The Millstone Times January 2022

The Millstone Times is the premier newspaper in Millstone and the surrounding area of Central NJ.

The Millstone Times Allentown Clarksburg East Windsor Hightstown Millstone Monroe Perrineville Upper Freehold Twin Rivers Roosevelt TM FREE JANUARY 2022

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The Kiddie Academy CampVentures ® program turns your child's ordinary summer vacation into an unforgettable summer of fun and exploration. Our program inspires imagination through exciting activities, outdoor adventures, field trips and special visitors, while balancing the individual needs and interests of each child in our care. CampVentures awakens a world of fun, learning and friendships for your child. Now Enrolling for Summer! Sign up today and receive Tuition Credit! The Kiddie Academy CampVentures ® program turns your child's ordinary summer vacation into an nforgettabl summer of fun and exploration. Our program inspires imagination through exciting activities, outdoor adventures, field trips and special visitors, while bal nci g the i dividual needs and i terests of e ch child in our c re. CampVentures wakens a world of fun, learning and friendships for your child. Now Enrolling for Summer!

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January 2022

Grant vest Financial Group By Pam Teel

As financial professionals and fiduciaries, the Wealth Management Team at Grantvest Financial Group are committed to helping people create solutions in all aspects of their lives, from financial planning to investment management. Lo- cated in Matawan, NJ, Grantvest Financial Group was founded by Anthony Caputo, a Millstone Township resident, and co-owner Gregory Guenther, of Wall, NJ. Through their professional knowledge, personal integrity, and personalized services, the goal of Anthony and his team is to become your most trusted advisory group; with services that include, retirement planning, insurance planning strategies, investment, college planning resources, Social Security analysis, pension calculations, budgeting, and cash flow strategies. Anthony was born and raised in Staten Island. Anthony lost his dad to cancer at just 48 years old. Anthony was nine- teen and in college at the time. His dad was uninsured, leaving his mother with two sons and a mortgage to pay off, and no IRA / 401K / or retirement plan. His mother, who worked as a special education para at Anthony’s high school, could not fully support her family on her salary.

An thony Caputo, ChFEBC

Anthony’s life changed in the blink of an eye. His father’s dying wish was for him to finish college. In order for Anthony to stay in school, he had to find a part time job so he could help with college expenses. When his friends were out having fun, Anthony was busy working to help pay for his schooling or studying finance. What weighed on Anthony’s mind more than anything was how his mother would turn to him and ask him for financial guidance and advice. At nineteen, what did he know? He felt helpless. He learned the hard way what it means to not have a financial plan set in place. He set out with a goal of trying to learn and understand everything he could about finance, so he could be better prepared in the future when he had his own family. With a lot of hard work, Anthony graduated with a B.A. degree fromHofstra University. He had helped to fulfill his father’s last wishes, and he was ready to start his new career. Because of his past experience, the passion that he had to help others be prepared for life’s lessons always stayed with Anthony. But he had to put that thought on hold for a while. It was about the same time that 9/11 happened, and during that period, it was tough finding a job in finance. During his finance hiatus, Anthony worked on the television show The Bachelor, for season five. He was the associate producer on the New York based season featuring then Bachelor, Charlie O'Connell. Anthony got back into finance in 2005 and began his career in the financial services industry as a Wealth Advisor for the Premiere Banking and Invest- ments division of Bank of America Investments/Merrill Lynch. In 2009, he and partner, Greg Guenther, started their own independent Planning Practice to better serve the needs of his clients. With six professional licenses/designations, Anthony is able to offer personalized investment strategies aimed at servicing, managing, and preserving the wealth of you and your family. Later on, because of Anthony’s business acumen, he was approached by two longtime friends about becoming a strategic partner in a manufacturing start-up. Anthony would help this company launch from prototype making in the garage, to the big stage of ABC’s hit show, Shark Tank, in less than 3 years. Anthony and then partners would be featured on Season 5 where they would strike a deal with their favorite Shark, Lori Greiner. their product, The Paint Brush Cover, can still be found in Home Depot’s Nationwide, amongst many other hardware stores throughout the U.S. They were a big success selling millions of Paint Brush Covers in just a few short years. In 2016, Anthony sold out of his part of the manufacturing business to continue building his Financial Planning practice. Anthony has always had a passion to help others and to be a mentor, both inside and outside of work. He and his wife Julia have been blessed with four children. Anthony is a man of values and tradition, and always makes time for his family. He is a coach for the Millstone Little League, co-head coach for the towns’ 10u tackle football team, along with his brother in law and fellow Millstoner, James Cortopassi. Anthony also sits on the Board of both leagues in town. Anthony was always involved in sports growing up, with his dad right by his side coaching him and teaching him not just how to play the sport, but how to be a team player. He also taught him how to work hard for what you want, and how to strive to be a leader. Looking back, Anthony realized that all the coaching from his dad was not just about how to play the game, but rather how to get by in life. Anthony’s goals, as coach of his children’s sports teams, is to instill in tomorrow’s leaders all the valuable lessons he carries with him today. By working closely with you, Anthony’s team, which consists of co-owner Gregory Guenther, Leo Wong, and Joseph Cammayo, get to know and under- stand your wants and needs and help you identify the personal finance strategies that may improve your lifestyle, both present, and in the future. The team consists of four fiduciary Financial Planners/ in-house institutional bond traders/ 3 operations staff, and one in-house compliance officer-An- thony’s younger brother, Michael. With trust and integrity, and decades of experience in the financial service industry, the team is there to help you to reach your goals. For more information go to: www. Grantvest.com Contact Toll-Free: (877) 651-8949 / Office: 732-970-6661| 106 Main Street, Suite D& E | Matawan, NJ 07747

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CAMI@GUNTHERPUBLICATIONS.COM • (732) 995-3456 • Onsite & Offsite Activities: (Ping Pong, Zumba, Shopping Excursions, Museums, Crafts,Trips to the Shore and much more) • Onsite Hairdresser Serving Monmouth, Middlesex & Ocean Resi ents Conveniently off Rt 33 and NJTurnpike Exi 8 108Woodward Rd. Manalapan, New Jersey If your loved one needs care during the day, trust GoldenYears Care to put them in good hands! ©2015 by Gunther Publishing Ent. The content of GPE publications and its affiliates are copyrighted. GPE publications are published 12 times a year. Established 10/2008. Distribution and Post office receipt available. All GPE products are distributed free of charge. Average reader per copy is 2.1. No copying or reproduction of the content of this newspaper is allowed without the express written permission from the publisher. GPEs publisher/owner reserves the rights over all electronic copying and reproduction of material contained here within. The publisher, editor, agents, and sales staff reserve the right to reject the advertisements for any reason. Credit for mistakes shall not exceed the costs of the ad in the month which the error occurred. Scan this QR Code with your smart phone to go directly to our website. Download “Bar Code” app on your phone Art Director/ Graphic Designer Stephanie Frederick Intern Surabhi Ashok Bianca Battaglia Nazli Mohideen Publisher Cami Gunther Administrative Assistant Lauren Kolacki THE MILLSTONE TIMES Monmouth County’s ASK THE DOCTOR IN THIS ISSUE: Real Estate. ................................... 12 Home Improvement....................... 16 Food and Dining. ............................ 21 Health and Wellness. .................. 24 Monroe TWP News-As We Age....... 30 Family Matters.............................. 33 Pet Pages........................................ 37 Medicaid/J.A.C.C. Covered Service You have always been there for your mom, and now GoldenYears Care is h re for you Call UsToday For ATour or Info! (732) 851-6640 www.GoldenYearsCareNJ.com • Medical AppointmentTransportation • Around-the-clock attention • Physical & OccupationalTherapy In House • Free Door-to-DoorTransportation • Delicious Food Options (Spanish, Russian, Italian & more) Writers Pam Teel Lauren Kolacki Max Druckman

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January 2022

Interesting People Throughout History By Pam Teel

Anna Mary Robertson was born in 1861 in Greenwich, New York. This famous artist would later be known as “Grandma Moses.” She was the third out of ten children. Her father was a flax farmer. Her mother tended to the household duties. Moses spent her early years learning how to do women's work on the farm. She helped her mother raise the younger children, made soap and candles, boiled down maple sap, and attended to their farm. Despite all of her responsibilities, Moses always looked back at her younger life fondly. She described it as happy days, free from care or worry, helping for mother, rocking her sister's cradle, learning how to sew from her mother, goofing around with her brothers, picking wildflowers, and enjoying the countryside. Mose’s interest in art started at an early age. Her dad would encourage her talent by bringing home extra sheets of newspaper print and letting her experiment with different colors, which she made with mixing berries to make berry juice. Her education was mini- mal. She only attended school for a few months out of the year and then she was expected to spend the rest of the year helping her mother with household chores. Her favorite thing to do in school was to draw maps. She did not paint often in her early life because she was always too busy tending to everyone else, but little time she did have to herself, she did a lot of crafting projects, especially needlework. Art was on the backburner for Mose as she grew into her teens. At the age of twelve, her parents sent her away to board and work as a housekeeper. Over the course of the next de- cade, she would live in various different homes doing all aspects of domestic work. It was in one of these homes in 1886, when she was twenty-six years old, she met Thomas Salmon Moses, who was a hired hand. The two fell in love and were married in November 1887. She believed, when they started out, that we were a team and she had to do as much as her husband did. She always strived to do her share. In Virginia, she became well-known for her homemade butter, which she made and sold on the large dairy farm they were hired to run. Much of the early years of Moses' marriage were also spent raising her children. She had ten children, however five died at or shortly after their births.

In 1905, after nearly two decades working in the South, Moses and her family moved back home to New York settling on a farm in Eagle Bridge. The move proved to be a good one, as it led Moses to take up art again. Her first inspiration came in 1918 when lacking wallpaper in her living room, Moses decided to fill the wall space with a fireboard land- scape. She enjoyed it so much, she started to paint again. Most of her work was given away as gifts to family and friends.

In 1927, Moses’ husband died unexpectedly from heart failure. He had always encouraged his wife to paint more. While her grown son took over the majority of the family's farm responsibilities, Moses was free to begin painting more steadily, turning often to subjects she knew best such as farm activities, like the tapping of trees to get maple syrup, holiday gatherings, and depictions of the places where she had lived. She also drew inspiration from others’ pictures and prints, many of which she stored in a trunk for safekeeping and would refer to later as her "art secrets." She was a big fan of Currier and Ives paintings and saved many newspaper articles and other things with their artwork on it. When Moses was seventy-six years old, she did nothing but paint. When she was 78 years old, she gathered up her collections of paintings to sell. With little luck selling any, she put some in a local county fair, and at the local drug store. Little did she know that this would eventually launch her professional career. In 1938, after being on view for almost a year, Louis Caldor, a New York City art collector driving through the area, saw her paintings. Impressed at her raw talent, he purchased every painting and went to Moses' farm to discuss her work. She was not home but her daughter-in-law told him to return to- morrow and Moses would show him another ten paintings. Assuring her of her talent, Caldor purchased the ten paintings and returned to New York with the promise that he would get others excited about her art. However, he struggled early on to get people to pay attention to Moses' paintings. Some found the work too simple or primitive, others found that it did not align with the then popular Surrealist and just developing Abstract Expressionist art move- ments, but Caldor persevered. In 1939 Moses was included in the exhibition "Contemporary Unknown American Painters" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Then, Caldor met Otto Kallir, the owner of a new gallery who was also drawn to the "folk" quality of Moses' work and her ability to capture the essence of American life. Kallir staged the artist's first solo show, "What A FarmWife Painted," which opened on October 8, 1940 and provided Moses with her first true foothold in the American art scene. It was also in a review of this exhibition that a reporter referred to her as "Grandma Moses" a name which would stick and for which she would be affectionately known for the rest of her career. Continued on page 30...

www. TheMillstoneTimes.com 5

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January 2022

Q: LEADERS IN LEAST INVASIVE PAIN & SPINE PROCEDURES How can Platelet Rich Plasma Treatment Help Shoulder and Knee Pain?

A:

Platelet Rich Plasma erapy also referred to as PRP erapy, is a progressive non-surgical treatment to treat a variety of conditions including arthritis, ten- don injuries, and ligament injuries. PRP is part of a group of state-of-the-art treatments collectively referred to as Regenerative Medicine. PRP treats an injured area naturally using your body’s own growth factors to accelerate healing. It has been shown to be safe and e ec- tive for numerous joint and so tissue injuries. It has been extensively researched in numerous medical journals and publications all over the world. Some of the many uses of Platelet Rich Plasma include osteoarthritis (degenera- tive arthritis) of the spine, knee, shoulder, hip, hands, and feet, as well as menis- cus tears, plantar fasciitis, and rotator cu tears. e procedure is simple and is performed in the o ce.  e PRP process begins when a small amount of the patient’s blood is removed from the arm and placed into a special container.  e blood is then placed into a device called a centri- fuge which spins the blood to help the separate the portion of the blood which becomes concentrated with platelets, thereby giving the procedure its name. ese platelets are important because they release growth factors to recruit stem cells and to assist in healing an injured area naturally. Once the PRP is isolated, it is injected to the injured area under the guidance of an ultrasound machine to help accelerate healing and reduce pain.

is healing works on the simple principle that your body is perfectly capable of healing itself. Your blood contains all the essential components that the body produces to repair tissue damage. Each time you have an injury, the platelets in your blood along with growth factors, stem cells, cytokines, and other elements create a sca olding on the site. e damaged tissues use this framework to regenerate and repair.  e entire process takes approximately one hour, and pa- tients are sent home the same day. Patients on average report more than 50% improvement in 6 weeks and up to 100% improvement in 12 weeks. is may eliminate the need for more aggressive and expensive treatment options such as long-term medication or surgery. In a recent study, researchers at Hospital for Special Surgery gave patients with early osteoarthritis an injection of PRP and then monitored them for one year. A er one year of the PRP injection, physicians evaluated the knee cartilage with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). While previous studies have shown that patients with osteoarthritis can lose roughly ve percent of knee cartilage per year, the Hospital for Special Surgery investigators found that a large majority of patients in their study had no further cartilage loss. At minimum PRP also prevented further knee deterioration.

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A Dog Named Charlie By Pam Teel

While Victoria Petruzzella was in Chiropractic School in Georgia, and her then fiancée, Joe, was still in New Jersey; they were both actively looking for a dog. Victoria happened to be passing by a pet store in Georgia on a hot summer June day where there were about 10 dogs outside up for adoption. This specific adoption company focused on finding senior dogs new homes. When Victoria passed by Charlie, she needed to know more. Out of all the dogs, he was the calmest, sitting there with his tongue out and looking very content. She read his story, which said that Charlie's past owner had recently passed away and he was looking for a new home. She sent pictures of Charlie to Joe and left because Joe was still at work and couldn’t get back to her right away. A couple of hours later, Joe called her back and told her he loved the dog and to go back and get him, so she sped to the pet store where the lady was packing up all the dogs into her car, getting ready to leave. Victoria ran to the car, yelling, “wait, don't leave!! I want Charlie!!" She was asked if she wanted to see him before she put in her adoption application, so Victoria went in the woman’s car to spend some time with him. All the other dogs were in their crates, except Charlie who was just sitting there in the front seat. That's how she knew he was the best boy and the best fit for the couple. Victoria facetimed Joe to show himCharlie and he said, "YUP! LET'S GETHIM!" She submitted her application that day and was accepted the next day! She bought Charlie's plane ticket and he flew back to NJ with her the following Friday. He was so calm that he fell asleep on the plane! It took Charlie a couple of weeks to get used to the couple, but now all three are in- separable. Victoria and her (now husband) Joe, have experienced nothing but pleasure adopting Charlie. He is so full of love. They found out that Charlie was more interested in people food then dog food. He waits around when they are eating to see if he’ll get any. He has a wonderful personality, he doesn’t bark, and he also loves when kids are around.

The sad thing is that after having Charlie for a while, they found out that he has can- cer. They don’t know how far advanced the cancer is but, although they can't change the circumstances, they are loving him and giving him the best end of life they possibly can. He gets adjusted regularly by an animal chiropractor, Dr. Lewis, in Jackson, and loves bones, treats, and cuddling on the couch. “More people need to adopt senior animals,” stated Victoria. “Most are already broken in, well trained, and so loving. If we ever do get another dog, we will be adopting another senior dog.” Senior dogs and cats are often overlooked by adopters. Dogs older than seven years fall into the senior category. Depending on their breed, they can live many years after that. Those that do adopt older dogs find them to be genuine companions and get a lot of joy owning one. Older dogs do adapt quicker and are for the most part, already broken in. The works been done for you. Older rescues are usually crate trained, know how to wait and go to the bathroom outside, walks well with a leash, and often knows tricks. If you’re looking for a companion dog to relax with and cuddle, the senior dog is probably your best bet. Having their adult teeth means less chewing to pieces things around your house. You could also be saving a life since most older dogs are overlooked in shelters. Unfortunately, older dogs are the first to be euthanized in an over- crowded situation. There are also some health/ wellness challenges that come with some senior dogs, which could be costly with medical expenses and vet bills. Some senior dogs’ physical ailments may lead them to be a little aggressive toward children or some people in general. It doesn’t hurt to ask questions before you decide which dog is right for you.

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January 2022

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Eleven-year-old Cara Lombardi attends the Applegarth Elementary School in Monroe. She is in the 5th grade. She loves to see her friends while at school and she loves all of her teach- ers. She thinks that they are all so very nice.

If you have a child, friend, sibling, that you would like to see get some recognition for being a great student, I would love to put them in as Student of the Month. You don’t have to get straight A’s. What you need is to show an enthusiasm for learning and a love for your school. Please email me at: crescent671@gmail.com. Her favorite holiday is Christmas. She loves to look at all the decorations and she especially loves spending time with her family. She also likes all the presents! Her favorite sport is golf. Her favorite activity is learning the piano. Cara’s favorite food to eat is steak and mashed potatoes. When she gets older, she would like to help animals in some way. If she had one wish, she would hope that all the endangered species on earth don’t go extinct. Cara always does her best in school and gives her one hundred per cent in anything that she tries. Keep up the great work, Cara, and always stay the sweet loving person that you are. Cara’s favorite subjects are writing and social studies. She loves to write adven- ture stories and stories that are make believe. She loves her social studies classes because she likes to learn about the past and what it was like to have lived in the past. Her favorite books to read are Harry Potter books. Her favorite Television show is called, A Series of Unfortunate Events. Cara is a country music fan. Her hobbies include learning Ballet and Tai Kwon Do. Her favorite place to visit is Disneyworld, in Florida. She loves to go on the rides and loves all the Disney characters. Her favorite character is Snow White. Cara has a very loving family. She lives with her mom and dad and her younger sister Gia. She also has a golden retriever named Rocco. Cara Lombardi

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The Fawn Trauma Response By Valeria Mancuso

What is the Fawn Trauma Response? The fawn trauma response is the process of putting your emotions aside to benefit or please someone else’s needs. It can be used as a defensive structure because you may be acting out of fear, sadness, anger, guilt etc. If you feel as if you are in a dangerous environment, you may respond by trying to please the person who is making you feel unsafe to avoid a worse situation. The fawn response can lead to co-dependence, depression, self-harm, illness, etc. This is especially common in children because it involves trying to please a person who is both a care provider and a source of threat. Childhood Trauma Children who grow up in an abusive environment tend to go through the process of the Fawn Response. They are conflicted between the need to flee a threatening environment and their need to attach to their parents/guardians. Children rely on the fawn response because they are making a difficult en- vironment, that they are unable to escape, somewhat bearable. They respond to neglect or abuse out of fear of it becoming worse. They put the caregivers needs before their own. They are ‘taking care’ of their parents emotions. Dissociative symptoms follow through to adulthood in order for the person to avoid remembering or relieving the abuse they suffered as a child. As a result of the fawn response, children will turn their negative feelings towards them- selves causing self-criticism, self-loathing or self-harming behaviors which can later lead to mental illness. Physiological Aspects Physiological speaking, responding to abuse by putting someone else’s needs before your own involves reading the social and emotional cues of the other person. You read their emotions and respond in a way that benefits them and hides your genuine feelings. This can lead to symptoms where you feel as if you are disconnected from body sensations like you are going ‘numb’ from your own needs. You feel as if the world around you is not real, as if your body and actions are not apart of you. Recovering from a Fawn Response

Healing and recovering from a fawn responses involves recognizing your behavior and actions. It will take time to heal and take better care of yourself. You can do two things to help in the recovery process, access your inner wisdom and speak your truth. Accessing your inner wisdom involves connecting with your embodied knowing. You must connect with the constant flow of sense and actions that occur within your life. Recognize the way your intuitions connects with your senses. Act and behave from your intuition and what you would want to do. Do not try to please someone else’s emotions. When responding to trauma by people-pleasing you tend to stray away from your genuine thoughts and emotions. Speaking your truth can help you heal from the fawn response because it allows to genuinely express yourself without fear, abuse or neglect. Resources: The Fawn Response in Complex PTSD | Dr. Arielle Schwartz

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January 2022

Five Secrets for Success in Business By Pam Teel 1. Murphy’s Law. Welcome to the world of Murphy’s Law. It is a law, stating if anything can go wrong, it will. If it can’t go wrong, it will go wrong anyway. This is the basic premise of Murphy’s Law. Murphy’s law states that “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong,” “The more you fear something, the more it will happen.” However, as with many suc- cessful business theories, the original law has been extended over time to cover specialist areas, several of which are given here: Project Planning -If anything can go wrong, it will. Usually at the most inopportune time. Performance Management- If someone can get it wrong, they will. Risk Assessment- If several things can go wrong, the one you would LEAST like to happen will occur. Practical creativity- If you can think of four ways that something can go wrong, it will go wrong in a fifth way. Another allegedly correct and original reading of Murphy’s Law is that if there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in a catastrophe, then someone will do it. But the statement that best expresses the explosive nature of Murphy’s Law is undoubtedly the idea that you will inevitably make the wrong choice whatever you decide, and it may just be right. This isn’t because of some mysterious power the law possesses. In reality, we can give relevance to Murphy’s Law in our day-to-day life. When things go well, little is made of it. After all, we ex- pect that things should work out in our favor. But when life goes badly, we look for reasons. It’s food for thought, but there is no evidence to sup- port Murphy’s Law itself – it’s all down to perception. The law captures our imagination. There are countless examples in today’s culture which has been accept- ed throughout the world, for example, that bread will always land but- ter-side down when dropped, that there will be rain as soon as you wash your car, and that when queuing, the other line will always move faster. Many people will naturally interpret this law as a pessimistic view of life. In fact, they couldn’t be further from the truth. Losers can take advantage of a good knowledge of Murphy’s Law to help better prepare for the un- expected problems and challenges that life throws our way. Murphy’s law helps us to analyze and prepare for the future. It assists in project planning by analyzing the risk. It incorporates practical creativity by discovering the other way of thinking, predicting something will go wrong. Practically makes us ready with plan B. 2. Kidlin's Law. “If you can write the problem down clearly, then the matter is half solved.” Kidlin's Law is a program created to solve prob- lems. Often times, the problems experienced seem like a mess. Therefore, this law arises, considering that the beginning of solving a problem is the formation of rationality. 3. Gilbert's Law. “The biggest problem at work is that no one tells you what to do.” The rule discovered in 1931 is also called the proportional growth rule or law of proportional effects. Gilbert's Law is a rule that states that the proportional growth rate of a company does not depend on its absolute size. 4. Walson’s Law. "If you put information and intelligence first at all times, then the money keeps coming in.” The law of success in business is the forerunner of "financial freedom". To get an unlimited source of money, solve a problem that many people have so they will continue to use your product. 5. Falkland’s Law. “When you don’t have to make a decision, then don’t make a decision.” This is an idea to be safe. Since many sudden de- cisions have brought disaster, Falkland's Law was created so that humans do not take wrong steps.

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January 2022

REAL ESTATE

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REAL ESTATE

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SERVICING CNJ SINCE 1960 FamilyOwned & Operated Born &Raised in Millstone Township EMERGENCY SERVICE AVAILABLE I I Were American Homes Ready for the Pandemic? Not Enough Rooms in Many U.S. Homes for Effective COVID-19 Quarantine By: ALEX RHODES AND KATIE GUSTAFSON The COVID-19 pandemic has made many individuals reevaluate how to keep themselves and others safe. It has also changed the way they manage space in their homes during a nationwide shift toward working and learning from home. But how many U.S. households are limited in ways they can effectively respond to the pandemic because they don’t have enough rooms or amenities in their home? About 38% of all U.S. households in multi-person homes (34 million households) did not have at least two full bathrooms and enough bedrooms to keep one person completely isolated, according to the 2019 American Housing Survey (AHS). The Census Bureau conducts the AHS, which is sponsored by the Department of Housing and Urban Development. When more than one person lives in a home, a limited number of bedrooms or bathrooms can make self-isolation challenging. When exposed to the COVID-19 virus, quarantining is critical to prevent further spread, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). As a recent Annals of Internal Medicine article explores, however, many Americans do not live in housing that can accommodate quarantine as the CDC recommends. When more than one person lives in a home, a limited number of bedrooms or bathrooms can make self-isolation challenging. A lack of amenities, like a washer and dryer or a full kitchen, may also inhibit self-isolation. Housing characteristics don’t just impact a household’s ability to quarantine during a pandemic. They also affect how Americans work and learn at home. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to school, business and office closures across the country, forcing many students to learn virtually and workers to do their jobs remotely — mostly from home. Is available workspace an issue for these households? Bedrooms and Bathrooms As the CDC recommends, those infected with COVID-19 should stay in a separate bedroom and use a separate bathroom when possible to limit close contact with other household members and avoid spreading the virus through air and surfaces. Continued on page 18... Lic #9615 • Master Plumber NJ Lic # B109615

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January 2022

REAL ESTATE

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Private Mortgage Insurance Explained When a lender looks at a loan application, their main question is "what risk do I take on by issuing this loan?" Credit checks, bank statements, employment verification – all the documentation required when getting approved for a loan is in service of assessing what the odds are that the loan will go into default. This is why a down payment is such a crucial part of obtaining a home loan. When a borrower has a substantial down payment (20 to 30% or more), the lender's exposure is lessened in the event of a default.

This 20-30% figure used to be required, yet clearly this kept a lot of peo- ple from realizing the benefits of homeownership, especially first-time buyers. That is until 1957, whenMax H. Karl, a real estate attorney, found- ed Mortgage Guaranty Insurance Corporation and invented the modern form of private mortgage insurance. PMI is designed to address the hefty down payment hurdle. Instead of coming to the table with 20% or more for a down payment, a private

mortgage insurance policy allows consumers to buy and finance a home without a large down payment. With PMI, the borrower pays a small percentage of the total loan amount (0.3 - 1.5%/year) in addition to their mortgage and insurance payments. As an example, a $200,000 loan with a PMI rate of 1% will come out to $167 dollars extra a month for a borrower. It's not nothing, but for many it's a manageable trade off. Yet sometimes PMI can get a bad rap, as something to be avoided at all costs. Until the end of the 90's this attitude was understandable – homeowners had limited resources to cancel PMI and were often stuck with it for the life of their loan. That changed with the Homeowners Protection Act of 1998. It required automatic termination of PMI when the loan balance reaches 78% of the original value through natural amortization. Borrowers can often drop their PMI even before reaching that 78% figure – once a borrower reaches 20% equity in their home, they can request a cancellation of PMI. As home prices continue to rise, borrowers build up equity in their homes faster, meaning they can often drop PMI payments earlier than they think.

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WWW.WBDRILLING.COM • WWW.MILLSTONEWATERTREATMENT.COM Master Well Driller Lic #632315 Seven Tips for Keeping a Healthy Home The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control has put together seven tips for keeping a healthy home: 1. Keep it Dry Prevent water from entering your home through leaks in roofing systems, rainwater from entering the home due to poor drainage, and check your interior plumbing for any leaking. 2. Keep it Clean Control the source of dust and contaminants, creating smooth and cleanable surfaces, reducing clutter, and using effective wet-cleaning methods. 3. Keep it Safe Store poisons out of the reach of children and properly label. Secure loose rugs and keep children’s play areas free from hard or sharp surfaces. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors and keep fire extinguishers on hand. 4. Keep it Well-Ventilated Ventilate bathrooms and kitchens and use whole house ventilation for supplying fresh air to reduce the concentration of contaminants in the home. 5. KEEP IT PEST-FREE All pests look for food, water and shelter. Seal cracks and openings throughout the home; store food in pest-resistant containers. If needed, use sticky-traps and baits in closed containers, along with least toxic pesticides such as boric acid powder. 6. Keep it Contaminant-free Reduce lead-related hazards in pre-1978 homes by fixing deteriorated paint and keeping floors and window areas clean using a wet-cleaning approach. Test your home for radon, a naturally occurring dangerous gas that enters homes through soil, crawlspaces, and foundation cracks. Install a radon removal system if levels above the EPA action-level are detected. 7. Keep it Well-Maintained Inspect, clean and repair your home routinely. Take care of minor repairs and problems before they become large repairs and problems.

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January 2022

HOME IMPROVEMENT NEW JERSEY RESIDENTIAL SMOKE ALARM REQUIREMENTS

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Continued from page 14...

But that’s easier said than done in many multi-person households that don’t have the room to create a separate space for self-isolation. Around 36% of the 32 million multi-person homes in the United States did not have at least two full bathrooms in 2019. For multi-person homes with an individual who is at higher risk of hospitalization from COVID-19 because they are 65 years old or older, the percentage without two full bathrooms drops to 31% (7.2 million). The AHS excludes group quarters, so these metrics do not include nursing facilities. When someone quarantines alone in a bedroom in a multi-person home, others may be forced to double up and share bedrooms. About 1 in 10 multi-person households (11%, or 9.8 million) did not have enough bedrooms for an exposed individual to quarantine alone without forcing more than two people to stay in one of the remaining bedrooms. That number drops to 6% (1.3 million) in households with an individual 65 years old or older. Enough bedrooms is defined as a two- or three-person household having at least 2 bedrooms, and a household of four or more having enough bedrooms to allow one person to isolate in a bedroom without forcing three or more people in the household to share a remaining bedroom. A lack of bedrooms and bathrooms to isolate was more prevalent in lower-income homes. Among multi-person households with a total annual income below the federal poverty level, 61% (5.5 million) did not have at least two full bathrooms and enough bedrooms. In contrast, only 28% (15 million) of households with an income at least 300% of the federal poverty level did not have enough bedrooms and bathrooms to accommodate someone who had to quarantine. Differences existed by race, as well. Around 35% (1.8 million) of homes with an Asian householder did not have at least two bathrooms and enough bedrooms to isolate one member without forcing more than two other household members to share a remaining bedroom. In high-density cities, where housing is at a premium and units are often smaller, multi-bedroom and multi-bath housing may not be attainable. For example, 59% (2.9 million) of multi-person homes in the New York City metropolitan area did not have at least two full bathrooms and enough bedrooms for one household member to isolate without forcing more than two other people in the household to share a remaining bedroom. In contrast, in the Atlanta metro area, only 16% (260,000) of multi-person homes do not have enough bathrooms and bedrooms. Kitchen and Laundry Households that do not have a washer and dryer or a full kitchen in their unit may have to make more trips outside of the home, potentially increasing their and other household members’ exposure to the infection. Around 19.6 million households (16%) did not have a washer and dryer and about 1.4 million households (1%) did not have a complete kitchen in 2019, ac- cording to AHS. About 5 million households (14%) with an individual 65 years old or older did not have a washer and dryer and about 460,000 (1%) did not have a complete kitchen. As was the case for homes with no extra baths and bedrooms, the lack of a full kitchen and a washer and dryer was more common in lower-income households. For households with a total income below the federal poverty level, 35% (6 million) lived in a home without both a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. Among households with an income at least three times the federal poverty level, only 9% (6.2 million) didn’t have those amenities. Among homes where the race of the householder was White Alone, 13% (13 million) did not have both a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. Among homes where the householder was Black Alone, 29% of homes (4.9 million) did not have a full kitchen and a washer and dryer. In the same way that housing costs in some areas affect the size of homes and apartments, they also affect home amenities. For example, over 29% of homes in the New York City (3.3 million) and Los Angeles (1.4 million) metropolitan areas did not have a full kitchen and laundry in 2019. Less than 10% (150,000) of homes in Atlanta did not have a full kitchen and laundry amenities — the lowest percentage among the 15 largest metro areas. Working from Home According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, tens of millions of Americans have had to work or study from home more during the pan- demic. Based on the survey’s estimates for the Jan. 20-Feb. 1, 2021 period, about 37% (91 million) of adults have substituted some or all in-person work for telework because of the pandemic. Approximately 84% (43 million) of adults with children in their household have seen children’s classes moving to distance learning. When both working-age adults (ages 18-64) and school-age children (ages 6-17) must work and study from home, it may be best but not always possible for everyone to work in their own room. Among households with at least two working or school-age individuals, 6% (4 million) did not have at least one room (excluding kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms) per working age adult and school-age child, according to AHS. For households with a total income below the federal poverty level, 14% (930,000) did not have enough rooms for each working-age and school-age individual to work in their own room compared to roughly 3% (1 million) for households with income of 300% of the federal poverty level or higher. When broken down by race, 5% of homes (2.8 million) with a householder who is White Alone did not have at least one room (excluding kitchens, bathrooms, and laundry rooms) per working age adult and school-age child compared to 20% (55,700) of homes with a householder who is Pacific Islander. Location may also play a role in how many rooms are available for working and learning from home. Among the top 15 metro areas, 17% (1.6 million) of homes in the Los Angeles-Long Beach metro area did not have one or more rooms per working-age adult and school-age child. In contrast, 3% (520,000) of homes in Detroit metro area did not have at least one room per working-age adult and school-age kid. Staying Safe Many Americans have responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by reevaluating how they use the space in their homes and by being careful about how they limit their exposure to infection. Having a certain number of bedrooms and bathrooms or amenities like a full kitchen and an in-unit washer and dryer may make it easier for some individuals to reduce their exposure. The nationwide shift to working and learning at home caused by the pandemic may also have altered households’ needs for rooms available for working and learning. This article shows how households with different income levels and in different metro locations throughout the country may face different challenges in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Alex Rhodes and Katie Gustafson are statisticians in the Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division of the U.S. Census Bureau.

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