Columns

Well, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac promised the world and delivered far, far less. Finally released in March, the Home Affordability Refinance Program (HARP) was supposed to facilitate refinancing among borrowers who are “underwater” (when the home is worth less than the outstanding mortgage). What we are seeing is that, unless you can walk on water, it will be hard to qualify for these loans. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have said that they will purchase these loans from banks, but not all banks are welcoming the program with open arms. Banks are saying that these loans are risky and …

t’s important to know the distinctions between dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The number of individuals diagnosed with dementia and Alzheimer’s is rising, but understand that the terms are not synonymous. In brief, dementia is a syndrome, or group of symptoms, that causes loss of intellectual function, and usually progresses over time. Alzheimer’s is the leading cause of dementia and the one we hear about the most. In other words, not all people who are diagnosed with dementia have Alzheimer’s disease. To explore it a bit further, consider that, according to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, dementia is …

I cannot tell you how many times sellers focus on the inside of the home while neglecting the outside. Do you know how often buyers don’t even want to walk inside because of that? It is estimated that 90 percent of buyers start their search on the internet, and after seeing photos of the outside of the home, they do not want to see it in person. A seller should first walk outside, stand in front of their home, and pretend it is not their home while asking themselves the following questions: * What would you not like about it? …

It’s fitting to focus this month’s article on a personal friend of mine who truly needs no introduction in the city of Berwyn or the Chicagoland Italian-American community. My “someone you should know” is community leader and funeral director Joseph Russo, who is realizing a longtime dream of opening of his own funeral chapels. I’ve personally known, trusted and admired Joey for more than 25 years, so I’ll start from the beginning. Throughout our high school years, we were the ultimate Italians (not your Jersey Shore wannabes). We were proud of our heritage and we had to profess it with …

The Federal Reserve recently announced that it is going to keep short-term rates low until the end of 2014. This reflects an effort by the Fed to be more transparent with Wall Street as well as the American people In the past, the Fed has not been so open with their direction, but with the problems that our economy is facing, as well as the austerity problems that are occurring in Greece, Italy and Portugal, they are trying to keep the markets calm and rates low in the hopes of spurring the economy. What does this have to do with …

If you’re thinking about buying into a Continuing Care Retirement Community, you need to weigh your options carefully. The new Illinois Medicaid law that went into effect on Jan. 1, 2012, dramatically changes the treatment of entrance fees. Continuing Care Retirement Communities (CCRCs) are communities that provide a full continuum of care for its residents. They have flexible accommodations designed to meet their residents’ health and housing needs as those needs change over time. They offer independent living, assisted living and nursing home care, usually all in one location. As a requirement for admission to most CCRCs, residents are required …

Many analysts suggest the financial crisis in the United States began in September of 2008, and since then there have been more than 3.2 million homes foreclosed on, with Illinois having one of the highest rates in the country at 5.4 percent. Investors looking to take their cash out of a low-interest savings account and purchase income property could potentially come out ahead with a foreclosed property. They can be very lucrative investment, but buying foreclosed homes is not for everyone! Many foreclosures have been abandoned by the previous owners and could have major damage to them. Bear in mind …

Last month, we looked at the peculiar problems of finding the marriage dates and marriage records of our Italian relatives. Since we keep better track of birthdays than anniversaries, we don’t always have the paper trail among our own records and photos to find the wedding dates of our grandparents, aunts and uncles. The Italian records are quite complete, and for the most part couples married in the town where the bride’s father lived, so even if that wasn’t the birthplace, it wasn’t far away. But when you’re looking for the marriage of a couple in America, it’s not nearly …

As a young boy growing up in an urban environment, green space was always hard to come by, especially when our backyard looked like a vineyard and giardino that would make the Green Giant jealous. In the front of the house, we would play “Running Bases,” or get 20 kids from the neighborhood together for “Relievio,” during which we would play hide and seek with a jail set up on my stoop, and hope that the other team didn’t yell “Olly Olly Oxen Free Free Free” before the game would be called due to darkness. So when my parents wanted …

Ok, you can stop crying now. I know our emotional families cry at weddings. As a genealogist, I only cry when I can’t find a marriage date! It is one of the tricky pieces of information to unearth, with its own special brand of problems that we must be prepared to deal with. The three most basic pieces of genealogical information are the birth, marriage, and death dates. Birth and death are easier to find, because there are better clues. We remember celebrating birthdays with relatives. A milestone birthday party is usually very memorable, so our photo albums give us …