TOP DRAWER INK NEWSLETTER

 

Here's the latest issue of Top Drawer Ink, the newsletter written by author HL Carpenter that's chock full of humor and common sense information.

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August 1, 2009
Volume 7, Number 15
ISSN 1554-6330

In this issue:

1. Carpenter Country
2. Top Drawer Article
3. Top Drawer Tips
4. Top Drawer Satire

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CARPENTER COUNTRY
What's Happening in Our Neck of the Human Experience

 

Here in Carpenter Country, the short one’s been thinking about selling her home and moving. Not that there’s anything wrong with the house she’s living in. Thanks to the guy who shares her space, it’s in good shape.

She’d just like to be closer to the ocean side of the state because she loves the sun and surf.

As she searched various east coast newspapers for re-sales, she found a variety of choices. Yet none produced an Ah, hah! moment until she came across an article about the home of the future.

It seemed such a house could be built anywhere and customized to the owner’s specifications.

Great!

The first thing she’d do is have it equipped with voice and facial recognition technology. That way her smart home would know who she was and she wouldn’t need a door key. One less thing to lose in the sand.

Interactive sensors could also be installed to provide weather reports for any surfside trip she might be planning. The bathroom would contain a medicine chest organized enough to remind her to put on sunscreen.

And how about a full length closet mirror ready to offer suggestions on which bathing suit to wear so she’d look slim and trim. Or a kitchen countertop touting picnic suggestions from ingredients already stored in the pantry. Even better - rooms that dust and vacuum themselves.

Too bad the concept is only a gleam in the eyes of a few forward-thinking builders. If such innovative housing were available today…

…we could all spend a lot more time at the beach.

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TOP DRAWER ARTICLE

Can You Afford a HECM?
by
HL Carpenter

 

What’s a HECM? It’s a federally insured Home Equity Conversion Mortgage sponsored by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development through the Federal Housing Administration. You may know HECMs better as “reverse” mortgages, a way for you to get a tax-free cash advance from the equity in your home if you’re part of the over-62 crowd.

Read the entire article here

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TOP DRAWER TIPS
Topics and Tidbits

 

Tip: The amount of money you can borrow with a reverse mortgage depends on the value of your home as determined by an appraisal, the age of the youngest borrower, and the cost of the mortgage. In addition, before you qualify for a reverse mortgage, you may have to make repairs to bring the home up to standards set by the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Glossary Term: Reverse mortgage. A loan you take out against the equity in your home to generate cash inflow. The loan balance rises as you receive payments and as interest is added to the outstanding amount. The mortgage must be paid back when the last surviving borrower dies, moves out permanently or sells the home.

Financial Horoscope: Reversals are often considered setbacks; changes for the worse, usually from good to bad. But think how much you’d miss out on if you couldn’t flip the coin over, make a u-turn, or do an about-face. Take a look at the progress you’re making toward your financial goals. Are you really headed in the right direction? Or is it time to alter your course?

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TOP DRAWER SATIRE

Milk of Amnesia
by
HL Carpenter

 

Milk of Amnesia manufacturers are joining the upswell of criticism over the beverage served at a recent White House race relations meeting.

Read the rest here