There’s a certain appeal to banking with a national financial institution – wide name recognition, branches in most major cities, and convenient ATMs; but there’s much to be said for choosing a local bank to do business with, as well. This special banking section zeros in on the advantages of entrusting your financial resources to a community bank or credit union. Want a quick hint? Personalized customer service!
Learning wise money management should begin in childhood when life-long habits and mindsets are most easily formed. Chris Foster, Senior Vice President of Lending at Merchants and Farmers Bank, has seven children at home. "It’s going to be important to include our kids in conversations about savings and other aspects of money management because we want that to be a normal part of their lives.”
Remember your high school or college days, when you’d be low on cash with your friends or you’d take out another loan to pay for the upcoming semester? You probably didn’t stress – you’d either hit up your parents or lean on a credit card. And you couldn’t wait to land that full-time position and make serious money!
Adults at mid-life often face two equally demanding financial needs: supporting teens and young adults, while providing financial assistance for health and long-term care expenses of aging parents. All this is taking place at a time when career stress is typically at its peak and when financial priorities should be paying down debt and saving for retirement. Throw in a pandemic and a couple of hurricanes, and "mid-life crisis” takes on a whole new meaning.
"Your Social Security account has been frozen.” "Once we receive your payment, we will drop all charges against you.” "If you don’t respond immediately to this call you will be arrested.” Government impersonator scams followed by sweepstakes/lottery/prize fraud are two of the most common consumer fraud operations targeting the 60+ age group today.
Now that we are over half a year into the pandemic, one thing we can probably all agree on is that no one really knows how long COVID-19 will continue to impact our lives. This impact extends far beyond the obvious health risks. The economic consequences have been tremendous, leading to extreme market volatility. In the early months of the outbreak, the market suffered what some called the "coronavirus crash,” one of the steepest and deepest two-week declines ever experienced.
Sometimes a career path is filled with twists and turns that take you far from where you started. Other times, that path takes you full circle after preparing you for a position that fits you perfectly.
School will soon be back in session, and whether a student will learn virtually from home or participate in a classroom while wearing a mask, the one constant will be the dedication of the student’s teacher. This year, due to the COVID-19 crisis, educators have likely seen more changes in a short period of time to the way we "do” school than ever before. But as you will discover in the following pages, local education superheroes are up to the task of providing a quality education to their students, despite the coronavirus pandemic. In this annual feature, we spotlight eight local educators who represent a wide variety of roles in an array of different school settings. They also represent fellow teachers all across Southwest Louisiana who are committed and determined to overcome the current challenges of educating our area youth.
Kitchen need a face lift? Outgrown your living space? Time for a new roof? Finally ready to put in that pool? If you’ve been waiting for the right time – and the money – to make needed improvements in and around your home, you may be overlooking one simple solution: your own home equity.
What a year 2020 has been so far . . . and we’re only halfway through! A major pandemic that affected both our physical and economic health, race relations that have resulted in needed reforms, an active storm season predicted, and an important election coming up in November.
While sometimes under the radar, lawyers and the law impact most every facet of our lives. In this special section, you’ll see how law firms throughout Southwest Louisiana serve their communities, as well as a brief 2020 Louisiana Legislature Session update, details on upcoming elections, and more.
The Louisiana Legislature proved productive in their 2020 Regular Session, which adjourned June 1, by passing 370 bills. Here are a few highlights of their hard work.
In addition to health and economic concerns, many Louisianans are facing legal issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Louisiana’s civil legal aid organizations continue to provide free legal services to low-income and other vulnerable people for legal needs arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic and other civil legal matters.
We are all aware of the tremendous hit our economy has taken due to COVID-19. Over thirty-six million Americans have filed for unemployment benefits since mid-March. Seniors have watched their retirement savings drastically dwindle. This new reality affects everyday decisions in how we spend, save, and protect ourselves and our families. To cope, let’s reprioritize and get creative to preserve our resources and potentially determine how to make do with less.
We’ve learned the hard way that natural disasters come in many different forms and can strike at any time. Whether it’s a hurricane, flood, tornado or pandemic, the physical and economic damage can be devastating.
After over two months of stay-at-home orders, businesses are slowing putting the Open signs back in their windows. This is great news for our tattered economy. But as there is still potential for COVID-19 cases, as a community we want to be safe and proceed with caution. Follow these guidelines provided by the SWLA Economic Development Alliance for successfully heading back to the workplace.
As summer begins, kids will have more things they want to do and places they want to go during the break – especially as shelter at home orders are relaxed and they gain back some freedom. Most of these will cost money, making summer a great time to consider an allowance system if you don’t have one in place already.
If one could describe the current economic culture of Southwest Louisiana in one word, it would surely be GROWTH. Our small business community is thriving, our airports and ports are expanding, our schools of higher education are elevating their services, land is being developed and buildings constructed, and the industries are growing by the minute. Whew!
While money may not seem romantic, understanding your feelings about money prior to marriage can be an important part of keeping your love alive. How can engaged couples keep finance from ruining their romance?
After the holidays are over, many of us find that our budgets have been stretched a little too far during the past few months. Between presents and holiday meals, family time and parties, we tend to overindulge a bit during the season. Enter Frugal February — your chance to get back on track with savings goals and budgeting!
If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a community to grow a business. The small business world is not for the faint of heart – the recipe for success typically requires a team of support that extends far beyond the entrepreneur and includes investors, partners, customers, and, of course, financial professionals.
Investing can be an intimidating business. It’s certainly a smart move, but even successful investors admit it took time to feel comfortable in their stock-market shoes.
Many people look for a quick, easy way to riches and happiness. It may be human nature to search for a hidden key or some secret bit of knowledge that suddenly leads to the end of the rainbow or a winning lottery ticket.
Have you ever stopped to think about what germs might be lingering around your keyboard? The office doorknobs? The telephone on your desk? At this high time for colds and flu, it’s something that must at least cross your mind. The flu is highly contagious – passing from person to person primarily by droplets that leave the infected person through a cough or a sneeze. These can easily infect a person up to six feet away and can even spread by germs that land on surfaces. According to a 2014 study, a virus sample placed on a doorknob and tabletops in an office spread to 40-60 percent of workers and visitors within just two to four hours. With all this germ talk, you’re probably wondering how you can evade these all-too-resilient microorganisms. Of course, you have the regular advice like, "get a flu-shot,” "get lots of rest,” "wash your hands often,” but how about this one: "hire a cleaning service for your office.”
Remember the old adage "It’s better to give than to receive”?
With proper planning, it’s possible to do both at the same time. Your financial goals may include giving to the causes that are most important to you. During this season of giving, we encourage you to expand your giving philosophy and realize that giving can benefit you as well as your beneficiaries. The following articles provide strategies and tips to show you how to make the world a better place with your time and resources.
From January to November each year, a local retiree is known as Bob Nordan. But come the holiday season, he’s better known as Santa Claus!
Founded in 2017, Alliance for Positive Growth (APG) is a dedicated, grassroots group of professionals in real estate, development, construction and other interested parties who work together to promote strong, beneficial growth in Southwest Louisiana. They recently initiated a series of Public Servant Panel discussions with area leaders for the purpose of sharing information and fostering communication for the benefit of our region. The inaugural event was held in late October and featured Mayor Nicholas Hunter and several other Lake Charles civic government officials, where they discussed upcoming projects. "The purpose of the panel is to develop open dialogue between public officials and business owners. One where government representatives can share projects they feel need more awareness, while making themselves available to respond to questions from local professionals,” says Faith S. Hooks, APG Executive Director.
"Leadership goes beyond a job title and a respectable annual salary; it is determined by the impact one makes on the lives of others,” says Abbie Myers, Administrative Loan Assistant with First National Bank DeRidder and nominator of one of this year’s Leading Ladies in Business.
Indeed, our 2019 Leading Ladies have collectively impacted the lives of countless people, through their professions, families, and their community volunteer efforts. They work hard and set the bar high on the measure of success. This year’s list of Leading Ladies work in a wide variety of occupations – banking and finance, healthcare, law, marketing, petro-chemical industry, and non-profit. Read on for inspiration and advice from these exceptional women.
Unfortunately, personal finance is not a required subject in most high schools or colleges. This lack of basic financial education leaves many young adults clueless about how to manage their money, apply for credit, and how to get or stay out of debt. To help you get started, we’ll look at eight of the most important things to understand about money if you want to live a comfortable and prosperous life.
As a teen or young adult today, you’re tech-savvy when it comes to living and learning.
If you want to achieve success, you need to be money-savvy too. ‘Fintech’ (financial technology) apps can strengthen your money management skills and simplify your finances, allowing you to stay focused on personal, career, and life goals. SageVest Kids looked at some of the best financial apps for teens and young adults.
The yin and yang of emotions and logic are present in many decisions we make. We spy a sweater in red, our favorite color, and we must buy it. That perfume has a hint of vanilla and reminds us of Grandma’s cookies, warm from the oven and before we know it, the perfume is purchased.
Most Americans are pessimistic about how well off they’ll be financially when they reach retirement. A recent Gallup poll showed that only 48 percent of Americans expect they will have enough money in retirement. Those in their 50s were the least optimistic, with 42 percent in that age group saying they expect to live comfortably in retirement.
Americans are concerned about the odds they will enjoy a secure retirement, and those concerns flow across generational lines. Research by the nonprofit Transamerica Center for Retirement Studies reveals that 45 percent of Baby Boomers expect to experience a reduced standard of living in retirement. Meanwhile, 83 percent of Generation X workers anticipate they will have a harder time achieving financial security than their parents did, and only 18 percent of Millennials foresee a comfortable retirement.
Traditional wedding vows usually include the phrase "till death do us part,” but it’s not a part of the ritual most couples want to dwell on. Financial professionals, though, say ignoring the eventuality of death is unwise when it comes to a couple’s decisions about retirement and money. "The decisions you make today can affect your spouse’s financial situation after you pass away,” says Peter Bombara, CEO and founder of PCB Financial Advisor.
Calcasieu Parish employs over 5,000 people, all working toward one goal – to educate our children. And that figure doesn’t include charter and parochial schools! As we begin a new school year this month, we want to celebrate the profession of educators at large. They perform an incredibly vital role in our community and we appreciate them; all of them! This feature is but a small microcosm of the educational excellence our parish has to offer. There are hundreds of teachers and support personnel who are equally worthy of recognition. We wish we could tell all their stories! For now, we highlight these seven. And we hope all the educators, students, and parents have a wonderful school year!
The Calcasieu Parish School Board is excited to offer a pilot program, Educators Rising, next school year for high school students interested in the field of education. In its first year, this pilot program will be offered at both Barbe High School and Sulphur High School.
If you’re like many other high school seniors across the country, you might be busy sending out college applications and writing the requisite essays. While you’re filling out the forms, it’s important to be aware that there is a lot of misinformation out there regarding college applications and admittance. Consider these five myths and put them in your mental trash folder.
Retaining the services of a lawyer may not be something you think about every day, but there are times in everyone’s life when seeking legal counsel is advisable. In this special law section, you’ll find useful information on what the various types of lawyers specialize in and a breakdown of the top ten reasons to hire a lawyer. Our July First Person features Jennifer Jones, Cameron Parish District Attorney – she has a fascinating and inspiring life story. And if you’ve ever wondered what our elected officials do day-to-day, read A Day in the Life of a Louisiana State Senator, featuring Senator Ronnie Johns.
The first step is the hardest. That’s certainly true when it comes to investing money. Where, how, when, for how long, what if I lose the little I have? These are some of the questions floating around, making many of us want to shelve the idea and go back to sipping our café au laits.
As the sun comes up in Baton Rouge, Senator Ronnie Johns has already had his first cup of coffee, logged into the legislative website and reviewed the calendar for the day to see what bills will be heard on the Senate floor and in the various committees on which he serves. By 7:30 a.m., he leaves the small townhouse he calls home while working in Baton Rouge and arrives at the State Capitol to start a 12 – 15 hour day of work.
Getting that first job is a big accomplishment as it gives financial sustenance and the opportunity to make your mark in the working world. A lot of time and effort is put into getting the job, and the interview advice can be rampant. Advice runs the gamut of how to format your resume, to what suit to wear. This is all very helpful, but what happens when you actually get the job? Your first job is typically full of unchartered territory and can throw curve balls full of unexpected situations. These situations aren’t something your college courses prepare you for, but real life will.
Is there a young adult in your life; a recent graduate or a 20-something starting out on their own? Likely, you want to help them get off to a good start. What can you give a young person that would be useful and meaningful? Cash may seem too impersonal. Furniture or small kitchen appliances may not be their personal style.
What do you want to be when you grow up?
Kids hear this question all the time, and most of them quickly respond with at least a career or two. As we grow older, though, many of us become less certain about what we want to do with our lives. This is, in part, why college students switch majors and why people experience mid-career slumps.
Ah, the credit score – that little three-digit number that influences so much: interest rates, insurance prices and possibly where you live. There are many ways to improve or impair your credit score, but knowing the ins and outs of it can help you get (and keep) the score you want.
What would happen if you were hit with an unexpected medical bill, a layoff, or your adult son or daughter needed a quick loan to get out of a financial jam? According to the Federal Reserve’s Report on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2017, 40 percent of respondents said they wouldn't be able to cover a $400 emergency expense. Nearly 80 percent of American workers say they live paycheck to paycheck.
Women control more than 51 percent, or $14 trillion, of American personal wealth. They earn more college degrees. In the past three decades, their average income has soared over 65%.
Both traditional and Roth IRAs can be effective retirement savings tools, but eligibility limitations mean one or both may not be right for you. Here’s a guide to help you choose.
