For many Americans, economic problems begin with steep credit card rate hikes and collection notices. Kenneth Shandy helps people learn how to get out of that kind of mess.
Kenneth calls himself a credit coach. He doesn't have a graduate degree in business, but he does have personal experience. As a teenage entrepreneur, he made and spent a lot of money. He had $20,000 in debt by the time he was 20 and had to teach himself how to dig his way out.
Thursday, April 23 2009 - Thanks for the Layoff
Thousands of Americans are now facing the question that Holly Green has faced when a job that you love just vaporizes: what do I do now?
It's harder to face when you're older. It can also be harder when you lose a senior-level job. Holly was president of a major company when she was let go. But Holly re-invented herself and she appreciates the lessons she learned during her downtime.
The tax deadline was yesterday. Clark Williams and his partner Jim always file their taxes, but this tax year they were presented with a challenge. They are a married, same-sex couple, so in California they file a joint return. But they had to file as singles for the federal return. Clark talks with Dick about how filing as both a married person and as a single frustrated him - and led to the loss of money.
Peggy Greco has always been a little nutty about the way she's pursued her career. But with this economic downturn, she's had to do something extreme. She's been riding her bicycle around town in a T-shirt that advertises her work as a private nurse.
Jonathan Childres opened his barbecue restaurant seven years ago this week. He and his business partner describe the place as a bit of a “hole in the wall,” since the kitchen is tiny and the restaurant only seats 36 people. The two say they’ve been wanting to expand their business to a larger space since they opened, and they were ready to do so - until this year, when one of their investors unexpectedly pulled out at the last minute. So, Jonathan had to think creatively about raising the extra funds. He's turned to his customers. Would you invest in a restaurant if it meant you'd get free barbecue?
(SECOND INTERVIEW)
During the housing boom, many Americans got into buying cheap houses and rehabbing them for profit. Over an 18-year period, Mark Post bought six homes in his neighborhood - but not to flip them. Mark had it in mind he could help make his community a better place.
When he first moved to the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Grand Rapids, M.I., Mark says many of the homes were used by drug dealers and prostitution rings at night. Today, his neighborhood is home to a diverse group of mixed-income residents and crime has gone way down. Mark talks with Dick about his role in those changes, and how he fits into debates about gentrification.
Friday, April 03 2009
Mark Post
During the housing boom, many Americans got into buying cheap houses and rehabbing them for profit. Over an 18-year period, Mark Post bought six homes in his neighborhood - but not to flip them. Mark had it in mind he could help make his community a better place.
When he first moved to the Cherry Hill neighborhood of Grand Rapids, M.I., Mark says many of the homes were used by drug dealers and prostitution rings at night. Today, his neighborhood is home to a diverse group of mixed-income residents and crime has gone way down. Mark talks with Dick about his role in those changes, and how he fits into debates about gentrification.
Residents of Fargo, N.D. are still waiting to see what the damage will be from last month's flooding. Alice Evans would tell them one thing: the damage can take weeks, even months to reveal itself.
Dick Gordon first spoke to Alice Evans in July just after the Cedar Rapids floods. The kitchen of her catering business was destroyed. Alice lost her business partner and then couldn't find a loan to rebuild. Now she has reason to be optimistic – Alice has reopened her catering company, “My Personal Chef.” She talks with Dick about how she found her new kitchen and how her father convinced her that the floods were a blessing in disguise.
It takes an inner toughness to keep a job these days, and Stacy Nakell has one of the toughest jobs there is. She's a social worker. But she has an extra edge when she tells women that they can find the courage to stand up to a violent person in their lives. Stacy is a boxer in her off-hours.
Stacy had made a bet with her boyfriend when she walked into a gym for the first time. To Stacy’s surprise, competition also allowed her to confront her difficult childhood and mend a strained relationship with her father. Dick Gordon talks to Stacy about her passion for the sport of boxing and about how her time in the ring has transformed her approach to her work.
Beverly Kennedy decided she wanted a career in law enforcement. The trouble was, this was the early 70's in Boston, and the cops weren't hiring women to walk a beat. Beverly didn't take "no" for an answer, and built a career defending herself and other people. Beverly talks to Dick Gordon about how a tense moment with a male colleague motivated her to become a lawyer and eventually a domestic victim service worker.
Listen Now!
Reports suggest that war-torn regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo have recently experienced a period of calm. But people who live and work there know how tragic the situation still is. Anneke Van Woundenberg is a human rights investigator. She travels to remote villages and interviews witnesses and victims of brutal attacks. Anneke says though the witness accounts can be heartbreaking, she's still optimistic about Congo's future. She talks with Dick Gordon about her latest trip to Congo, when she met one man who saw the decimation of his village - and watched on a screen in a crowded church as the International Criminal Court prepared to try one of Congo's rebel leaders for war crimes.
Friday, September 19 2008 - Pushing Drugs
Shahram Ahari believes that the relationship between pharmaceutical companies and doctors can compromise the health of patients. Shahram knows what he's talking about: he was a drug rep with Eli Lilly, where he learned how to entice doctors with gifts, slanted statistics, and psychological profiles. He even earned the nickname "safe cracker" for getting into the offices of doctors who avoided sales people like him.
Shahram tells Dick Gordon why his selling techniques worked. He also recounts the crisis of conscience that led to his quitting the industry.
Monday, September 22 2008 - Lessons from '29
Mary Jane Young still has vivid memories of the 1929 crash. Her father had been a successful real estate builder in New York and had also bought stocks. He eventually lost everything.
Mary Jane talks to Dick about watching their belongings, including her playhouse, auctioned off on their front lawn - just hours before her family became homeless.
Mary Jane says it was a lullaby her mother sang that helped her through their move from a park bench to an abandoned house.
Thursday, October 09 2008 - HEART matters
The presidential candidates are seeking support for their proposed health care plans, citing rising costs across the board. This year, uninsured Americans are expected to spend $30 billion on out-of-pocket medical expenses.
Musician David Bass was born with heart problems and later required a heart transplant to save his life. But he was turned down by his doctor for care because he lacked health insurance. He talks to Dick Gordon about how he navigated the Medicaid system to get on the transplant waiting list.
His wife Rebecca Porter also joins the conversation. She says David's heart problems sparked her interest in nursing. Now that the family has medical benefits, she says, her family's outlook on the future has changed.
Geo Vaughan has found out how hate-motivated attacks against the gay community are thriving. In August, Geo was looking for a nightclub in the Chelsea district of Manhattan - an area known to be gay-friendly. When he got a bit lost, he asked a group of young men for directions. They assaulted him when they realized he was gay.
Geo talks to Dick Gordon about being gay bashed and how speaking out against it has changed his life.
Monday, October 13 2008 -Tough Job - Senior Prosecutor
Among the tough jobs people choose as professions, there's one that no one really want to think about: prosecutors of serious crimes against women and children.
Kimberly Esmond-Adams became a prosecutor in 2002. She says that the work is hard because the kinds of things that the people are accused of is hard for most of us to believe. Kimberly talks with Dick Gordon about how she manages to control her anger in cases where a family member is accused of raping a child and why she decided to become a prosecutor against her father's wishes.
Wednesday, October 15 2008- FOLLOW-UP: Small Business Roller coaster
The presidential candidates have added details to their economic proposals. It's likely they'll discuss small business loans in tonight's debate.
In June, Chef Alice Evans' restaurant was destroyed during the floods in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. She spoke with Dick Gordon about her high hopes of reopening her year-old catering business. Now the economy has taken a dive, and Alice may have to sell her home to repay her outstanding back loans.
Alice talks to Dick Gordon about how being ineligible for business loans caused her to lose a $50,000 grant - and how much that kind of assistance could help her recover.
(SECOND INTERVIEW)
Thursday, October 16 2008-Tough job - Drumming up Real Estate
The foreclosure rate in Florida is three times the national average. But Ft. Lauderdale realtor and developer Zach Finn is ignoring the numbers. He has opened a new office and is even throwing upscale cocktail parties to lure buyers. He talks to Dick about how parties and international investors are keeping his business afloat.
Wednesday, October 22 2008 - LEAVING FOR HEALTH CARE
Monday, November 03 2008 -Voting as a Family
The Allen-Niesen family loves politics. In fact, Kim Allen-Niesen has used games like "Debate Bingo" and predicting Super Tuesday winners on tally sheets to creatively engage her children. But this election is more than a game for her 14-year-old son Kyle. He managed to convert three conservative Republicans to vote for Barack Obama in the primary election - his grandmother and two church youth leaders. Kyle talks to Dick about his mission to convert Republicans to vote for Obama. And his mother Kim shares how this presidential election has strengthened their family bond.
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