In his first quarterly funding request as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Mick Mulvaney asked for nothing. "This letter is to inform you that for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2018, the Bureau is requesting $0," he wrote to the Federal Reserve, which provides the agency's funding. Mr. Mulvaney stated his reason for this request: The CFPB already has sufficient funds to carry out its mandates, and he saw no practical reason for the CFPB to maintain a large “reserve fund.”
This is yet another indication of the hands off regulatory approach that Mr. Mulvaney intends for the CFPB. Since the CFPB is the primary enforcer of RESPA, the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act, a consumer protection statute passed by the U.S. Congress in 1974. The statute has two main purposes: To help consumers become better shoppers for settlement services; and To eliminate kickbacks and referral fees that may increase the costs of certain settlement services.
It would appear there will no longer be anyone looking out for the fox. Consumers beware!
Wednesday, January 24, 2018
Friday, January 19, 2018
It’s True: People Do Need People, and Here’s Proof
Despite bookshelves full of self-care books teaching us how to feel contented on our own, the one proven truth about how to be truly happy is this: our happiness depends on other people.
As writer Ruth Whippman points out in a recent article in the New York Times, a long line of studies into what makes a happy life have consistently arrived at a common conclusion: it’s healthy social relationships that are the “strongest, most consistent predictor.” Whippman adds: “Humans can’t actually be happy without them. This is a finding that cuts across race, age, gender, income and social class so overwhelmingly that it dwarfs any other factor.”
For example, scientists first began tracking the health of a group of students at Harvard University in 1938 and followed them into the present. The Grant Study was revolutionary, as brainpickings.org explains: “(At that time) having not yet uncovered the structure of DNA, we knew close to nothing about genetics (and) mental health was a fringe concern.”
As it turns out, the results of Grant Study were, and are, groundbreaking. A key finding: those participants who were most satisfied in their relationships at age 50 turned out to be the healthiest at age 80.
Professor and psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, who now directs the study and recently gave a Ted talk on its findings, explains: “Our relationships and how happy we are in our relationships has a powerful influence on our health.”
The takeaway: more than wealth or professional success, close relationships are what keep humans happy and healthy.
Monday, January 15, 2018
How to Cope with the Negative Impact of Noise Pollution
Whether it’s sirens and car
alarms outside your apartment window, the whine of jets, or just your
neighbors’ loud party, chances are urban noise pollution is driving you to
distraction. And as much as we seek it, finding real quiet seems almost
impossible.
Unfortunately, that’s not a
good thing. According to a recent article in The Independent, constant noise can be hazardous to your health.
Writes Stephen Stansfeld: “These effects can be physical, mental, and possibly
even disrupt children’s learning.”
In a variety of studies,
noise pollution has been linked with high blood pressure, deafness, a
significantly increased risk of stroke and heart disease, fatigue, and a broad
assortment of mood disturbances. This includes negative
emotional responses such as “noise annoyance”—which even extends to feelings that one’s privacy
is being violated. Our children are also impacted. Stansfeld notes, “About 20
studies have found effects of either aircraft or road traffic noise on
children’s reading ability and long-term memory.” The noise, he says, resulted
in “poorer reading comprehension and memory.” Studies found that the age at
which children in the U.K. start to read was delayed up to two months for each
approximately five-decibel increase in airplane noise.
Some people rely on noise-dampening
techniques, including furnishings such as rugs and draperies, and others listen
to white noise. Still others have turned to music, meditation, or
self-hypnosis. But Jonathon Ewald in a post to Life & Health Network has
one extreme solution that may work—for traffic, aircraft, and noisy neighbors: “Move,” he suggests.
Monday, January 8, 2018
Make Your Home Buyer Friendly with Focused Staging
With the move to buyers’ markets in many areas, you’ll want your
for-sale home to look its best. And that requires focus. Focused staging, that
is.
Staging your home can increase the offer amount by up to 10%, according
to the National Association of Realtors (NAR) 2017 Profile of Home Staging. But
what if you haven’t the time or cash to stage the whole house?
You focus on the rooms that push buyers’ buttons. A messy mudroom may
not kill your sale, but an unusable kitchen or master bedroom may be a
deal-breaker.
Few buyers can see beyond your personal style, particularly in hot-button
areas like the living room, kitchen and master bedroom. So concentrate on
staging these.
This article—from RISMedia—may help:
According to the NAR Profile, the living room is one of the most popular
to stage. Make it feel larger by replacing bulky furniture with smaller pieces.
Help buyers to imagine their things here; leave lots of space on shelves and
around furniture. In the kitchen, declutter countertops, the fridge and inside cabinets
(yes, buyers will look). Add color with a bowl of fruit.
“Most bedrooms don’t need much more than the bed, dresser, end tables,
and a mirror,” the article suggests. Make the bed the focus with beautiful, but
not necessarily expensive, linens.
A clean bathroom is a saleable bathroom. The master bath, especially,
should gleam. Add attractive towels and battery candles for atmosphere. And
don’t forget to tidy the outside. You know what they say about first
impressions.
Sunday, January 7, 2018
Properties for Every Budget
One of the great things about the foothill communities that I work, is that we have a broad range of prices, we literally have something for every budget!
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Twitter Re-Tweets from 140 Characters
If
you want to share more this year, the Twitter universe is making it easier.
Last fall, the social media network announced it was retreating from its
140-character limit and rolling out a change to 280 characters to the majority
of its 330 million-plus users worldwide.
Twitter
was developed in 2006 as an alternative to text messaging; individuals
subscribed to get and send updates in real time. Interestingly, Globe & Mail reporter André Picard
found a dictionary definition of “twitter” as meaning “a short burst of
inconsequential information.” In fact, users loved it for this very reason. As
its popularity grew, it became an opportunity for people to share their views,
and to “follow” friends and celebrity Twitter users. Celebs boasted followers
in the millions—pop
music icon Katy Perry had 105 million followers in November 2017—but many users found the
140-character limit restrictive.
The
company stated: “We are making this change after listening and observing a
problem our global community was having—it wasn’t easy enough to tweet …” Based
on testing, it expects an enthusiastic response from Twitter users and, almost
inevitably, more subscribers.
Caramelized Veggie Bowl
Serves 4
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 cups diced butternut squash
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon ginger, peeled and grated
- 8 ounces baby portabello mushrooms, roughly chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 ½ cups cooked quinoa
- 2-3 cups kale, stalks removed and finely chopped
- Heat
oil in a skillet over high heat.
- Add
squash and cook until it starts to caramelize, about 5 min. Flip pieces and
cook for 3 min. Push squash to one side.
- Reduce
heat to medium-high. Sauté onions for about 2 min., then add garlic and ginger.
Cook for 2 min., combine with the squash, and push all to the side.
- Add mushrooms and cook without turning for 4 min. Add
vinegar, soy sauce, and quinoa to the pan, and mix everything together.
- Add
kale and 1 tablespoon of water, and cover. Steam for 2 min. or until kale is
wilted but remains a vibrant green.
- Uncover, stir together, and serve in bowls.
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