Tag Archives: Advice

Harp, which stands for the “Home affordable refinance program,” was put together by the federal government in March of 2009 to help homeowners whose property values had fallen “underwater,” in other words, below their current mortgage balance. The current program allows a customer to refinance a mortgage that is up to 125 percent of the value of the property. It also has easier credit restrictions and in some case easier income restrictions. The current program was projected to help 2 million borrowers, but to date has helped only 800,000, falling far short of expectations. The new Harp program, which is …

Illinois has adopted changes to the Power of Attorney Act, which raise the following questions: How does it fit into you senior estate planning and Elder Law needs? How does it fit into your asset protection plan for long-term care? Introduction In 2011, the Illinois legislature created major changes to the Power of Attorney Act. The changes took effect July 1, 2011. There are two types of powers of attorney, healthcare and property. Powers of attorney for healthcare and powers of attorney for property are written instructions that enable you to transfer decision-making authority from you (the principal) to a …

Thinking about buying a home can be a little intimidating, this being one of the largest purchases of your life. Looking at the big picture can help reduce that sense of intimidation. The first thing you have to do is make a list of “Must Haves” and “Plus Haves.” Your “Must Haves” might include three bedrooms, 1 bathroom, a fenced yard, etc., and your “Plus Haves” might include an attached garage, a finished basement or other things that you might be able to live without. The most important factor in your decision will be location. This often drives your search …

This is an election year, and a hot button political issue for both parties has been the status of illegal immigrants. This is certainly not the first time this issue has been a point of debate among the politicians. Our immigrant ancestors were also the subject of debate many decades ago! After World War I, many refugees left war-torn Europe for a better life in America. They were unable to come here during the war and now they were determined to get away from their destroyed towns and start over. After many came here, the government, bowing to political pressure, …

Hi, my name is Renato (Ron) Ricchio and I am the new mortgage columnist for Fra Noi. I am the one of five sons of Francesco and Annunziata Ricchio, Calabrese immigrants who came to the United States in 1963. My parents have been a tremendous inspiration and role models for me and my brothers. The righteousness and integrity that they lived by and taught us are priceless gifts that shaped our lives. I am a 1991 De Paul graduate with a B.S. in finance. Finance has always amazed me, and I’ve wanted always to be involved in some capacity. I …

Like many Fra Noi readers, my parents came from Italy (Rende, Calabria). When I was growing up, I was surrounded by parents, grandparents, and many uncles and aunts. This is a privilege that few cultures cherish as much as the Italian Americans. Because respect for elders was something that was impressed upon us at such a young age, it was not very difficult to feel responsibility for the seniors in our family as we all grew older. I suspect that has a great deal to do with why I find myself in the practice of elder law today, or as …

Hi. I’m Giuseppe Zerillo and I’m Fra Noi’s new real estate columnist. Born and raised on the Northwest Side of Chicago, I learned my work ethic from my mother, who taught me to work hard, treat people fairly and always put others before myself. She used to tell my sisters and me while growing up that “People who work hard while their hair is still dark will not have to work as hard when it turns gray.” How true is that! I work for Gateway Realty & Builders, the first and only company I have worked for since I’ve been …

The journey from Italy to America is most likely the most important part of the lives of our immigrant ancestors. It is certainly a major part of their history, and we need to understand as much as we can about those several weeks in their lives. In the past couple of months, we learned a lot about their experiences aboard ship and at Ellis Island. We learned some tips on finding their passenger list at www.ellisisland.org. Now that we found it, what do we learn from it? Please keep in mind that the older the passenger list is, the less …

Last month, we discussed the procedure our immigrant ancestors had to go through to get off the ship and be released from Ellis Island. This procedure varied at other ports but was similar. By most estimates, 2 percent of the immigrants who entered Ellis Island were forced to return home for health reasons or because they failed the mental aptitude tests or for various employment reasons. During World War I, it was difficult to travel to America, mostly thanks to the new U-Boats that were sinking ships around the coasts of Europe. By the time World War I ended, many …

Last month, we went through some of the decision processes our ancestors went through to make the great trek to America. One of the most important parts of our family history is to understand why our grandparents left their home and everyone they knew and came across the ocean to a place that was entirely different. Most of the Italians who came to America did not leave Italian farm work for American farm work. This is especially true if they were heading for Chicago. Leaving one farm for another didn’t make sense. They barely had enough money to get aboard …