A lot of my earliest work came from interviewing living relatives, because I had to ask them for the names of their brothers and sisters, and then the dates of birth and death. I learned early on that once their sister has been dead for 30 years, it was not on the tip of their tongues what her birthday was, having not celebrated it for so long. When they listed their siblings for me, they almost never mentioned any …

As one year passes and another approaches, it’s once again time for a “look see” at what has gone by. When I mentioned the topic to someone, I was told “Oh, nothing has happened during this past year.” Of course, to my way of thinking that definitely presented a challenge. So, then, I ask that you bear with me as I roll through the aging Rolodex of my mind. Occasionally, you might find me stuck on one Rolodex card and having a tough time getting to the next topic — but, I’ll turn the card eventually! Some may consider working …

That’s a huge question, especially for buyers who are looking to close at a specific time. Whether the end of your lease or the start of the school year is looming, this can be a time-sensitive issue that will need to be managed. Usually you can expect your home-buying process to take three to four months. With a timetable like that buying a home clearly should never be an impulse purchase. Here are some stages you can expect to pass through on your way to ownership. Your first step is to contact a lender regarding a pre-approval letter if you …

The Federal Reserve kept rates steady in September but announced that it would begin to reduce its massive $4.5 trillion balance sheet of bonds. The Fed began buying mortgage and treasury bonds in early 2009 in an effort to artificially push interest rates down to help stimulate an ailing economy. This went on until December 2013 with a few pauses in between. The Fed’s balance sheet was roughly $800 billion at the time, so they have accumulated $3.7 trillion during that time period. The Fed announced in October that it would begin buying $10 billion less in bonds per month: …

Shakespeare asked, “What’s in a name?” but we should be asking, “What IS his name?” Recently I have been going through a lot of Cook County birth and death certificates, and it reminded me that people don’t always carry exactly the same name from birth through to death. We are all aware of the problems researchers in encounter because women tend to take the names of their husbands when they marry. But traditionally in Italy, women used their maiden names throughout their lives. It is easier to deal with looking for the birth of Anna Volpe in 1822 and the …