One of the premier goals of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA") is to get everyone covered by some form of health insurance. The main aspect most people hear about is the "mandate" that employers provide health insurance to their employees. While this mandate only applies to those employers with 50 or more employees (and it has been delayed until 2015) the ACA encourages small businesses to provide health care coverage by offering attractive tax credits.  Proper understanding of the ACA, and some planning, can help you maximize your tax credit.

Effective January 1, 2013, the minimum wage in Ohio has increased 15 cents to $7.85/hour.

Republicans in the Ohio House of Representatives have announced changes they want to make to the Governor's budget, including eliminating the Ohio estate tax by 2013.

There is a lot to be said for "doing it yourself," and saving a little money.  I get that.  These days, you can find templates for Wills and Trusts online with the click of a mouse.  You can purchase pre-printed forms, for a few dollars, that seem very simple to complete yourself.  The appeal of DIY Wills and Trusts is easy to see.  Who wants to pay an attorney a few hundred dollars when it all seems so easy, right?

Well... it isn't always the bargain it seems.

For a while at least, borrowers attempting to modify their mortgages under the Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) were able to use their unemployment benefits to show enough income to qualify.  Fannie Mae has reconsidered this approach and unemployment benefits will no longer be counted as income.

In an effort to help responsible homeowners who owe more on their mortgage than their home is worth, the government recently announced an FHA Short Refinance Option.  This program would allow underwater homeowners to refinance and get at least 10% of their mortgage forgiven permanently.  There are some qualification requirements, but those who qualify could take advantage of the program to reduce their mortgage debt.

Fannie Mae recently announced its Foreclosure Time Frames and Compensatory Fees for Breach of Servicing Obligations.  It updated the allowable foreclosure time frames for four states (FL, MD, NV, and NY) and stated that it may begin conducting reviews of servicer loan files, processes, or procedures.  Where Fannie Mae finds delays in foreclosures, it will exercise its remedy to assess compensatory fees as deemed necessary.

This could mean that servicers will pursue foreclosures more aggressively to get more cases through the process within the allowable guidelines.

With so many homeowners in foreclosure, there are plenty of potential victims for scammers to prey on.  They are easy to find and desparate enough to be willing to try anything.  It is a dream come true for con artists who have a plethora of scams to run on unsuspecting homeowners who are in need of help.  The myriad of government programs, often complex in nature, make it easy for them to make their scam sound legitimate.  Homeowners need to be aware of the variety of schemes designed to rip them off.

The Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) has been less than a stellar success.  Very few of those who have been through the modification process have been getting permanent modifications.  Often times, they go through a very lengthy application process and trial period plan only to find out that they don't qualify and are then even further behind in their payments.  Now, there is hope for many of them.  The Alt Mod program may finally spur the number of modification that was originally anticipated by HAMP.