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There are three phases of planning for your retirement, and each requires different tools. Estate Planning and Long Term Care Planning are ongoing processes that should begin early in a person’s life. Your estate planning documents should adapt in the face of challenges that arise through aging, changes in your financial situation, or changes within your family. As estate planning attorneys, we see three major phases in the estate plan process: the maturing years, the senior years, and the post-death years. Each of these phases has a different focus, and, therefore, requires different documents. In this article, we will guide …

  As the British “invaded” America’s rock ’n roll scene from 1964 to 1967, many American bands emulated the mop-top style of music just to keep up. But when I asked Felix Cavaliere why his Young Rascals really didn’t have that style mixed in with their repertoire, his answer was quite interesting. “If you really look at it, the guys from England were trying to be American,” he said. “The Stones and the Beatles have both said that they were really influenced by American Blues, especially by the hometown boys of the Blues by you in Chicago. They were also …

While attending the recent funeral of Erminia Frigo, I was viewing the photo boards on display when one of the pictures took me by surprise. The photo was of a few people standing across the street from the old St. Anthony’s church in front of Pat & Matt’s newsstand, soda shop and bar. There in the background stood Christi Silvestri. I had not seen or thought about Christi since the 1960s, when I graduated from St. Anthony’s. However, I do remember Christi from my many trips after 9:00 Mass to Pat & Matt’s, where Christi stood out at 6’3” and …

The weather is starting to change and for now you may not be thinking about this — but months pass quickly and you may feel an itch for a vacation home before next summer. Still there are many differences between purchasing a primary residence and a vacation home. One of the most important issues will usually be the cost: Always stay within your budget. This is even more key if this is your first attempt at a second property. I always recommend that a buyer contact a loan officer if they are not paying cash. This will help a buyer …

I remember the good old days back in the 1990s (yeah, those are MY good ol’ days!) when the only data you could search was on a CD ROM and you could only search for the exact name you wanted. Since all of our ancestors were fluent in English and could spell and pronounce their names perfectly, and the clerks at the County offices and census takers could understand them and write with flawless penmanship, there was no problem. Ok. You can tell by now that I’m kidding. It took awhile for some of the genealogy web sites to use …

In today’s real estate market, there are several major hurdles that homebuyers must surmount if they want to be happy with their final purchase. A knowledgeable team will smooth the path and keep you from stumbling along the way. A serious buyer in today’s market must stay on top of the new homes that come out, since thousands come out daily. A qualified real estate professional will get to know exactly what you’re looking for, then call, text or email you the moment a likely prospect comes on the market. But communication is a two-way street! Make sure you get …

At the time of this writing, mid-June rates are holding at a level that is lower than what I expected. The 30-year rate is currently at 4.125%-4.250%, the 20-year is at 3.875%-4.000%, the 15 year is 3.250%-3.375%, and the 10 year is at 3.000%-3.125%. That is lower than when we started the year, when rates were.25%-.375% higher across the board. That’s surprising because the Federal Reserve has been tapering their bond purchases by $10 billion per month since the beginning of the year, that move was expected to drive rates higher. Why do we think the opposite is taking place? …

It’s been too long since I’ve extolled the virtues of Family History Center and given the low attendance at many of them these days, maybe it’s time to do so. Family History Centers are open to anyone, no matter what level they may be in their research. They are affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly known as Mormons), and most of them are located in church buildings owned by them. Please be assured, however, that you do not need to be a member of their church to use the Family History Center. Please also …

In 2014, it is expected that Gov. Quinn will sign into law three new bills affecting seniors: First, there will be a revised power of attorney for healthcare document. This new power of attorney form is quite controversial. While it appears to be shorter than the original power of attorney, it lacks some of the options for end-of-life decisions that are in the current version. There are those that feel the new power of attorney is an improvement and others that feel it is not. Perhaps time will tell. Second, there will be new legislation addressing abuses in the caregiver …

Today we explore the basics of genealogy software. We need a place to store, organize and reproduce the work we have done. Using pencil and paper can get complicated and messy, and unless you have a Xerox machine in your house, it’s hard to make copies for anyone. We talked about the basics of using genealogy software in the last column and most genealogy software programs are pretty similar. Each one does specific tasks that differ and the screens don’t look alike, but for the basics the screens are pretty close. I will use Family Tree Maker as my example …