Voices

Photo credits: Nicci Marie (left), Dave Malecki (right) Much like actress Angelina Jolie, Environmental Services coworker Janet Bone is so beautiful, it’s impossible to look away. But she’s more than a pretty face. She’s an ambitious,...

I was driving north in my super thirsty pickup truck, mountain bike in the bed, when my heart jumped. A Speedway billboard showed gas for $4.57 a gallon, and I needed almost a full tank! What a deal. Coming back to my senses, reality reasserted...

I will not pretend I was always interested or aware of topics of money, as a 51-year-old child of the Region, however, I have some very distinct economic memories from my childhood involving the time period from the late 1970s to the mid 80s. I would...

I’ve been helping a former colleague with a problem and it’s had me thinking about my oldest son. So, Silvia (what we’ll choose to call her) is dealing with a workplace bully. Silvia has told me many stories about the bully, the wrongs...

If you’ve been reading my column for a while, then you probably know that I spent considerable time in my younger years traveling through wilderness areas in North America. My favorite regions are the upper Midwest (Boundary Waters, Isle Royale,...

There’s a phrase you’ll run into sometimes: “things happen."  I believe the phrase doesn’t start with, “things," but whatever the phrase usually starts with…you get my meaning. So, what do you do when “things” happen and you have...

We had a rare weekend free of obligations last week. With nothing holding us down, my wife Tracy, 12-year-old Ethan and I headed up to Southwest Michigan to enjoy the day bumming around and searching out some locally made snacks to have on hand for...

I serve my clients as their fiduciary. Serving in that capacity requires me to identify, manage and mitigate situations where my firm’s business practices may conflict with the best interests of my clients. In situations where sufficient mitigation...

My oldest daughter was married about five years ago. Like all brides, she put thousands of hours into her wedding plans, including creating a 19-page instruction manual complete by listing the time I was supposed to be in bed the night before the...

I’ve been getting daily questions lately about I-Bonds. The current economic environment has obviously thrown these financial products into the forefront. First, while it seems like consulting with a banker or financial adviser to learn about these...