It’s amazing how many methods of communication are available to keep in touch with our friends, family and co-workers. My mother, who is in her 80s (she keeps her age a secret, so I am truly not sure how old she is), was complaining that she does not hear from her grandkids (my adult sons) as often as she would like. So, of course, I scold my sons and lay on the guilt trip for not calling their grandmother more often.

Then, I realized how rarely I actually speak to my sons on the phone. If I want an immediate response, I’ll text them. If I want to talk to them, I’ll typically Skype with them. So I decided to use technology to bridge the communication gap. My eldest son lives in Australia, so I scheduled a Skype call between him and my parents on my home PC. My parents were thrilled that they could talk to and see their oldest grandchild, but they spoke into the computer so loudly that I’m pretty sure their voices carried across the ocean to Australia anyway.

We are so lucky that we have access to all these ways to communicate.

Many of my conversations these days include the topic of mortgage loan interest rates. And it’s not surprising. Long-term mortgage rates continue to hover at historic lows, causing homeowners and potential home buyers to become “rate-shoppers” who conduct research in pursuit of the best rate available. Mortgage loan marketers and internet mortgage lead generators know that low-rate offers will often hook consumers who are only considering the rate, and therefore they design campaigns focusing on the rate.

The Truth in Lending Act requires lenders to disclose both the mortgage interest rate and Annual Percentage Rate (APR). The APR includes certain costs incurred in obtaining the loan including points, most loan fees and recurring costs like mortgage insurance. Mortgage loans include both recurring and nonrecurring costs. Examples of non-recurring costs include the appraisal fee, credit report fee, flood certification fee and tax service fee. Examples of recurring costs include property taxes, mortgage insurance, and property insurance.