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March 22, 2023
Say I saw it in The Shopper
Real Estate Specialists
Real Estate Questions & Answers
An independent newspaper serving this area since 1957. ©The Shopper 924 E. 162nd Street • South Holland, IL 60473 HOW TO REACH US Phone: 708-271-8971 • www.myshopper.biz • Email: general@myshopper.biz CIRCULATION Published every week covering the towns of South Holland/Thornton, Lansing, Dolton/Calumet City, Munster, Highland, and Schererville. Our circulation is independently audited by CAC. ERRORS We proofread all Classified ads. However, should a mistake occur, it can easily be corrected, provided it is brought to our attention. Call 708-271-8971 to rectify an error. We cannot be responsible for more than one incorrect insertion. Adjustment for error is limited to republication. In any event, adjustment for errors or omissions is limited to the cost of the space occupied. CLASSIFIED ADS The Shopper offers FREE non-business Classified Ads (20 word maximum). Business Classifieds are $25 for 20 words, $1.00 per word over. Place ads online at www.myshopper.biz NEWS Email news items to general@myshopper.biz Some content courtesy of Family Features and Capital News Illinois. DEADLINE Friday 4:00 pm for the following week’s issue. PUBLISHER’S NOTICE The Shopper reserves the right to edit any content supplied for publication as it sees fit, including but not limited to clarity, grammatical and factual accuracy, and to accommodate available space. All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to Fair Housing Laws which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, familial status, sexual orientation, marital status, military status, age, ancestry, parental status, source of income, military discharge status or housing status,” no matter how large or small the property. This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination call HUD toll-free at 1-800-669-9777. The toll-free telephone number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-927-9275.
Financial Advice Column
Should investors ‘go it alone’? SUBMITTED BY PATRICK ZAMKIN If you’re going to enjoy a comfortable retirement, you should know, among other things, how much money you’ll need. And you may have a much better chance of knowing this if you get some professional help. Consider these findings from a 2021 study by Dalbar, a financial services market research firm: • Investors who worked with a financial advisor were three times more likely to estimate what they would have saved at retirement than “do-it-yourself” investors. • More than two-thirds of investors with a financial advisor were satisfied with the amount they would have saved at retirement, compared to about 27% of the do-ityourselfers. How do financial professionals help their clients in these ways? First, consider the issue of determining how much money will be needed for retirement. It’s not always easy for individuals to estimate this amount. But financial professionals can help clients like you arrive at this figure by exploring your hopes and goals. How long do you plan to work? What kind of lifestyle do you anticipate enjoying in retirement? Where would you like to live? How much would you like to travel? Are you open to pursuing earned income opportunities, such as consulting or working part time? Next comes the other key question: How much money will be available for retirement? This big question leads to many others: How much do you need to save and invest each year until you retire? About what sort of investment return will you need to reach your retirement income goals? What level of risk are you willing to take to achieve that return? What is the role of other income sources such as Social Security or any pensions you might have?
Having a financial professional help you gain a clear idea of your retirement income picture can certainly be reassuring. But there may be other reasons why “going it alone” as an investor might not be desirable. For example, when the financial markets are down, as was the case for much of 2022, some investors make decisions based on short-term volatility, such as selling investments to “cut their losses,” even if these same investments still have solid business fundamentals and good prospects for growth. But if you work with a financial professional, you might decide to stick with these investments, especially if they’re still appropriate for your long-term strategy. Other times, of course, the advice may be different — but it will always be advice based on your goals, needs and time horizon. Furthermore, if you’re investing on your own, you may always be measuring your results against the major market indexes, such as the S&P 500 or the Dow Jones Industrial Average. But in reality, your portfolio should contain a wide range of investments, some of which aren’t contained in these indexes, so you might not be assessing your performance appropriately. A financial professional can help you develop your own, more meaningful benchmarks that can show the progress you’re actually making toward your goals. In some areas of life, going it alone can be exciting — but when it comes to investing for your future, you may benefit from some company on the journey. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor, Patrick Zamkin, located at 18735 Dixie Hwy, Homewood, IL 60430. Contact us at (708) 798-9066. Edward Jones. Member SIPC.
CATHY & JIM HIGGINS Question: A property was on the market for $360,000. The price is far higher than sales made in the past 90-120 days. We offered $305,000. This offer was rejected outright and not countered. The next day, the price dropped to $349,900. So my question is, was our offer just ridiculously offensive? Answer: Sellers have a right to test the market. That homes have not sold for a given price previously does not mean the owner or the owner’s broker were somehow wrong. Prices rise in some communities, which means someone must be the first to breach a given price level. The marketplace will ultimately decide the value of the property. That said, buyers have a right to bid for properties according to the value they see.
You, as a purchaser, may have felt that the property was worth less based on past sales, available properties, condition, location, design, etc. How do you know what the seller will accept unless you make another written offer? A real estate transaction is a business deal -- you made an offer, it was rejected and both parties can decide what they wish to do next, if anything. E-mail us your Real Estate questions at Cathyah@aol.com. Thinking of selling your home? Call Cathy & Jim Higgins, Licensed Broker/Realtors in Indiana & Illinois. IN: 219-865-4361 IL: 708-828-3304. McColly Real Estate. Website: www.Cathyhiggins. com. Personal Real Estate Journal: www. Higginshousechat.blogspot.com
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An opportunity for Illinois students to MakeYour Voice against hatred, intolerance heard By ALISON PURE-SLOVIN and MARK KLAISNER Mile after mile, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, the Mobile Museum of Tolerance (MMOT) is helping students engage in a fight against hatred and intolerance with much at stake. For every mile the bus travels, hate is spreading much faster online – a click or an app notification bell ding at a time. Illinois students, we need your help. Make Your Voice against hatred and intolerance heard this spring in this high-tech world where our safety is threatened every day. The Simon Wiesenthal Center and MMOT have teamed up with the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools (IARSS) this spring for the Your Voice: Changing the World, One Speech at a Time, essay contest. This is part of our ongoing work centered around digital literacy to help students and families better identify and combat the online threats from hatred and intolerance. The MMOT is a free traveling human rights education center visiting school districts across the state every week to offer hands-on workshops for students. The MMOT inspires students to use their voices to speak up against bullying, racism, anti-Semitism, hate and intolerance and to promote human dignity. From the Civil Rights Movement to the Nazi persecution of Anne Frank, students receive the tools and insight they need to see how we far we have come in addressing threats to basic human rights. But the internet’s constant connectivity on our smartphones and other devices presents even greater challenges. The state of Illinois has recognized those challenges and now mandates media literacy, and our organizations are working together on plans to expand offerings for digital media education. The essay contest asks students in sixth through 12th grades in Illinois schools to ponder this prophetic quote from the Center’s
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namesake, Simon Wiesenthal, who survived Nazi death camps and spent much of his life warning future generations of the need to keep fighting the hate that drove the Holocaust and other genocides: “The combination of hatred and technology is the greatest danger threatening mankind.” We see every day the obvious and often subtle ways hate groups and individuals infiltrate our homes and influence our children online. We are challenging students to be more mindful of those solicitations and to share their views on how best to fight back. Participating students in the Your Voice contest are asked to write a three-minute essay (of no more than 450 words) on how the Simon Wiesenthal quote applies to their lives and their world today, and in the future. Students should consider our darkest days of human history, how humanity prevailed, and how we all can work together to address intolerance, hate, and bigotry. Students are asked to submit their essay by April 3. Five finalists in two categories (grades 6-8 and grades 9-12) will be selected to then perform their essay as a speech via video upload for presentation to a distinguished panel of judges on May 7, then winners will be selected for prizes including a MacBook. For more information on the contest, visit the MMOT website: https://mmot.com/. When he confronted the worst of humanity those decades ago, Simon Wiesenthal knew our battles would change over time. We know how concerned he would be today with how easy it is for hate to spread online. Your Voice is an important part of our efforts to push our young people toward understanding and peace, and we hope many students learn how they can do their part for a better future. Alison Pure-Slovin is director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, Midwest Region. Mark Klaisner is president of the Illinois Association of Regional Superintendents of Schools.
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