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My sister Cece, who lives in southeast Missouri and is enjoying spring flowers (and her asparagus) already, recently sent me pictures of her Kaffir lilies. The mother plant has lots of red berries on the stalks the flowers had been on. Her smaller one is just now blooming. I’ve always cut off the flower stalks once they start puffing up to make seeds. I’d thought maybe if I didn’t, it would somehow diminish the plant and prevent future blooms. But Cece says she hasn’t and it’s always bloomed again. So now I need to go look up proper...
If you have student loans, you likely received a “payment vacation” over the past few years, due to legislation related to COVID-19. But if you’re like millions of other borrowers, you may have recently been required to resume your payments. How will this affect your overall financial situation? Of course, the first thing that comes to mind is the effect on your monthly cash flow. But the amount of pressure you feel will depend on your income and the size of the required payments. If these payments do represent a real challenge, you may...
The LCHS boys’ team were victorious over Harlowtown-Ryegate March 9 in the Consolation round of the State Tournament, winning by a score of 53-43. They placed third. First place went to Box Elder, second to Manhattan Christian. Lustre won three games at State, and lost only one, and it was by six points to Manhattan Christian....
I was remembering marching bands of the past. Since I do not live in town I shouldn’t make statements that I cannot verify, but I am pretty sure that folks living in the vicinity of the high school and middle school today do not get to see the band and baton twirlers practicing. As a youngster I lived on 4th Ave. No. in Glasgow and always thought it was really cool to get to watch the High School band practice on our streets. I remember going to Moose Jaw, Sask., for a band marching competition at one time (I can remember that but do not...
On Feb. 10 Gary and Roxann Funk were in Great Falls as Gary’s dad, David Funk was inducted into the Montana Cowboy Hall of Fame along with 23 others from throughout Montana. The event took place at the Heritage Inn. Along with those from Montana, extended family came to the event from Tennessee, Minnesota, South Dakota, California and Washington. Gary and sister, Arlene, received a plaque in honor of their Dad. Congratulations to the LCHS basketball teams in their victories last Saturday in Glasgow. The girls beat Circle in overtime 44-42....
I apologize for not writing anything last week. We were away on another trip. This one was to Nashville. Our 13-year-old grandson and his hockey team from Clearwater, Fla., were competing in a President’s Day tournament just outside Nashville, in Franklin, Tenn. They won, without suffering a single loss, although they did have one game that ended in a tie. Their trophy was a guitar. What else would you expect from Music City? (Each individual player also got a medal to take home. That guitar will go in the trophy case at their rink.) We went...
When many people think about investing, the first thing that comes to mind is the stock market. And that’s not surprising, as the rise and fall of stock prices is constantly in the news. But if you’re going to achieve your financial goals, you may well need to look beyond stocks and include fixed-income investments in your portfolio. Fixed-income investments offer three important benefits: • Income – When you invest in fixed-income vehicles, such as bonds, Treasury securities and certificates of deposit (CDs), you receive regular...
The LCHS girls basketball team defeated Frazer 68-30 in Wednesday's District 3C tournament game, and lost to North Country on Thursday at 3 p.m. They were victorious against Dodson 61-19 on Friday afternoon, qualifying them to play against Circle in Saturday's consolation game. Coach is Bill Reddig, assisted by Sadie Brown. The LCHS Boys tied for first place with 17 wins and 1 loss, but lost the coin toss for seeds in the tournament. They beat Frazer Wednesday at 4:30, and Circle Thursday...
If you’re a business owner, you always have a lot to do and a lot to think about. But have you put much thought into how you’ll eventually leave it all behind? Even if you’re a few years away from that day, it’s a good idea to create an exit strategy. If you’re like most other owners, most of your net worth may well be tied up in your business — so how you exit that business can have a big impact on your finances and your retirement. As you begin the exit strategy process, you’ll need to examine some basic questions, such as how...
You may have read reports about an impending “debt crisis” in the U.S. Should you be worried about investing in Treasury securities? Part of the concern over debt has been driven by the cost of government borrowing, which has risen because of higher interest rates. But it’s worth noting that while interest expenses have risen to nearly two percent of gross domestic product (GDP), this measure had exceeded three percent in the early 1990s. So, while the upward trend of federal debt could prove problematic down the road, the claims of a cur...
I meant to open this column with some light-hearted joking about taking weather forecasts from rodents and fell down a rabbit hole. (And rabbits aren’t rodents.) Prepare yourself for a lot of useless information. It might come in handy next time you compete in Trivial Pursuit. It is true that the groundhog is a rodent. Sometimes known as a woodchuck of tongue-twister fame, these rodents belong to the group of large ground squirrels (family Sciuridae) known as marmots. Gophers are also ground squirrels, but are rather puny in size next to grou...
Mary Honrud For the Courier Usually our minds will turn to soups as fall arrives with the cooler weather and more gloomy skies. For me, that season of soups is now. Well, really, I think soup is always good. We’ve had some really nice weather recently, but the fog and no sun is here right now. That has me wanting comfort food. Soup fills that want. First up is a hearty soup featuring wild rice and mushrooms. I combed through several variations on this theme, and settled on one that didn’t call for cream or milk. Those of you who don’t do...
Dense fog covered our region until Wednesday with rain last Sunday and 26 degree temps making ice on the gravel. Warmer temperatures and clearing skies came Wednesday and Thursday. Many prayers went up for those travelling to Billings with students competing in the FIRST Lego League Qualifying Tournament on Jan. 20. Students of the Lustre Lego Lions League are Liam Reyneke, Joseph Olfert, Coleman Hilkemann, Gunner Damboise, Justin Schiller, Jake Neufeld, Drew Reddig, Curt Teichroew, Nancy Schill...
Mary Honrud / For the Courier What a difference a week or so makes, huh? We've gone from bitter cold with frigid winds, to ice fog and freezing rain, to balmy spring temps in a short amount of time. And don't we enjoy northeastern Montana through all of it? But we've had enough with the icy fogs and freezing rains, don't you agree? Mother Nature could get her act together at any time. There was enough weight on the trees after that rain last Saturday night and most of the day Sunday that I know...
As we begin the new year, you may be receiving various tax statements from your financial services provider — so it’s a good time to consider how your investments are taxed. This type of knowledge is useful when you’re doing your taxes, and, perhaps just as important, knowing the type of taxes you generate can help you evaluate your overall investment strategy. To understand the tax issues associated with investing, it’s important to understand that investments typically generate either capital gains or ordinary income. This distinction...
Either being out in the cold (be it outdoors or inside the ice rinks) OR being in crowds of people didn't agree with me. In any case, I started feeling punk on the second day of our drive home from Minneapolis. We'd split the trip into two days, both going and coming. We stayed overnight in Fargo both ways. I'm still really glad we went, it was a great weekend of hockey. Our grandson's team ended up with bronze medals. And he and our daughter survived a cold afternoon of outdoor sledding at...
When you plan to retire at a certain age, you can follow a strategy that incorporates your investment moves, your health insurance and other factors. But what happens if you’re forced to retire earlier than you anticipated? Unfortunately, this situation is not that uncommon. About 40 percent of Americans say they have been forced into retirement, according to a recent survey from Edward Jones and Morning Consult, a research firm. If this were to happen to you because of a layoff, company downsizing or a health issue, would you be prepared to...
I think those words are in a song…Willie is a genius. This week, instead of heading to sunny Florida, we’re going to cold, snowy, blowy Minnesota. The youngest grandson, 11, has a hockey tournament in Minneapolis this long weekend. The Florida teams always seem to have tourneys scheduled in far locales every time there’s an extra day off school. (It’s not just Florida, of course.) These tourneys require the kids missing school on both sides of the long weekend as they have to travel to and from said locales. This particular tourney has...
Now that we’ve reached 2024, you might be thinking about your goals and hopes for the new year. But in addition to whatever personal resolutions you might make — volunteering, going to the gym more, learning a new language and others —why not make some financial resolutions, too? Here are a few to consider: • Boost your retirement savings. If you can afford it, try to increase your contributions to your IRA and 401(k) or similar employer-sponsored retirement plan. The more you put away in these accounts, the greater your chances of...
Who knows where the time goes? We’ve reached the end of another year, so it’s appropriate to reflect on the nature of time and how it affects us. And time certainly is a key element in the pursuit of your financial goals. As an investor, time can be your greatest ally. If you hold some investments for the long term, you could achieve an impressive cumulative growth in value. Furthermore, if you keep adding shares to these investments, possibly through a dividend reinvestment plan, you could attain “growth on growth” through the power...
We made it safely home from Florida, but we aren't staying here long. Our youngest grandson (11) has a hockey tournament in the Minneapolis area this weekend. The team is taking advantage of the long MLK weekend, as are lots of other youth hockey teams. I believe there are 10 teams at just the 12UAA level in this one. And of course it will be such nice weather for a jaunt across North Dakota into Minnesota - NOT! Those poor deluded Florida boys think it will be "fun" to experience snow and...
If you want to make a big purchase, such as a new car or a piece of property, or you were faced with a large, unexpected expense, such as a major home or auto repair, would you have the funds readily available? If not, you might look at what may be your biggest pool of money — your 401(k) or IRA. But should you tap into these accounts well before you retire? Maybe not — and here’s why: Less money in retirement – The more money you invest in your retirement accounts, and the longer you keep it invested, the more you’ll probably have...
Our sojourn in Florida continues, as does the hockey watching. And it’s not just the grandsons we’re watching. Tonight (I’m writing this on Wednesday, Dec. 27 - early deadline due to the holiday) we are heading into Tampa proper to watch the two Florida NHL teams compete against each other. I’m speaking of the Tampa Bay Lightning versus the Sunrise City Florida Panthers. Sunrise City is near Fort Lauderdale and Miami. We expect to see some fine hockey played. (And even as I write this, we’re watching the televised World Juniors...
We have been able to watch two of the three grandsons here in Florida play hockey. The third is in college and a bit further away. The middle boy competed in two games last Saturday, and both were won fairly easily. Our boy scored three assists on the four goals his team put up, two of which occurred on the same line shift, in the first game of the day. While he didn’t score in the second game, he still made some key puck thefts and made smart passes. His team had seven goals to the two the opponents managed. Last Monday evening we watched...
We’re again in Florida to spend the holidays with our grandsons. Seeing our daughter and her husband as well is a nice bonus. Avoiding the Montana winter is also very much appreciated, although so far the Montana winter hasn’t been bad. However, Florida is currently cooler than we’re used to, with grey skies and winds reminiscent of home. They received a paltry 2.65” of rain yesterday. Recently, in one of my columns, I mentioned how two of our three daughters have vastly outdone me in plant acquisitions. I believe this Florida girl of...