Protecting your investments from swindlers, following a dream of starting a business, obtaining small business loans, and staying warm with help from a home energy assistance program are featured on MAKING $ENSE NEW ENGLAND, which airs Thursday, January 21 at 8 p.m. on New Hampshire Public Television, Maine Public Broadcasting Network and Vermont Public Television.

Savings swindlers. By the time Bob Kalinowski realized that his dad was being swindled out of his life savings, it was too late. Robert Kalinowski, Sr. of Bennington was lured into a series of unwise and illegal investments and personal loans by his trusted local financial advisor. Eventually, the matter was brought to the attention of local police and the Vermont Department of Banking, Insurance, Securities & Health Care Administration (BISHCA). For the victim’s son, a Vermont State Trooper, frustration at not having detected the problem was particularly strong. Learn some of the warning signals of investment fraud and ways of starting a financial dialog with senior citizens, who are particularly vulnerable.

Starting Your Dream Business. A lot of people dream of starting their own small business, but it takes a lot of courage to do so. For some, getting laid off from a job spurs them on to pursue their dream. In 2007, Jill DeWitt of Portland, Maine, newly unemployed, started the Good Eats Boutique, which taps a variety of independent bakers to supply treats for her business.

Independent Banking & Small Businesses. There’s been a lot of news lately about the difficulties small business owners face securing loans to start or expand their enterprises. We talk with Bill Gilson of Monadnock Community Bank about how to go about obtaining a loan.

Staying Warm. For many people in northern New England, staying warm this winter with a tight personal budget is a challenge. Last year, Congress allocated $5.1 billion to Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), making winter’s fury a bit easier to handle for many people.  Making $ense correspondent Phil Vaughn examines how the program might help you.   

MAKING $ENSE NEW ENGLAND, a 10-part series, airs monthly through August 2010, with stories about grassroots responses and solutions to the economic crisis of northern New England. The series is a collaboration of New Hampshire Public Television, Maine Public Broadcasting Network, and Vermont Public Television. www.makingsensene.org

Funding for MAKING $ENSE NEW ENGLAND is provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the Investor Protection Trust; the Foundation for Financial Planning; the FINRA Investor Education Foundation; and Goodwill Industries of Northern New England .

There’s a saying that “There’s no time like the present” to start something new and in terms of creating a new business in the Granite State, that’s certainly true. If you’re unemployed, underemployed or simply have a great idea that could translate into a new business, you would be well advised to tune in to tomorrow’s NH BizCast kickoff Webinar entitled “Starting a Business in a Down Economy.”

Knowledge Institute President Deborah Osgood is an expert at helping entrepreneurs gain the tools and skills they need to get their businesses off the ground. Here’s a little more about her:

Deborah Osgood is the Chief Executive Officer and co-founder of Knowledge Institute, specialist in entrepreneurial education and development. Deborah is a speaker, author, consultant and expert in entrepreneurship and marketing, has been featured on New York’s WPIX morning news, WMUR NH Businesses, and Boston WCVB TV Chronicle, and is the national spokesperson for IBM in supporting women and minority business development. In 2008 she was named Women in Business Champion by the U.S. Small Business Administration and also received awards for Excellence in Business Services, Enterprising Woman of the Year, Women’s Entrepreneurial Spirit Award, and Outstanding Woman in Media.

Join Deb tomorrow January 20th from noon-1p.m. at the following address: http://www.nheconomy.com/videos.aspx for the first of our NH BizCast webinars!!! (You can also join us live at the Comfort Inn in Concord, NH – please arrive 15 minutes prior to the Webinar.)

Savvy shoppers are using their cellphones to rack up savings thanks to a local company that is paving the way in social mobile marketing. By “helping people save money and helping businesses make money,” Jittergram has been named the New Hampshire Business Resource Center’s “Innovation Rocks!” award winner for the month of January.

Recognizing the fact that studies suggest that the redemption rate for mobile messaging coupons is nearly seven times higher than the redemption rate for printed coupons, Jittergram, a Manchester-based company, has helped consumers receive exclusive deals from their favorite restaurants, shops, and stores delivered right to their phones. It has also assisted businesses send just in time text promotions to their customers’ phones instantly. 

“In just two short years, Jittergram has revolutionized the way that social mobile commerce is conducted,” said New Hampshire Division of Economic Development Interim Director Roy Duddy. “Consumers can sign up to receive offers from only the businesses that they select and businesses can utilize a non-traditional marketing approach that is both creative and measurable. This is an extremely convenient and time saving way to do business.”

For more information about Jittergram, visit www.jittergram.com. 

“Innovation Rocks!” is an initiative sponsored by the New Hampshire Division of Economic Development’s Business Resource Center in coordination with Rock 101 (WGIR-FM) and the The Pavilion at the Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Downtown to celebrate the creativity and ingenuity of New Hampshire innovators.