Magazine Archive
Magazine Archive
The Cost of Waiting to Buy a Home
Spring is here in New England, which means the real estate market is in full swing. If you are a potential buyer or seller, there are real challenges to face: high demand, low supply, rising home prices, and rising mortgage rates. I’m often asked by home shoppers whether to buy a home now or wait until the market changes. Let's examine the cost of delay.
The Phases of Motherhood: As Your Children Mature, So Should Your Estate Plan
Mother’s Day is a time to celebrate mothers in all stages of their lives. From soon-to-be mothers to great-grandmothers, estate planning with asset protection in mind helps you support your children even after your death and helps ensure more assets are passed to the next generation.
A National Settlement Has a Local Impact on Home Buyers
Since my last column, there has been a major development in court regarding buyer agency agreements. Before I get into what’s happening with local housing inventory, here’s the lowdown on the landmark settlement.
Harriet Rogers Blazed a Trail for Women
“Did you ever think you’d come into a mess like this?” Harriet Rogers asks. Though I’ve only known her for about an hour, I’ve learned quickly that she is wryly funny.
Truthfully, this interview is a little messy. In the day room at Rockridge, the assisted living facility where Harriet has lived for the past 17 years, she holds court on the couch. Around the room, 3 generations of her family listen attentively, pass around old photos, share anecdotes or shout questions. The shouting is necessary because sometimes everyone speaks at once. They are thrilled to memorialize her, and they don’t want me to miss a thing. Her nieces Susan and Jackie Ahlemeyer sit to her right; Jackie’s husband Bill and brother-in-law Bill Klaes are in the back; and Jackie’s son Brian his kids Jackson, Charlie, Joey and Grace, who have flown in from California, sprawl on the opposite couch. There are countless others here in spirit.
Cultivating Financial Wellness
2024 can be the year that you feel better about your finances! As most of us are getting our tax returns ready, this time of year can be a great time to make or renew commitments to your overall financial well-being. Financial wellness is a measure of not just how well a person manages their money, but also how a person feels about their financial life. Improving financial wellness can be achieved through practicing better money habits, including setting goals and taking the necessary steps to realize them. The process also requires building financial literacy, an important piece of feeling more empowered in your relationship with money. Above all, it measures the ability to meet both your current financial obligations as well as achieve your goals and dreams.
As Banking Scammers Get Savvier, Here’s How to Stay Safe
Have you heard of phishing and smishing? These are the latest tactics deployed by scammers to trick you into sharing important banking information and online banking login credentials, or to get you to approve fraudulent card transactions.
Need an Incentive to Do your Taxes? You Can Upgrade Your HVAC System
Under the provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, homeowners can take advantage of tax credits to offset the costs of upgrading their HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems. These tax credits serve as powerful incentives, making the transition to energy-efficient HVAC technologies more financially feasible.
Laurel Boyd Lives to Dance
For Laurel Boyd, dancing was an awakening. While growing up outside of Boston, the studio was a refuge from the chaos that lived in her house. It was where she escaped, not just to a space but to a place inside of her that yearned to move. When she was 9, she found joy in jazz. Her teacher, a trained ballerina, was both elegant and boundless. “Part of me thought, ‘Maybe I can be strong and powerful and beautiful,’” she remembers. “‘Maybe I can be really excellent at something.’”
AI is not The Big Bad Wolf
In an era where technology continuously reshapes our lives, artificial intelligence (AI) stands at the forefront of this transformation. At the end of November 2022, OpenAI introduced ChatGPT to the public, spurring an AI boom. AI has now become an accessible tool for everyone, and companies across industries are rushing to release their own AI-powered tools, software and experiences. I get many questions about AI. Some people have shared concerns, and others have expressed optimism. For the curious and the weary among you, here are the basics to help you better understand modern AI.
Medigap Plans in Massachusetts
Understanding Medicare options can be challenging. In Massachusetts, seniors have access to 3 Medigap plans designed to fill the gaps in original Medicare coverage.
Monte Belmonte Gives Voice to the Community
Monte Belmonte has a great fake laugh. Ha-ha! “It sounds like a record skipping,” observes his 10-year-old, Pax. We’re at the Shea Theater in Turners Falls, where the longtime, bigtime radio personality and his family have been instructed to ham it up for the camera. On cue, Pax giggles infectiously. Monte’s wife Melissa, his 16-year-old Enzo and his 19-year-old Atticus are much quieter laughers, though all the kids are naturals on-stage. But while Monte made a name for himself on-air at Northampton’s WRSI “The River,” he never had to contend with the camera. He actually hates having his picture taken. But he loves being a voice for the community.
A Year in Review in the Happy Valley
Let’s start with the good news. Lawrence Yun, chief economist of the National Association of Realtors, forecasts that existing home sales will rise by 13.5% and mortgage rates will be in the 6% range in the Spring 2024 market. This will hopefully thaw our market a bit, bringing more housing options to hopeful homeowners. Yun also predicts that we will be in a seller’s market as long as inventory is low, which seems likely to remain the case in Massachusetts, where exacting building codes contribute to the high cost of new construction.
The Enduring Value of Asset Protection Trusts
Considering that almost half of marriages end in divorce, worrying over the possibility of an adult child's divorce is common for many parents. If you are a parent of two married children, there's about a 50 percent chance one of your children will get divorced. If you have three or more children, the possibility becomes even more likely. Statistics aside, if your parental instinct says that your child's marriage is in trouble, it probably is. While you can’t prevent a child’s heartbreak, you can utilize your estate plan to ensure financial turmoil doesn’t compound the anguish of a foiled “happily ever after.”
Candace and Raye Birk are Here for Family and the Theatre
Instructions for living a life:
Pay attention
Be astonished
Tell about it
- Mary Oliver
The scene played out so naturally, I felt like I was at the theatre. As I stood with the lifelong actors on their deck in late November, they were on a stage of sorts, responding to cues from our photographer so she could capture our next cover. Candace and Raye Birk leaned against the rail of their patio with their hands in their pockets; it was chilly, and the sun was on its way down.
Financial Resolutions that Stick
Like millions of Americans, you may have made a New Year’s resolution to get a handle on money – whether that’s saving more, tackling your debt, or planning to purchase a new car or home. When you are optimistic about a new year, it’s easy to have grand visions of how you will cut out every cup of coffee, cook at home every day, and break out a ledger or leverage a budgeting app on a weekly basis. By funneling this energy into a few hours of work, you won’t need to sustain that excitement for the rest of the year. Here are a few examples to help you meet your financial goals.
Here's to a New Year at Home
This is Northampton Living's fourth holiday season, and we are deeply thankful to the residents and businesses that have supported our mission: to put the community and residents on our covers, and to fill our pages with your stories.
We have a wonderful problem and would love your help with the solution. The response from the community has been overwhelming. To accommodate more of our uniquely uplifting content, we have already expanded our page count. To expand again, we need more business sponsors who believe in a positive, family-focused publication dedicated to Northampton.
Mischa Roy Believes in Magic
“Everyone has a connection to folk magic: It’s in your bones.”
Mischa Roy felt at home in the darkroom. Her parents’ photography studio had a built-in playroom, but she and her brother wanted to work. They need me, her brother would plead – anything to get his hands on prints. She watched her father manifest magic. She began to channel her own.
LED: The Energy-Efficient Holiday Light Solution for Bright Nights Everywhere
Bright Nights is an annual holiday event in Springfield that enchants visitors from all over New England with its dazzling light displays.
Have you ever wondered how much electricity it takes to power this event?
The Best Tech Gift Ideas for a Frustration-Free Holiday Season
The holiday season is here, and with it, the challenge of gift buying. Technology and gadgets are popular choices, offering an enhanced lifestyle and, hopefully, fun! But gifting tech can bring unexpected challenges.
But fear not! Whether you're a tech-savvy shopper or someone just looking to impress a loved one with a nifty device, this guide will help you navigate some of the most common tech frustrations and introduce you to gadgets that will leave your loved ones smiling.
Winter Wellness
We spoke with Dr. Jonathan Bayuk, president of Allergy & Immunology Associates of New England, about how to stay healthy this winter. As we head into the holidays, here are some tips.