The theme for September is Back to School. For those of you with children with college ahead, start saving now. For relatives who would like to contribute, using part of the birthday or Christmas gift money possibly (worth a try), you will need to set up a college savings plan.

To research the saving plans and the various options for college, we recommend starting with Clark Howard’s web site.

For those of us whom this is not a need, no you do not get a month off from the financial tasks we are working on this year! Our task this month, is to review any previous month’s tasks and do what you have not gotten completed. Trust me, you will feel better once it is done…

Government schools are interesting environments into which to send your children. And while I am tempted to rail on and on about their evils, I will focus on area that is important on a basic level: Cleanliness.

Last week I was enjoying the Food & Wine Festival at EPCOT and I was struck by something I never noticed in the bathrooms there. Little placards above each sink with the title, “Hand Washing Tips.” Three simple bullets telling you to wet, wash and rinse. I was dumbfounded by both the fact that now my bathroom sinks are advertising spots and that some people lack the basic hygiene to know how to wash their hands!

Cleanliness is an important part of life that we often overlook. How many times do you wash your hands during the day? When was the last time you really deep cleaned the surfaces in your house? Probably not as much as you should, (unless you are lucky and have a maid).

When it comes to the government schools, the majority of children that attend them every day probably are not thinking about the disgusting germs everywhere as much as the cute girl that just started or how to cram for the latest pop quiz the teacher is going to give today. However, due to some diligence by Clorox this should be a bit easier of a job with their “Clean Up The Classroom” campaign. Read more