Linda P. Erickson Linda P. Erickson, CFP®, is the president of Erickson Advisors and a registered principal offering securities through Cetera Advisor Networks, LLC, 336-274-9403 lindae@ericksonadvisors.net. There is an old story that moves around town about the ex-wife and her travels. It seems that when Mr. Right decided she was Mrs. Not-So-Right, he divorced her and married a younger, [...]
When asking consumers if they were financially prepared to pay the funeral expenses of a loved one, a recent National Foundation for Credit Counseling (NFCC) online poll revealed that an overwhelming 83 percent either were not prepared to take on the financial responsibilities of a funeral or had no idea what a funeral costs. “Today the average cost for expenses [...]
By Jean C. Setzfands, vice president of the Financial Security team in the Education and Outreach group at AARP Joyce H., a 59-year-old unemployed grandmother raising four grandkids, could barely believe her luck. A London barrister had emailed her, claiming to have finally located her, because he was administering the will of someone who was distantly related to her. After [...]
PBS kicked off coverage of long-term care in America in June with a segment that will be the first in a series of videos on this critical element of aging with dignity and independence. The following is information from that series. 1. You are not alone Today, there are nearly 67 million people in America providing assistance to a spouse, [...]
1. Frequent “close calls” (i.e. near accidents). 2. Dents, scrapes, on the car or on fences, mailboxes, garage doors, curbs etc. 3. Trouble judging gaps in traffic at intersections and on highway entrance/exit ramps. 4. Other drivers honking at you. 5. Getting lost. 6. Difficulty seeing the sides of the road when looking straight ahead. 7. Slower response time; trouble [...]
SHIIP Winners: (l-r) Ed Regan, Dyana Morgan, SHIIP Deputy Commissioner Van Braxton, Joe Buckner and Jeannie Schepisi accepting award on behalf of Carmen Long Four statewide awards from SHIIP, the Department of Insurance’s Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program, were presented April 18 during the North Carolina Association on Aging conference in Raleigh by SHIIP Deputy Commissioner Van Braxton. • SHIIP [...]
Home Equity Conversion Mortgages (“HECMs”), usually called reverse mortgages, allow seniors to convert part of their home’s equity into cash, into a line of credit or both. Therefore, HECMs provide cash for immediate needs and access to additional funds, when required. The line of credit is one of the premiere features, because: • Available (unused) funds grow tax free at [...]
The FHA’s HECM for Purchase program is designed to help seniors purchase a new primary residence. It may double their purchasing power, minimize their down payment, and eliminates required monthly mortgage payments. Yes, a HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage) is a reverse mortgage, but unlike their common uses (e.g. to refinance a home or make ends meet) a growing number [...]
By Allen Johnson, Editorial Page Editor, in the News-Record Still thoroughly confounded about the state of health care reform in the United States? A good place to start for common-sense answers is T.R. Reid’s brisk and engaging best-seller, The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper and Fairer Health Care. First published in 2009, this book essentially is [...]
Remember when your children were little, and they came down with the flu? You lovingly nursed them back to health. You cared for them through colds, the measles, and chicken pox. You kissed their boo-boos and bandaged scraped knees. After all, that’s what parents do. Today your children are grown, probably married with families of their own. They may have [...]
