Columns

  2015 was a rather unfortunate year for genealogists. Although a lot of new data was made available on Ancestry.com and familysearch.org, two major genealogy software programs were “retired.” In the middle of 2014, Wholly Genes Co. announced that they were discontinuing their flagship program “Master Genealogist.” They ceased support Dec. 31, 2014. In December 2015, Ancestry.com announced that they would no longer sell Family Tree Maker software as of Dec. 31, 2015. They also announced that they would cease all support for Family Tree Maker on Dec. 31, 2016. This announcement came rather suddenly and caught the genealogical community …

  The first determination in selecting a facility is to realize whether a facility is required at all in order to deliver the long-term care that the senior needs. Families should ask, “Can our loved one live at home with in-home care? Are there any alternatives to institutionalization, such as daycare? Private duty nursing care?” The answer to these questions is based on medical decision. If a physician indicates that institutionalization is required, then another set of questions needs to be asked. For example can care be delivered in: Independent living? Assisted living? Supportive living? (Note: Supportive living is similar …

  2016 should prove to be a good environment for mortgage rates. With the Feds’ first interest increase behind us, mortgage rates really have not moved much. The stock market, which has had its worst start in years, is keeping rates low. Usually when stocks suffer rates benefit from that. It’s like an hourglass. When you turn it over, the sand moves from the top to the bottom. The same goes for investment money. It usually flows from stocks to bonds or from bonds to stocks. Weakness in the China market, lower oil prices and a stagnate economy in Europe also have kept …

  Your home is on the market and you are cleaning and preparing it to look its best for any potential buyer who pays a visit. Your realtor has suggested an open house next Sunday and you are all for it. Open houses are an invitation to the public to walk into your home and view what you own as openly and freely as possible with only your broker there to watch, and with that comes a certain amount of risk. According to the National Association of Realtors, at least 40 percent of agents have experienced something which made them …

  Will Rogers, the great humorist of nearly a century ago, used to say “All I know is what I read in the papers.” This was his way of saying that he learned the truth from the newspapers, which was ironic even then. Just about every form of news, if properly scrutinized, has the potential for opinions that are stated as facts, misinformation, and plain old errors. So are our genealogy sources! All we know is what we read in our genealogy sources, and we have to learn which sources we can trust and which we cannot. Since we cannot …

  Back in December the members of the Veneti nel Mondo held their annual Christmas dinner at Villa Brunetti Banquets in Franklin Park. What it turned out to be was a fantastic reunion with many of my fellow traveler friends to the wonderful country of Italy. We were able to reminisce as we once again, tipped a few glasses of wine while enjoying a very good meal. Don and Maureen Peczek showed up with Don carrying a bag of hair hats for those that wanted to buy one. Don had started out on our trip wearing a “hair hat” which …

  Giuseppe Verdi’s “Nabucco” is one of the most significant works of art ever created. Not only is its impact historic in launching Verdi’s successful career as an opera composer and so decidedly affecting the direction of Romantic opera, but it clearly had a historic impact on Italy and European politics. Indeed, it is difficult to imagine what Europe might look like even today if “Nabucco” had not been staged at La Scala in March 1842. Perhaps the greatest miracle of “Nabucco” was that it was the work of a very troubled young composer — certainly a talented man, but …

  Why create an inventory of your assets for long-term care planning? Often we go to the doctor thinking, “I feel fine.” As you are aware, though, the doctor doesn’t simply take your word for it. Rather he or she will do a blood workup to see if he agrees with your assessment. The equivalent of a blood workup for legal and financial advisers is a thorough inventory. Some think that by listing assets on a piece of paper that they have created an adequate inventory of what their assets are. This list certainly is a starting point for the …

      A few years ago, I received a phone call from a cousin I had not heard from in some time. Some years earlier, this distant relative and I had been in regular contact while I was working with them on their branch of the family tree. They gave me the data on the descendants and photographs, so the tree would be up to date. I gave them ancestry going farther back than they ever dreamed. Then they called me years later to tell me that they found the same ancestry data on the internet and I should …

  The Federal Reserve finally pulled the trigger on raising a key short-term rate that will inevitably lead to increases in the rates for credit cards, car loans and home equities. This marked the first time in nine years that the Fed has raised rates and marks the end to near-zero lending rates to banks. What does this mean? Consumers will pay a little more on their loans and savers will earn a little bit more from the money that they have in the bank. The Fed is hoping to raise rates two more times in 2016, but said that …