Columns

The Fed meets every six to seven weeks to discuss monetary policy with regional representatives called Fed presidents. They gather with Fed chairwoman Janet Yellen to discuss and vote on whether to raise or lower rates, or keep them the same. On March 16, the Fed met and took a softer tone on raising rates this year. After a historic interest rate rise in December — the first in nine years — the Federal Reserve initially estimated that it would raise the federal fund rate four more times in 2016 because it thought that the economy would be strong enough …

Spring is here and the flowers are blooming and homebuyers are out in force. Many times, it’s not only the gorgeous views from your balcony or the large backyard that sells your home. Let’s make sure your home has the right features on the inside and out so it doesn’t last long on the market. Bear in mind that you only have one chance to make a potential buyer fall in love with your home. Pretend you are a buyer and walk in the door. Would you want to view it if it was on the market in the condition …

In the previous section of our 10 part series, we talked about preparing and filing the Medicaid application. Once that application is filed, a new challenge will present itself. One or two months after the submission of the application to the Department of Human Services, the approved representative for the Medicaid applicant will receive a call from either the DHS caseworker or the caseworker for the Office of the Inspector General, depending on where the application is being audited. The approved representative will then be asked to submit additional documentation that the caseworker feels is necessary to complete the application. …

Stop in any chain grocery or “super” store, and among the many departments to choose from you’ll always find a “killer” in-store flower shop. Cute little bouquets with sprigs of green and sometimes even baby’s breath are often available. Maybe not too many flowers in the bouquet, but just enough to warrant the $5.99 price tag. Of course, you have the option of buying the $9.99 bouquet with a few more flowers and a wider array of colors. These are your floral options today, but what about the traditional options that these options have “killed” off?” Before there were “floral …

Such a simple phrase for a never-ending trip down memory lane. Throughout the years, Roselandites have entrusted many nostalgic items to me in the hope that they will find a permanent home in a display of some sort. I think it is time to celebrate some of these items by discussing them in my column. Whenever one of us kids would ask, “What’s the phone number?” our mother or father would yell out “It’s in the book!” Of course, the book they were referring to was the local phone book that was about the size of a half of an …

It doesn’t always take a home inspector to find the problem points on a property that you’re looking to buy. Many times, all it takes is a keen eye during your first walkthrough. Before you leave for the walkthrough, grab that old pair of binoculars, and start on the outside of the home you’re looking it. This will help you get a closer look at the roof. Are the shingles worn or missing? And how is the concrete around the property? Is it broken or cracked? Does it pitch towards or away from the foundation of the home? The latter …

The Medicaid application process involves many steps generally described as follows: 1) Projecting Medicaid eligibility by categorical reference 2) Establishing eligibility based on countable assets and exempt assets 3) Determining income eligibility 4) Establishing the treatment of transfers and penalty periods that are result of the Medicaid applicant’s history 5) Anticipating whatever estate recovery and lien rules there may be and then applying them. Illinois Department of Human Services and Healthcare and Family Services websites have a list of documentation that applicants are to gather. For example, you’ll need to provide 60 months of statements for all accounts, copies of …

  Most of the time, my columns are designed to give advice on how to find genealogical records and work with different web sites. Unless something new is released, there is rarely an element of timeliness to what I write. If you find an Italian record now, ten years from now that record will be the same. Since Fra Noi is a monthly publication, it’s lucky for me that I don’t have to worry about being “up to the minute”. The only problem is that when web sites change quickly, I have no way to rush that information to you. …

    Minimizing the cost of long-term care requires a strategy that takes into account the intricacies of estate planning and government benefits, and the strategy you chose depends on the mode you’re in: Preplanning, Wait-and-See or Crisis. Preplanning can be done when there is no imminent threat of a long-term care. Wait-and-See Mode exists when there is a diagnosis but the senior will not be leaving home in the near term. Crisis Mode occurs when the senior is either in or soon to be in a nursing home. In Preplanning Mode, because time is on our side, we can …

  This has been a challenging year so far for the financial world. With stock indices down close to 20 percent and with oil dropping to its lowest level since 2003, mortgage rates have remained unexpectedly low. The economy reported a weak 4th quarter reading for GDP (Gross Domestic Product) and the February jobs report showed that job creation was below the pace of previous months. With world economies still showing signs of weakness, the Fed, which has stated that they would like to raise rates four times this year, have begun scratching their heads. Fed Chairwoman Janet Yellen recently …