Warranties for products are simple to understand, most people might think. You go to the store, buy a computer or a DVD player or a TV, or even a larger appliance like a refrigerator, and you get a piece of paper describing a one-year …
Q In December 2008, the National Bureau of Economic Research announced that the United States was in a recession that had started back in December 2007. The official announcement was old news for most Americans. Most financially-savvy …
One of the most rewarding aspects of living in an urban area is the opportunity for people from a broad array of ethnic and sociological backgrounds to get to know each other as neighbors. That doesn't mean that managing a building or …
In your own household, you have money coming in and money going out. You have things you want to save up for—say, a new cool high-def, flat screen television or the latest iPad. Yet you owe your car company and your creditors. To keep i…
Whether they serve a co-op, condo, or HOA community, board members have a responsibility to govern and make decisions on behalf of that community—a charge that is often referred to as the board's 'fiduciary duty.' Decisions made on beha…
In the tough environment that has characterized both the national and world economy over the past few years, many condo owners have faced job loss, reduced salaries, or just financial uncertainty. While the situation has made things ex…
For the most part, it's human nature to be somewhat fearful of change. People tend to stick with what they have and what they know, rather than explore new possibilities. That’s definitely the case with condos and co-ops in re…
Removing a multifamily community's trash and recyclables is an important job, especially in a private development that is not served by municipal or city-run sanitation services. And though it is crucial to their daily lives, most peopl…
Energy efficiency has become a “buzz word” over the past couple years throughout Chicagoland and more and more gadgets and devices have come on the market that are specifically designed to use less energy. Saving energy does a lot more …
We as a culture produce a lot of trash—and not just in the form of reality television shows, late night infomercials and bad romance novels. Whether it’s the candy wrappers we toss into the trash bins outside on the sidewalk, the newspa…