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 .