138 Uptown Newsletter May 2016 bw


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MAY 2016

Beware ReverseReverse-Mortgage Ads impression that reverse mortgages are a government program. In reality, reverse mortgages are offered by private companies and consumers should proceed with Reverse mortgages allow home great caution. The government’s owners age 62 and older to involvement is quite limited. borrow against the value of their Ads often gloss over the fact that homes without any repayment reverse mortgages are loans loans that being required until they move out, charge interest and fees just like s e l l t h e h o m e o r d i e . other loans. Instead, these ads Unfortunately, some companies might make these mortgages seem that offer reverse mortgages put like bank accounts—an asset you c o n f u s i n g , i n c o m p l e t e o r own that can be easily tapped. inaccurate statements in their ads, Some ads stress that reverse making these already complex mortgages have no fixed monthly financial instruments even more payments, fostering the impression difficult to understand. that the homeowner need not Ads often refer to reverse mortgages as “government“government backed” or “government“government-insured.” The ads might cite government agencies such as the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) or prominently feature US government symbols, creating the

makes some consumers think that they won’t have to pay property taxes. But “tax-free” just means income taxes are not due on money borrowed. That’s not really much of a selling point—income taxes generally are not due on money received from other types of loans, either. Ads often claim that “you can stay in your home as long as you want” or even that “you cannot lose your home.” In truth, you could lose your home if you fail to pay your property taxes or fail to comply with reverse-mortgage terms that might be buried in the contract’s small print.

m a k e a n y h ou s i n g - r e l a t e d payments. In reality, the borrower must maintain the home in good repair and pay real estate taxes and insurance premiums.

Source: Stacy Canan, deputy assistant director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Office for Older Americans, Washington, DC. Ads often refer to reverse ConsumerFinance.gov mortgages as “tax“tax-free.” This

Restaurant Calorie Bombs Restaurant meals may contain more than a day's worth of calories (without drinks, appetizers, sides, and dessert), says a Tufts University analysis of 364 independent and small-

chain dining spots. The highest-calorie eateries were Italian (1,556 per meal, on average), Chinese (1,478), and those serving American-style cheeseburgers and rib-eye steaks (1,451). Greek, Japanese, and Vietnamese meals averaged 984 calories or fewer.

Source: Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, online, Jan. 19, 2016.

Once again it is May when we observe two very important occasions. Memorial Day, which will be observed this year on Monday, May Dr. Jerry Shapiro 30th, is a day to remember all the men and women who have fallen while serving in the country’s armed forces. This should be a time to reflect on just how fortunate we are as compared to many others around the world who don’t get to enjoy the same freedom and liberties as we do in our wonderful country.

Let’s Talk

Just a few weeks prior to Memorial Day, on Sunday May 8th, we celebrate Mother’s Day. This is the day in which we honor the mother of the family as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. Did you know that more than 40 other countries have a similar day to honor mothers as well? We at Uptown try to do our part to honor these special ladies… For Mother’s Day we are here to help you honor your mother, mother-in-law, wife, daughters, daughters-in-law or anyone else you wish to acknowledge for having that “motherly touch” that can brighten your day. •

We will have an assortment of unique gifts. The store will be stocked with the gifts that have made us famous in the downtown area plus many new items for you to peruse. Our

gift department staff would be happy to help you select from our diverse inventory. •

Don’t forget to get the right card! As always, we are certain that you will find that special card to accompany any gift.

A success story…we take great story pride in the health betterment of our customers and love to hear feedback. One of our customers whose husband was physically debilitated started taking one of our newer items—Methylated B-12. Now, after taking it regularly, he is walking measureable distances. The wife then decided to try taking some herself and has shared that she is “feeling like a youngster again”. (Please note that for these supplements to work, you need to have a deficiency of B-12, which many of us do have.) Better physical and mental health certainly allows us to have more daily enjoyment. I hope you and your loved ones are celebrating good health. If not, and thoughts of better health are always on your mind, it is possible that you are not able to focus on fulfillment of daily moments. We urge you to take good care of your physical condition by not overindulging, eating healthy and taking the nutritional items that will enhance your good health. If at any time you have questions about what else you might be able to do to improve your condition or what products are available that you might not be aware of, do not hesitate to call us. Our Pharmacists are here to serve you and provide valuable professional input. Please don’t let any condition be undiscussed with your physician or

one of our Pharmacists. Unless severe, some suggestions can be quite simple and would only require some modifications in your lifestyle. Our goal—always—is to improve your quality of life! Have a great month and I look forward to writing about travel next month.

Secrets of avoiding long airport security lines Do not travel on Friday afternoons— lines usually are longest between 4 pm and 8 pm local time. Instead of spending $85 for TSA PreCheck (TSA.gov/tsa-precheck) to get through lines quickly, pay $100 for Global Entry (CBP.govl travel/ trusted-traveler-programs), which includes Pre Check status plus easy entry into the US from abroad. If you are based at one of 13 US airports offering the Clear service (ClearMe. com), consider spending $179 a year for it—instead of waiting for an agent to scan your boarding pass and ID, you go to the Clear kiosk and scan your fingerprint and then use your smartphone to scan your boarding pass. Then a Clear agent escorts you to the screening machine. Become an elite flier—or upgrade to one by buying a highercost seat, which sometimes lets you use shorter elite-flier security lines. If you must use the regular line and the line is long, ask if there is an alternative entry point with a shorter line.

Spring is a great time to brighten up your home with houseplants. What? You have a brown thumb? Try again with these hardy from plants that require little care. Select from Devil’s ivy, spider plants, snake plants, corn plants, Chinese evergreens or begonias. Occasional watering is all you’ll need to do! •

Hints

JoAnn



A new bottle of nail polish is a fun way to brighten your day. When you’re ready to try it, get out the petroleum jelly. Here’s why…when you open a new bottle of nail polish, put a thin coat of petroleum jelly around the bottle’s neck to prevent it from sticking all the other times you’re going to use that polish.



How to have a neater manicure: Before you polish your nails, use a cotton swab to apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the skin around your nails. That way, any polish that misses your nails won’t stick to your skin.



Store tomatoes with stems pointed down and they will stay fresher longer.



When cooking carrots, peas, beets or corn add a small amount of sugar to the water to keep the flavor.



When making scrambled eggs for a large crowd, add a pinch of baking powder and 2 tsp of water for each egg to make your meal go even further.

E-Mail Info

Ball point pen stains can be removed by using hair spray. Let the hair spray dry and wash. E - m a i l • For long-term storage of eggs, providers crack open the eggs and add such as individually to an ice cube tray. Gmail and When completely frozen, put the Yahoo Mail egg cubes in a sealed freezer bag scan every word you write, and they and use as needed. sell the information to advertisers. • To prevent pasta from boiling over Although no humans read the text, and sticking together, add some and your name and e-mail address are butter or oil and salt. Always add not identified, a software program the pasta to the water after it has searches for keywords and compiles boiled, not before. data for sale. It’s called contextual ad • Encourage your family to eat lots targeting. You have to agree to this more vegetables. The kids may say practice to be able to use these eyuk (!) because they aren't sweet mail services, but that policy is or salty, but try adding a touch of hidden in the small type. And if you brown sugar to their favorite reveal private information in your veggies and warming them in the e-mails—for instance, that you plan microwave for a few seconds. to get divorced—you and other Cover the plate loosely with plastic people who share your computer may wrap to help the veggies steam see ads for such products or services and soften… The kids will wonder as divorce attorneys in your browser. why they taste so good. Shhh, it'll If these policies make you uncomfortable, try Microsoft be our secret! Outlook or Apple Mail instead. Although they reserve the right to scan your e-mail, Microsoft does not target ads to you based on your eYour snoring could be mail content, and Apple doesn’t make caused by nasal congestion due to allergy, nasal e-mail information available to thirdpolyps, or a deviated septum. Less party advertisers. common culprits include an underactive thyroid or upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS), which can make you work harder to breathe during sleep. Try simple steps first: Sleep on your side and avoid alcohol close to bedtime. If you smoke, quit, and try to shed extra pounds. If you're congested at night, over-the-counter nasal strips may help. If not, ask your doctor whether you might benefit from occasional use of a steroid nasal spray. •

Do You Snore?

Tomato juice relieves menopause symptoms Recent finding: women who drank about seven ounces of unsalted tomato juice twice a day for eight weeks reported a 16% improvement in flashes, fatigue and irritability. Reason for the improvement: tomatoes contain lycopene and gammaaminobutyric acid (GABA). Lycopene reduces stress, and GABA helps ease hot flashes.

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Very Useful Websites

Extra savings for going green: Stateby-state guide to rebates, tax credits and other incentives for installing energy-efficient windows,doors, refrigerators, washing machines, etc. DsireUSA.org DsireUSA.org

Bereavement assistance: Search by Study of 93 women by researchers at state for support groups, kids' camps Tokyo Medical and Dental University, and other local resources that help Japan, published in Nutrition Journal. people cope with grief. Also includes links to national organizations and reading lists for different age groups. M o y e r F ou n da t i o n . org/nbrg Sometimes the smallest things can trip up a person or allow a tragedy to happen. And many times keeping your family safe is a matter of taking a few minutes to check for household hazards and change a couple of batteries. Here are five things to do before lunch today:

5 ways to make your house safer

• Check the smoke detectors and replaced batteries, if needed. • Inspect stair treads and railings: tighten loose ones. • Do a quick check under sinks and remove any hazardous materials that a family member might swallow. Do the same with medicine cabinets where curiosity could get the better of a child. • Look around for frayed electrical cords and unplug any you find. Also, remove cords that are located where they could trip up a family member. • Check lights in stairs and hallways, replacing any burnedout bulbs (preferably with low-energy but long-lasting fluorescent bulbs). Plug in those nightlights you bought but never removed from their packages.

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