Erica Fair - United Real Estate Strive 212

If you’re a homeowner over age 62, you may be thinking about a reverse mortgage. This is a loan that allows older homeowners to use equity in their homes.   As a result of the uncertainty in the economy since the pandemic hit in 2020, there have been scammers that target older homeowners through reverse mortgage schemes. Unlike a traditional mortgage, a reverse mortgage does not have a monthly mortgage payment. The loan is usually repaid when the borrower sells or no longer lives in the home. With a reverse mortgage scam, a homeowner may often not realize that they have been scammed until the loan money is already gone.  Play it safe and talk to an expert before considering a reverse mortgage. You can speak to a HUD reverse mortgage counselor at anytime at 800-569-4287. To learn more about a reverse mortgage and how it works, visit  www.consumerfinance.gov/reversemortgage .      

Reprinted from the June 2021 edition of CRAP-Free Zone w/Vali by   Vali G. Heist, Certified Professional Organizer® and owner of The Clutter Crew   Most Americans don't give a second thought about placing something plastic into the recycling bin because, in a perfect world, plastic should be recycled, right? We are in an environmental crisis after all. But our recycling centers have a problem. Because so many of us are Wishcycling.  Wishycling is the process of adding an item to your recycling bin without knowing if it is actually recyclable.  Just because it’s made of plastic doesn’t mean it is recyclable.    And yes, you'll find the little recycling arrows on just about every piece of plastic, but it really doesn’t mean anything. The manufacturers of those products aren’t being totally truthful and aren’t investing in the systems that we need to get all plastic recycled. The reason we think recycling is working is that the plastic industry has spent 30 years on multimillion-d