Columns

  We Far South Siders know a good reunion when we see one and this summer was no different. More good times were shared by people taking advantage of the opportunities to attend an array of reunions. Not only was there a major one in Pullman but a number of the Cook County forest preserves were reserved for Roseland / Pullman / Kensington and Fenger confabs. Once again, the Annual Pullman Family Reunion Picnic was the most well-attended. In fact, it was the picnic that drew the most varied group of picnickers. I would go so far as to say …

  I have received quite a few e-mails about familysearch.org, thanks in large part to the number of columns I have written that tell you all to use it. Although the site is relatively simple, there is a lot going on in it, and the most frequent question I am asked is “How do I get started?” Step one is to set up an account. If you’re LDS, set up your account by clicking “Are You LDS?” “Yes” and using your LDS membership number from your ward clerk. If you’re not LDS, just create an account on the site by …

  In Part I, we discussed getting Dad on Medicaid. Now that Dad is on Medicaid, we can shift our focus to Mom because after all these years of taking care of Dad, her health is failing. Let’s further assume that Mom is still in the home that dad transferred to her and the kids have been doing the following two things to keep her in her home: first, delivering care to her individually as in-home caregivers, and second, lending Mom money so that the real estate taxes and upkeep on the home can be paid. Now let’s assume Mom …

  When selling your home, you only have one chance to impress a buyer. Many times, a buyer will not return due to an issue that can easily be resolved pre-hand. Don’t lose a potential buyer for something that can be easily corrected. The first thing a buyer will notice with the very first step they take into your home is the aroma of the air inside. Cigarette smoke inside of a home can be an immediate turn off. The smell of the smoke could attach itself to your walls and carpeting, forcing a buyer to repaint the home or …

  What did we do without the internet? For those of us who began our genealogical journey before Ancestry.com, familysearch, fold3, and even Google (they refer to this era as B.G.!), we remember the days of having to find information by checking one location at a time. If we needed to find where someone was buried, and we did not know which cemetery, we had to visit many different cemeteries one at a time. We could call them too. If we didn’t know what town in Italy someone was born in, we had to order film one town at a …

  “The British are coming! The British are coming!” Those are the immortal words that Paul Revere’s called out in 1775 as the British troops were coming arrest Samuel Adams and John Hancock. But in 2016, the British are leaving, the British are leaving. Leaving the European Union. The Brexit vote that occurred in June surprised many in the financial services industry, with experts anticipating a vote that would leave Britain in the European Union. This spooked the equity market, triggering a 900-point drop in the two days after the vote. But the equity market’s loss was the mortgage market’s …

  Let’s assume that Mom and Dad are still living at home with round-the-clock care. After a number of years, their asset spend-down will be enormous. Now let’s assume that the parents have spent all their money on round-the-clock care and the children are digging into their retirement savings to cover the costs. Let’s also assume that their home won’t sell quickly, as is often the case in today’s market. This is a predicament that weighs heavily on both generations of family members, both financially and emotionally. Is there another alternative? Yes, there is another alternative. The first step is …

  When it comes to writing this column, I am sometimes at a loss for a topic and then, I receive a gift of buona fortuna. That’s what happened this month. On a Wednesday, my buddy Ed Wolak and I decided to try out the $8.95 Italian Feast Buffet at Carlo Lorenzetti’s. On the following Sunday, I was invited by my friend Johnny Aver to be a guest at the annual Treschè Conca San Luigi Gonzaga luncheon at Lorenzetti’s. The next Tuesday was the last Tuesday of the month, which most every Roselandite knows is Spaghetti-O’s Tuesday at Lorenzetti’s. That …

  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 …