Columns

  Ever since its première at the Teatro San Carlo on Sept. 26, 1835, “Lucia di Lammermoor” has held a firm position in the standard opera repertoire. For one thing, it’s Gaetano Donizetti’s greatest musical masterpiece, chock full of brilliant pieces from beginning to end, all brightly colored by the composer’s creative orchestration. For another, the text was very cleverly adapted by Salvatore Cammarano, whom Verdi declared to be the best librettist in Italy, from the 1819 novel, “The Bride of Lammermoor” by Sir Walter Scott, himself no slouch when it came to spinning a tale or turning a phrase. …

  Many of our clients come into our office with trusts. Most of the time these trusts are what are called revocable living trusts (RLTs). Bluntly put, these types of trusts offer no asset protection whatsoever, even though seniors often assume otherwise. Only certain types of irrevocable living trusts (IRTs) provide asset protection for long-term care. If drafted properly, IRTs may be considered a gift by the senior to the beneficiaries, and thus removed from the senior’s estate permanently. If, however, the senior has any access to principal in the IRT, then the IRT will not provide any asset protection …

  If you’re a first-time buyer or you’re upgrading to a new home, here are several steps to prepare yourself for the journey. It’s never too early to start doing your research and plan accordingly. Whether it’s via the internet or by taking a late night drive through a desired area. Some websites sites, including mine, offer buyers detailed information on school districts, taxes, dining, parks, and much more. Also make sure to assemble a capable team that includes a Realtor, loan officer and attorney, along with a home inspector. A Realtor can assist you in finding homes along with …

  The Federal Reserve decided to leave rates alone at their mid-June meeting, citing a very weak jobs report in June and downward revisions to the two previous months of job reports. The Fed raised short-term rates in December of 2015 for the first time in nine years because economic data indicated that the economy was finally on the mend. The guidance that the Fed gave at that time was that they were planning on raising rates four times this year at a pace of a quarter of a point per raise. The statement that the Fed made after the …

    It’s a good thing when I get to start yet another column with the above headline. I have some new tips for those of you who may be frustrated a little with how it works. First of all, familysearch has released a lot of new Cook County births in the past few weeks. They have most of the births indexed from 1878-1933 so far, and they plan to extend that to 1940. There are some suburban Cook County births already indexed up to 1938 (Evanston, Oak Park, Melrose Park etc.) but almost no Chicago from 1933-1940 as of …

  I just love going to Nashville. I mean, for the most part, it’s really like you would think it would be … almost a “Hee-Haw” parody of itself in some ways. The touristic sections are filled with cowboy hats and boots, Grand Ole Opry concert replica posters everywhere and scores of Garth Brooks wannabees walkin’ the streets with six-string guitars over their shoulders. But it surely does have its own magic, and if you keep an open mind, you don’t have to be particularly partial to country music to appreciate the historic nature and the sincere warmth of the …

  This has been a very busy year so far for Pullman, with ceremonies, celebrations, tours, national competitions, and approval of and arrangements for new business developments and new construction. By the end of 2018, the largest building in the Pullman National Monument Park will be the Whole Foods Retail Distribution Center building, at 140,000 square feet. As with many new projects in Pullman, the efforts of the Chicago Neighborhood Initiatives have once again proven productive. The building will be located just north of the Methods products planet-friendly soap factory, which is situated across from the Police Station on 111th …

Last month we had the proverbial “brick wall”. To recap, I was helping my friend’s sister to trace her lineage beyond the grandparents who were all born in Italy. None of the records in Chicago listed the town of birth of any of them, and the family could not remember the names of the towns. All she knew was that her father’s parents were from Naples and the mother’s parents were from Sicily. None of the four grandparents became citizens so there was no naturalization petition to work with. So where do I go to find the birth towns if …

Many of our clients seek to stay home for as long as possible, without entering an assisted living facility. This is perfectly understandable, and we use our firm’s skills to allow them to accomplish this objective as long as they can remain safe in their home. However, sometimes in order to remain at home, seniors will look for in-home assistance. We see three circumstances in which this can be dangerous for the senior. First, not enough care is being delivered. Occasionally, a senior may believe they only need someone to do a little shopping, cooking, and cleaning for them. However, …

Purchasing a home can get a little intense, especially if you are a first-time buyer. Between looking at homes online and reading design magazines, you pretty much know what you want your next home to be like. But be careful what you wish for. You may just regret wanting it to begin with. Let’s start with size. Everyone wants a big beautiful home, but do you really need it? Remember, the bigger the home, the bigger the heating and cooling bills will be as well. Along with that, cleaning the place could take forever! Instead of extra bedrooms that you …