Still Clickin

You can have an American Express card and “never leave home without it.” Or you can have a Master Card because its “priceless.” To me, I think my local library card is worth more.

While Google, which is as close as your keyboard, has replaced the library as the first place to start research, your local library also has a fair amount of information and resources readily available. Unlike Google, it offers a tactile experience as you peruse the stacks in an area of interest that might have just occurred to you. For example -

• SIC catalogs for businesses
• Consumer Reports archives
• Numerous magazine archives
• Today’s newspapers, as well as last week’s
• How to manuals on innumerable topics
• A wide range of entertaining fiction
• Informative non-fiction
• DVD’s of a variety of movies and documentaries, and recently
• Downloads of recent publications for your Kindle, etc.

Of course, if you do have a Google itch that you must scratch, computers are stationed there just waiting to address that need. And for these computers, someone else worries about maintaining the anti-virus software. You don’t have to.

Our local library not only offers all these treasures, it provides quiet, comfortable niches in which to nestle and enjoy. Often, it can seem like a little vacation just to stop by for a couple of hours, browse for awhile, discover a new book or author, and park in an easy chair to devour the first few chapters. Our local library may not serve coffee, but one cozy corner does even boast a fireplace.

All these treasures, both near at hand and free. Your local library truly is a treasure. If you want a treat, discover it again this week.

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It seems like five minutes ago that digital photography was the new, expensive kid on the block. Now, digital is mainstream and film photography is becoming the oddity. As for cost, $10 bought me a small digital camera for my grandchildren six months ago, and incredibly, it is still working.

Digital cameras have matured. No longer do manufacturers promote MP, i.e. megapixels, as the be all and end all of quality. They have grown beyond that superficial measure, as noted by the press. Reasonable cameras now are available at a wide range of prices, and their operation has become simpler. There are cameras that anyone can operate.

There are a number of very good digital cameras that you can truly point-and-shoot. The biggest negative difference from film cameras is that there is a slight shutter delay of a second or two between pointing and shooting. The biggest positive difference is that you can see your picture right away and delete anything you don’t like. Overall, you travel home with better pictures of treasured memories.

Finding your camera might require a little research, but there is a lot of information waiting for you. For example,

• The Camera Buying Guide by Consumer Reports is a good place to start.
• CNET provides a wide number of reviews on individual cameras, including the point-and-shoot variety.
• DP Review is more for the hard core enthusiast, but their tracking of the best sellers and individual camera reviews can help prevent surprises.
• Steve’s Site also has helpful reviews of specific cameras.

After you do your research, go to the store and feel them in your hand. You may find that a highly rated camera is uncomfortable for you to hold or too bulky for you to carry. You’ll definitely miss the shot if the camera is home in the drawer.

Once you have your camera, you have more choices for your memories than you once did.

1. If you are adverse to computers, you can bring your chip to any number of drug and discount stores for printing, just like in the old days. There are no negatives, but you can still store your photos in the albums or shoe boxes you prefer.
2. If you do use computers and email, you can immediately share the photos by -

• directly attaching them to emails, or
• posting them to one of the many photo sharing sites like Flickr, which is free, or Kodak Gallery which charges a fee.

Once you have had a lot of fun using the camera for a few months, go back and read over the directions once again. You’ll be surprised at all the features it offers. I’ve done that review a few times, and I’m still learning. It may be a bit of a challenge, but the memories you capture are more than ample reward.

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A few years ago, when my son was in college, he took a pick-up job at a telemarketing firm selling magazine subscriptions. His description of the job was telling. He would walk in, sit at a table lined with telephones and computers, log in, and then wait for the computer to connect him to his next prospect. Whenever his sales pitch led to an order, he would get up, reach over, and ring the brass bell.

After a couple of months, his conscience started to bother him. He felt he might be selling things to people who didn’t need them and may not be able to afford them. Although the extra money really helped, he quit. He didn’t want to be part of that operation.

The blunt truth is that people who try to sell you things over the phone are NOT your friends. They simply want to ring a bell.

Now, however, the situation has gotten much worse. Thieves are out there trying to get enough information to steal from you. Some may operate in the states, but others may be connecting to you from overseas. Moreover, if their computer reconnects through a 900 number, YOU are paying for the call.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself.
*First, register your telephone number with the Federal Trade Commission’s DO NOT Call Service. This service removes your number from the lists of most tele-marketers. If you don’t wish to use the link or do not have an email address, you can register by phone at 1-888-382-1222. You should register all your phone numbers, but especially cell phone numbers.
*When you pick up and hear the dead silence of a delay (the computer is transferring the call to a worker), hang up. The computer won’t mind. It will dial the next number on its list.
*If an actual person is on the line asking you to do some sort of business, simply respond that you don’t do business, ANY business, over the phone. Tell them to mail you their request. If they do not already have your address, it is NOT a valid request.

On a telephone or on a computer, it is quite easy to mask the identity of the source. They can say that they represent some wonderful charity, or are simply trying to help you with your interests, but you have no way of validating that information. Even if it is a charity I know and the person sounds genuine, I do my business via the mails . . . NEVER over the phone.

Recently, my wife got a new cell phone with a new number. We registered the number with Do Not Call right away. After a couple of months, she started receiving computer calls from a “lawyer’s office that wanted to talk to her about a very important business matter.” Using Google to research the phone number of the Caller ID, we learned that it was a scam. I simply reported the number to Do Not Call, and they never called our number again. It works!

It is a shame that there are so many scams today, but that is the world we live in. As a consequence, “I never do business over the phone.”

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Since last observed, Reverse Mortgages have experienced some changes.

The fundamental idea hasn’t changed at all. Financially, you are making a bet that you are not going to leave your house for a nursing or funeral home before you have received enough payments to equal the value of your home. The government-approved bank is betting that you will.

Since our last look, the rules have changed a bit.

• The qualifying age, 62, is still the same. At 62, however, you’ll only receive about 30% of the qualifying amount of the home while a 95 year-old could receive 80%.
• The maximum amount that you can receive, which can vary based upon your geographic location, was increased from $417,000 in 2008 to $625,000 for 2009. Next year, it’s predicted to decrease because of the loss of home values.
• The origination fees that you can be charged have been capped at $6,000.

Despite these changes, the principles haven’t changed.

• Because this type of transaction entails a risk for the bank, you will never get the full value for your home. The best way to achieve that value is to eliminate the risk, i.e. to actually sell your house on the open market. Then, you can move into a smaller home or a rental property and pocket the difference.
• These transactions entice seniors because it means that they do not have to move out of the familiar, old homestead. To combat that obstacle, however, start looking at travel brochures. You would be able to pay for a VERY nice vacation with the money you would otherwise abandon through this transaction.
• Those people for whom this is a suitable transaction, should NEVER mix it with other investment transactions, e.g. annuities, funds, etc. These different transactions should be evaluated independently and on their own merits.

If you are still tempted, you MUST do your research. For starters, review -

• A Description of Reverse Mortgages
• AARP’s Guide to Reverse Mortgages
• Government Reverse Mortgage Guide from HUD
• Consumer Law’s Tips for Seniors

Once you’ve learned a bit more about reverse mortgages, read the recent Report by Consumer Law entitled, “Subprime Revisited”. If that is too detailed, at least read the Consumer Reports Article. Both review the current marketing practices being used by lenders today. The conclusion is BEWARE.

After all the research, ask yourself the same question that Clint Eastwood would ask. “Do you feel lucky?”

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