As a father of two very active daughters ages 12 and 10, I’m always looking for things to keep my family engaged while trying to fully experience Genesee County. We are very fortunate to have so many unique local attractions, many of which are provided at no or little cost to the community and offer families opportunities for healthy experiences. At this point in the summer, most people have overextended their budgets with vacation costs. As well, they may have forked over a pile of money getting the kids ready to go back to school. I wanted to list a handful of local end-of-summer activities that are both rewarding and easy on the budget.

When it comes to this year’s financial markets, a few words may come to mind: volatile, frustrating, confusing, uncharted territory. All are very fitting when used to describe a market that began the first three weeks with a record-setting “worst start to the year ever” as reported by Bloomberg.com. This start of 2016 was met by a relentless move back to the year’s highs as Janet Yellen, Federal Reserve Chairwoman, signaled that she wouldn’t be raising rates as often as she had originally intended. The recent “Brexit” referendum that parted Great Britain from the European Union caused a two-day, 800+ point sell-off in the Dow Jones Industrial Average** only to be met by another relentless move back to the highs of the year. The move higher was attributed to many things; but in my opinion, the move by our British friends has made it almost impossible for Janet Yellen to raise rates any time within the next year or so.

Often, life’s lessons are learned through trial and error. When I was nine years old, I learned that I needed to wear a helmet doing tricks on my BMX bike. Unfortunately, I learned this when I had 47 stitches in my head after attempting an “Evil Knievel” long-distance jump and vaulting head-over-heels on the landing. Other lessons are learned through observation. I enjoy sharing with others what I’ve learned through experience. Here are five things I wish I’d known when I was younger about money and finance.

I have worked in the financial industry in Genesee County for a number of years. Our average clientele are hardworking, fun-loving people in their 50s-70s. They know what it means to put in a hard day’s work, and realize that Ben Franklin wasn’t kidding when he said, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Although there are very wealthy families in Genesee County, this article may speak more to those who fall right in the middle; the “Goldilocks Families” who are not too rich and not too poor, but just right. However, will you be “just right” to fund any skilled care needs in later years? Many people focus on saving for retirement so they can live a life of leisure, travel and spend time doing things they enjoy. These are terrific goals; but they tend to be achieved in the first 10-15 years of retirement.

The word “investing” typically has a different meaning for everyone. Throughout our lives, we need to make choices regarding our finances, and many of them are based upon our phase of life. For those of you wondering what steps you should be taking given your current age, I have laid out a little road map that may help you in your 20s, 30s, 40s and beyond.

America is the land of opportunity – a land of prosperity where hard work is usually rewarded with positive results and advancement possibilities. However, the status quo in the U.S. seems to be that people will live right up to their income level and delay saving for “some other time.” In general, when it comes to a lack of savings, it is often a matter of high spending rather than low income. Of course, there are exceptions; situations when we need to spend more due to employment loss or unexpected healthcare bills, etc. For the majority, our lack of saving is due to excessive spending – a habit we need to get under control. So, I wanted to share a few simple strategies that can help increase savings without significantly changing your quality of life.

Six years have passed since the financial collapse of 2008 and 2009, and I feel it appropriate to re-visit some of the lessons learned during that crisis period. One of the most important lessons: operate your financial investments from a position of strength. A prime example of this strategy in action is the concept of buying low and selling high.

If you’re not frustrated with the markets by now, you must be taking better medication than I am (ha ha). Bloomberg TV, one of the largest investment reporting firms in the world, described 2015 as “the year that nothing worked.” The point? All types of money-making strategies – active strategies, passive strategies, alternative strategies – struggled to work in 2015. All seemed to post negative returns in a year that the markets ended fairly flat. Asset allocation funds, which focus on having a very well diversified portfolio, had the worst year for returns vs. their index since 1937 (Bloomberg.com).

I’m not sure how your year went, but I know that mine seemed to go by faster than usual. I hope that you and the ones you love enjoyed a successful year – not only personally and professionally, but financially, as well.

You better watch out! You better not cry! You better not pout – I’m telling you why … that’s right! It is Christmastime again, and that means lots and lots of shopping! It’s estimated that $79.4 billion will be spent shopping online this holiday season. That is a 13.9% increase from the 2014 numbers as measured by statista.com. Many of us are deciding to buy more and more of our Christmas goods online to avoid the rush and the crowds associated with the big box retailers; a buying behavior that is creating an amazing opportunity for consumers this year.

As we hunker down for the back stretch of 2015 and enjoy our pumpkin spice lattés, break out our sweaters and root for our local Top 20-ranked football teams, we have much to be thankful for. Reflecting on the recent news brought to light regarding Volkswagen, I am also very thankful that we, residents of Genesee County, can hold our heads high and be proud of the local men and women who are in charge of engineering as well as assembling some of the best made, most fuel efficient and environmentally safe vehicles in the world! GO FLINT! GO GM!

We live in an area with a history of greatness! Our roots run deep and our work ethic runs deeper. Our city of Flint, Michigan has had its ups and downs in the past, and thanks to some local entrepreneurs with great vision, we are again on the upswing.