As dazzling as a high rate of return sounds to every investor, people need to understand what they’re “hunting” with before chasing certain financial goals, says prominent speaker and financial advisor Jeff Brummett.

“A middle-class investor is probably better aiming for a ‘reasonable rate of return,’ which includes consistent, steady growth over a longer period of time,” says Brummett, a former president and founder of a two-time Inc. 500 company who recently started Green Line Financial Services, LLC (www.greenlinefinancialservices.com) to, in part, improve his neighbors’ financial well-being.

“Going for the big-money return almost always means risking resources that most people simply cannot afford. The middle class and the wealthy hunt with different tools for their respective financial ends.”

What are these different tools for the hunt? Brummett breaks down the analogy.

•  People in the upper class hunt money in the same way a person might hunt a deer – with a high-powered rifle. Such a person can be accurate and succeed from long distances because of the rapid speed of the high-powered bullet and the increased accuracy a telescopic sight produces. Also, because of the bullet’s velocity and the ability to quickly re-sight, aim and fire, a wealthy person can afford to miss the target (money) and still catch the prey with a second- or third-round attempt. Even when the wealthy fail, they are not adversely affected by their failure.

•  The middle class hunts money with the likes of a knife, spear, or, at best, a bow and arrow. Consequently, the middle class must sneak up on the prey – methodically, slowly and with great perseverance. In most cases, such hunters must get close to the prey to succeed and have only one shot. If they miss, there isn’t time to reload, re-aim and fire before the prey (money) is long gone and out of range – forever. Simply stated, the middle class doesn’t have the time to recover and is generally afforded not more than a single shot at securing a financial future. Every shot must count.

•  Step one for the middle class: appreciate slow growth and protect your assets. Appreciate a reasonable rate of return, built over time on the principle of safety first. “This is my first, second and third priority for the middle and upper-middle class,” Brummett says. Also, in recent years, the financial markets have experienced extreme swings. This historic volatility combined with the limited availability of traditional retirement income sources, such as defined benefit pension plans, has placed a greater responsibility on Americans saving for their future, he says. Also, Brummett says, people need to be sure to protect their nest eggs from unnecessary fees.

About Jeff Brummett

As an executive management entrepreneurial leader, Jeff Brummett is a prolific financial public seminar speaker and heads Green Line Financial Services, LLC (www.greenlinefinancialservices.com). He hosts more than 54 seminars across the southern half of Indiana each year. As a former president and founder of a two-time Inc. 500 company, Brummett offers extensive expertise in strategic planning for both professional and personal financial matters. He is a member of SOFA (Society for Financial Awareness) a non-profit professional speakers bureau, where he also serves as its Bloomington, Ind., Chapter President. Whether speaking one-on-one or to audiences, Brummett brings real-world answers to complex challenges. With humor and simplicity, he improves an individual’s financial literacy with each discussion.

For teens, getting behind a wheel can seem like an exciting taste of freedom. But too much leeway too soon can have dangerous results. Car crashes are the number one killer of teens, and half of all teens will be involved in a car crash before graduating high school, reports the National Safety Council (NSC).

Luckily, states with a Teen Safe Driving Coalition are helping change the game. The Coalitions — comprised of state and local government, law enforcement, public health agencies, traffic safety and injury prevention organizations, academia, businesses, teens, parents and crash survivors — were established by NSC and The Allstate Foundation. They have worked at the grassroots level for the last four years to educate parents and teens about the risks of teen driving. Coalitions exist in California, Florida, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Texas to offer solutions for parents to help teens be safer.

The results have been effective. Crashes involving 15- to 17- year-old drivers in Coalition states have dropped nearly 34 percent since the Coalitions were established four years ago, whereas non-coalition states have experienced just a 19.5 percent drop, according to NSC analysis of federal fatality data.

The Coalitions’ success is in part because they promote a program that indisputably saves lives. Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL), a proven method of reducing teen drivers’ crash risk by 20 to 40 percent, works by maximizing experience while minimizing common driving risks teens face, such as nighttime driving and carrying teen passengers. This allows new drivers to gain experience with less exposure to high-risk scenarios. All 50 states and D.C. have implemented some form of GDL.

“Beyond legislation, parents have a role to play as well,” says Kathy Bernstein, senior manager of teen driving initiatives, NSC. “As the number one resource when it comes to teaching teens to drive, parents should stay involved well after teens get their licenses.”

With that in mind, Bernstein is offering some life-saving tips to families with new drivers:

• Parents should drive with teens regularly even after they receive their license. A minimum of 30 minutes weekly can help ensure that safe driving skills are being employed.

• Talk with teens about managing distractions, such as phones — both handheld and hands-free — the radio, other young passengers, and even beautiful roadside scenery. When teens are driving, they must stay focused on the task at hand.

• Mile for mile, 16 and 17 year-old drivers are about three times as likely​ to be involved in a fatal car crash at night than during the day, according to “Injury Prevention,” a peer review journal. Parents should give teens opportunities to learn nighttime driving skills with an adult supervisor in the car.

• One of the best ways for teens to learn to drive is by example. So practice safe habits always.

“Remember, it’s not whether teens are ‘good kids’ or ‘responsible.’ New drivers share one thing in common — lack of experience,” says Bernstein. “The more practice driving teens get, the better.”

-StatePoint

Married couples should have plenty to say to each other, but research says communication is one of the issues they struggle with most.

Part of the problem may be that communication is a two-way street, requiring both partners to do it well. And some subjects are more ticklish than others to bring up.

“Healthy couple communication is not just about expressing your needs, but also about being an active listener and desiring to understand your partner’s perspective,” says Dr. Anne Brennan Malec, clinical psychologist and marriage and family therapist, and author of the book “Marriage in Modern Life: Why It Works, When It Works.” (www.drannemalec.com)

For couples, she says, communication is like oxygen. The relationship needs it to stay alive.

“Couples never come into my office and say, ‘We are talking way too much,’ ” Dr. Malec says. “It is always, ‘We have a problem with communication.’ ”

That rarely means they shut each other out completely, Dr. Malec says. They talk, but often they sidestep what’s really troubling them.

“Couples sometimes avoid difficult conversations and conflict because they fear it will turn ugly,” Dr. Malec says.

She says when it comes to communicating, there are a few traps to watch out for and some effective strategies to employ.

•  Getting passive-aggressive. Some people act out their feelings instead of talking about them. That’s called being passive-aggressive and as a relationship strategy it ranks near the bottom, Dr. Malec says. “You say one thing and do another, or worse, you say nothing but roll your eyes or sigh dramatically,” she says. “This communicates judgment and contempt, which is disrespectful to your partner.”

People usually act passive-aggressively because discussing their thoughts, feelings and opinions makes them uncomfortable or seems too risky. “I see it all the time,” Dr. Malec says. “A partner agrees to do something they have no intention of doing just to get the spouse to stop nagging.” Passive-aggressive habits foster distance between partners so it’s absolutely necessary to replace them with healthier communication strategies to restore the connection.

•  Assuming your partner is psychic. Sometimes spouses don’t communicate their needs or desires because they expect their partner to somehow know. “Expecting your partner to know intuitively what you want without saying it sets your partner up to fail,” Dr. Malec says. “None of us are mind readers.”

It’s far more effective, and people stand a much greater chance of getting their needs met, when they learn to share their thoughts directly.

•  Checking in. Communication often devolves into a heated argument over the family’s latest crisis, or involves the resurrection of old grievances. But communicating should be a way to head off problems instead of causing them, and can be if the right steps are taken, Dr. Malec says. She encourages clients to have at least a 20-minute daily check-in. This is a time to catch up on the day’s events and talk about what’s coming up the next day. “Done right, it can lead to smoother mornings in getting yourselves and the kids out of the house,” Dr. Malec says.

•  Addressing the bigger picture. In addition to short daily check-ins, couples should schedule weekly sessions to discuss bigger-picture items. That might include financial goals, work issues or parenting concerns, Dr. Malec says. Some couples do better if the agenda is set ahead of time. “A spoken agenda works fine for a lot of people,” she says. “But conflict-ridden couples may need a written agenda to stay focused and keep the conversation running smoothly.”

If necessary, use a clock to ensure equal talking time. Partners also can use an object such as a spoon or book that is passed back and forth to indicate whose turn it is to speak. Dr. Malec says that will help keep the couple centered and reduce the likelihood of either partner becoming overheated. Partners are more willing to engage in a conversation if they know they will have a chance to be heard.

“For many of us, our natural instinct is to avoid situations that feel complicated and confrontational,” Dr. Malec says. “But keeping and maintaining a successful marriage depends on learning how to fight the ‘avoidance’ instinct and discuss difficult issues.”

About Dr. Anne Brennan Malec

Dr. Anne Brennan Malec (www.drannemalec.com) is the founder and managing partner of Symmetry Counseling (www.symmetrycounseling.com), a group counseling, coaching and psychotherapy practice in Chicago. She also is author of the book “”Marriage in the Modern Life: Why It Works, When It Works.” Dr. Malec earned her Bachelor’s degree from Villanova University in Accountancy and holds two Master’s degrees: one in Liberal Studies from DePaul University, and one in Marital and Family Therapy from Northwestern University. Dr. Malec earned her Doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology.

If you are frustrated with your spring garden and have missed the produce that you’ve come to love and appreciate, we may need to drop back, punt, and plan for a fall garden. It is a commonly overlooked fact by gardeners that there are indeed two times to have a vegetable garden each year: spring and fall.

Yes, the fall vegetable garden is just as much a possibility as a spring one, just different. It will be different in a number of ways.

Establishing a fall garden is different as you have to work in the heat up-front. This will be to your advantage as warm soils help germinate vegetable plants much sooner than cooler spring soil temperatures.

Watering is also approached with a different mind-set. Water will be crucial to establishing the summer growing vegetables. Germinated seeds in July and August will need uniform moisture and plenty of it. Mulching, a practice not often done for spring gardens will really help here. Just a light layer of mulch will greatly aid in keeping moisture in the soil next to the developing roots.

Pest control for fall gardens will be less. Insect problems that are commonly experienced in the spring will be reduced. Disease issues that arise from cool, moist environments when plants are young will also be diminished.

The biggest proponents of fall vegetable gardens will always brag on the harvest. Harvested produce in autumn, in milder weather, are reported to taste better.   The time spent harvesting, choosing which tomato or what size cucumber to pick, is obviously more comfortably done in the cooler fall months as well.

Of great importance is your planning. Most vegetables traditionally grown in the spring/summer have a hard deadline when fall gardening. They must beat the frost. Now the average first frost for this area is mid- November. The key word is average. Sometimes it may be near Christmas, and other times it will be prior to Halloween.

So when choosing what and when to plant, keep in mind how long it takes each vegetable to reach harvest stage. Southern peas (purple hulls, zipper creams, etc.) normally take about 60 days. Counting backwards from a mid-October harvest puts the planting at mid-August at the latest. To get pumpkins for Halloween you need plant 90 to 100 days before you want it on display. 90 days before mid-October is mid-July.

Late fall plantings of most greens will handle frosts just fine, perhaps even benefit. Collards grow best in cool weather and can stand temperatures of 20 degrees or less in some cases. They taste sweeter after a light frost.

If you just can’t wait for fall, then go ahead and plant okra and southern peas. These two vegetables do just fine in our summer conditions.

The bottom line is that here in east Texas our spring and fall gardening seasons are typically sandwiched between a mild winter and hot droughty summer conditions that cause many crops to stop production. Variety selection and proper planting time are critical to success.