Financial Awakenings

EverydayWealth To Interview Rick This Thursday

Listen to Ted Klontz and Rick Kahler as they are interviewed by Gerri Detweiler, consumer advocate, author, and host of "EverydayWealth," this Thursday, March 23, 2006. The program starts at 1 pm, MST, and Rick and Ted will be on between 1:15 and 1:45.

You can listen in at www.EverydayWealthRadio.com. To listen live, be sure to click on “listen live.”

Each Thursday, Gerri answers consumer questions and interviews leading experts. This week's first topic is "Credit Score Myths and Facts." Learn the biggest myths about increasing your credit score and how your FICO score can work for you with credit expert John Ulzheimer, Vice President of The After Bankruptcy Foundation.

The second topic is "Was Ebenezer Scrooge on to Something?" Join us as authors Richard Kahler, MS, CFP and Dr. Ted Klontz discuss their new book, The Financial Wisdom of Ebenezer Scrooge: 5 Principles to Transform Your Relationship with Money.” Old Scrooge may have been stingy, but he was savvy as well! Find out how self-defeating financial habits can be transformed into profitable solutions during this segment.

Call in live to ask your questions (1-877-474-3302 2-3 pm CST), or access recorded programs at a more convenient time by clicking on the red “audio archive” button.

Where To Find Our Weekly Column In Hard Copy

Obviously, you know that my weekly column appears here, on my weblog.  I publish it every Friday. There are also two other places you can catch my weekly column in hard copy. The Watertown Public Opinion publishes it on the Monday after it comes out on the weblog, and the Rapid City Weekly publishes it on the following Thursday. 

If you know of a newspaper that would like to add the column, please have them contact me. 

Junior Achievement

For the fourth year in a row employees of Kahler Financial Group have taken to the classrooms of local schools to facilitate the Junior Achievement program.

This program brings the principles of money, economics, and business into the classroom. This year, 150 local volunteers from the business community spent a total of five sessions each instructing their assigned classes. Each grade level has its own curriculum and there are programs for K-12 that build from year to year on one another.

Again, I had the honor of teaching at Children’s House Montessori School, where my daughter attends. London was pretty excited that her dad was going to teach her class again! London and all her classmates learned how communities help one another by providing jobs and paying taxes.

Teach just one JA class and you’ll be hooked. Not only is the real payoff being in the classroom with the kids; JA’s support of their volunteers and the quality of their materials is first rate. Not surprisingly, the cost of the program is relatively expensive. It costs JA over $500 per classroom to provide the education.

I know we all get hit for worthy causes every day, but I can honestly say that if you believe in the free-enterprise system, you will be impressed with the Junior Achievement program and find it to be a cause worthy of your support.

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer or a supporter, call Carol Borchard, Black Hills Manager of Junior Achievement of South Dakota, Inc., 605-718-9952.