Even when critical decision making documents (tax returns, paystubs, bank statements), are secured early in the game, there is one significant asterisk that prevents mortgage pre-approval from being what everybody wants it to be, and here is where the con comes in.

FORBES: Why Getting Pre-Approved For A Mortgage Is A Sham

It prevents the patient from having a clear perception of what is real and what is not, she says.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Nobody seems to know what the right thing to say is anymore and it could be that point which prevents people stepping forward to speak out.

CNN: Shades of gray: The Secret Footballer on racism in soccer

If geography is destiny, and the United States and Latin America need one another so badly, what prevents them from consummating the romance?

ECONOMIST: An interesting reversal in the Western hemisphere