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A reverse mortgage is a special type of home loan that lets you convert a portion of the equity in your home into cash.

Reverse mortgages are regulated by the FHA (Federal housing administration) through a program called HECM (Home Equity Conversion Mortgage). This plan was designed to give older Americans greater financial security. Senior citizens can use the money from a reverse mortgage to supplement Social Security, meet medical expenses, make home improvements, and meet other needs or unexpected expenses.

The money from a reverse mortgage can be used any way the borrower wishes. This money is not subject to income taxes, either. Once you have been approved to receive a reverse mortgage, you can decide to receive payment in a myriad of ways, including:

• Tenure
• Term
• Line of Credit
• Modified Tenure
• Modified Term

Tenure allows you to receive equal monthly payments as long as you continue to occupy your property as your primary residence. Term also gives you monthly payments, but only for a fixed period. Line of credit allows you unscheduled payments whenever you choose in the amount you choose until the funds associated with your reverse mortgage are exhausted. Modified tenure is a combination of the line of credit and tenure; you have a limited line of credit along with monthly payments. Modified term is a combination of line of credit and term payment plans; you have a line of credit available, plus monthly payments for a fixed amount of time.

If you’re trying to put together a survival food list, there are several foodstorage items that are very important to put on your list.  Because disasters happen, it is never unwise to do everything you can to start an emergency food storage supply.   When you’re starting your survival food list for the first time, however, you may not know what kinds of things to put on the list.  Here are a few tips that can get you started.

First off, it is very important to have an ample amount of water.  Water is something that your body cannot function without, so it is very important to have enough water to last you for several days, if not weeks.

You should also look into purchasing freeze dried foods.  Freeze dried foods have a very long shelf life, so you will not have to worry so often about these foods going bad before you’re able to use them.  You never know when a disaster will strike, so you have to be prepared at all times with fresh foods.  Freezedried foods can have up to a one year shelf life; some can even last longer.

Look for nutrient dense foods that have a long shelf life.  If you have foods that have a lot of nutrients in your survival food supply, then you will most likely eat less of the food at a time.  There are plenty of foods that have a long shelf life; you just need to be aware of what these foods are, such as rice and beans.

You should also have an emergency essentials list of things that may come in handy, like a can opener.  There are plenty of items that should be on your survival food list that are not necessarily food items.

(Reuters) – Soul singer Etta James, who is terminally ill and suffering from leukemia, was released from a California hospital on Thursday and is at home resting, her business manager said.

Lupe De Leon said the 73-year-old singer was taken to her home in Riverside, California, east of Los Angeles, and is there with her husband and doctor.

“We all think it’s best for her to be at home,” said De Leon.

“At Last” singer James was admitted to the hospital last month because she was struggling to breathe. She has been in failing health for several years and suffers from leukemia, kidney disease and dementia.

Her doctor has said James was considered terminally ill, and she communicates mostly with nods and simple words. The three-time Grammy Award singer had also battled obesity and was addicted to heroin for many years.

James was a key figure in the early days of R&B music with hit songs like “The Wallflower” and “Good Rockin’ Daddy”. But it was her 1961 recording of the ballad “At Last” that put her on the map. She currently has a CD out called “The Dreamer.”

(Reporting By Bob Tourtellotte; editing by Christopher Wilson)

(Reuters) – LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Jessica Chastain is taking her rising star to Broadway.

The Golden Globe-nominated actress will make her Broadway debut with a starring role in “The Heiress,” the producers said Thursday. Chastain will play the lead role of Catherine Sloper, the character Olivia de Havilland played in 1947′s Oscar-winning film adaptation.

This fall, the Tony Award-winning play — written by Ruth Goetz and Augustus Goetz, and based on Henry James’ 1880 novel, “Washington Square” — is returning to the Great White Way after 17 years. It will be produced by Paula Wagner, and “The Book of Mormon” producers Roy Furman and Stephanie P. McClelland.

The new production of “The Heiress” will be directed by Tony and Emmy Award nominee Moises Kaufman (“33 Variations”). The theater at which it will open has yet to be announced.

Chastain had a breakout year in 2011, with starring roles in “The Help,” “Take Shelter,” “The Debt” and “The Tree of Life.” In addition to her Golden Globe nomination, she is also up for a SAG Award. Last year, she earned best-actress honors from the National Board of Review, New York Film Critics Circle, Chicago Film Critics Association and Los Angeles Film Critics Association.

Beyond the big screen, Chastain also has theatrical chops, which she developed as a student at the Julliard School. She played the title role in a 2006 Los Angeles production of “Salome,” opposite Al Pacino, and has also performed in productions of “Othello” and “Rodney’s Wife.”

“I was immediately struck by Jessica’s talent and skill when I saw her onstage opposite Al Pacino in ‘Salome,’” Wagner said in a statement. “She is an actress with that rare ability to transition effortlessly between the stage and screen. Moises Kaufman had the vision to see Jessica as the perfect actress to play one of the great psychologically complex female characters.”

“Jessica Chastain is a great actress with chameleon-like prowess and enormous emotional intelligence; I think she’s one of the best actresses of her generation. I’m thrilled to be working with her on ‘The Heiress,’ ” Kaufman said in a statement