Financial advice for new college grads

Investing tip of the month from Morningstar Investment Research Center, by Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance

Whether you're recommending a career in the plastics industry or touting the virtues of wearing sunscreen, graduation seems a natural time to share advice with any young people in your life.

For example, I plan to tell my newly graduated nephew to travel as much as he can while he's young, before he cares a whit about good food and expensive hotels. I'll also share with him my very favorite piece of guidance, handed down from my mom: Don't waste your time worrying about what other people think about you, because they're probably not thinking about you very much at all. That may sound odd, but as a self-absorbed teenager, I found it reassuring to realize that the rest of the world wasn't paying nearly as much attention to me as I had imagined.

Because graduation often coincides with other life changes--including new jobs, moves, and sudden windfalls from generous relatives--it's also a great time to share financial guidance with any young graduates in your life. You no doubt have some tips of your own, but here are some of my best ideas for getting off to a good financial start.

1. Seize the day.
Although most new graduates aren't yet pulling down big salaries, the post-college years can actually be a great time to build a solid savings foundation. The young person in your life may have received some cash gifts upon graduation; urge him or her to save at least part of the windfall. And if they were accustomed to living on a shoestring budget while at school, new grads are apt to find it fairly easy to save part of each paycheck once they begin working, even if their income levels are still relatively low. The fact that many new graduates live at home for the first year or two after school provides an additional opportunity to sock away some cash. To help sell your new grad on the merits of saving, share a story about something exciting you were able to do or buy because you had saved money for the future rather than spending it right away.

2. Start small, but get started.
Young people might assume you need to have deep pockets to be an investor, but let the new grad in your life know that that's definitely not the case. Some terrific mutual funds will let you in the door for as little as $500; Morningstar's Fund Screener can help you identify low-minimum offerings with other attractive attributes, such as low costs.

Even if market returns are fairly paltry over the next few decades, the benefits of getting an early start on investing can be substantial: The 21-year-old who starts saving $1,000 a year and earns an annualized 5% on his money will have more than $150,000 when he turns 65; were he to wait even five years to begin saving, he'd have only $114,000 when it came time to retire.

3. Invest on autopilot.
Even investing veterans can attest to the fact that it's difficult to invest with discipline. As much as we all know that the goal is to buy low and sell high, it's a lot more fun to be an investor when everything's going up than when the market's in the tank. Investing on a regular schedule is a particularly big challenge for young people, who can find plenty of other ways to spend their hard-earned cash.

That's why I'm such a big fan of automatic-investment plans, whereby you agree to invest a set amount every month. If your new graduate has landed a first job, urge him or her to take part in a 401(k) or any other defined-contribution plan--a familiar type of auto-invest plan. Because the participant's money is deducted from his or her paycheck on a pretax basis, contributions are particularly painless for young savers. A number of mutual fund companies also allow you into their funds with a relatively low minimum if you sign on for an automatic investment plan; T. Rowe Price will let you into any of its funds if you agree to invest just $50 a month.

4. Use credit wisely.
We've all heard about how banks bombard teenagers with credit card offers, and many college kids have been brandishing plastic for years. Those offers will only increase once the new graduate in your life lands a job, and the youngster will also likely be offered ever-higher credit limits. Because building and maintaining a good credit history will have an effect on almost everything your new grad might choose to do in this life--from buying a house or car to renting an apartment--graduation is a good time to review the dos and don'ts of managing credit.

Yes, a credit card can be handy in emergencies, and it makes sense for each person to establish a credit history in his or her own name. But keep it simple: A bank account and a single major credit card is all you really need to begin establishing a credit history. Urge the young person in your life to keep a running tally of any charges he or she makes and emphasize the importance of paying your balance in full each and every month. To drive the point home, discuss how credit cards can be "reverse savings accounts" if you carry a balance--that is, the interest rate you pay on your debt can easily wipe out the earnings from any money you manage to save or invest.

5. Know the real meaning of prestige.
Whether it's an iPod or a Playstation, young people learn early on the value our society places on status symbols. But those status symbols can be illusory: The person driving that expensive car could be on the verge of bankruptcy, while the one in the 17-year-old station wagon could pay cash for 20 shiny new Mercedes.

Some people never learn this lesson, but you're on a slippery slope if you start defining yourself by your material possessions and the illusory "status" they confer. If you always need the newest, most expensive car, computer, or shoes (or whatever it is that floats your boat), you can easily set yourself up for financial disaster--or, at the very least, rob yourself of the chance to build real wealth.

Morningstar Investment Research Center is great tool for new and veteran investors. It's chock full of unbiased analyst reports, tools for evaluating your portfolio, and lessons on how to invest. The best part is that it's free to all valid library cardholders! Begin now or learn more.

Mango Languages - learn a new language!

The Library has long subscribed to Rosetta Stone, a very popular online language learning service. Rosetta Stone has recently chosen to discontinue online access for public libraries. Because of this decision, the library's subscription to Rosetta Stone will end on August 31, 2008.

In its place, the library is offering Mango Languages, an online language learning service similar to Rosetta Stone. Mango offers many more languages including the following:

• Spanish
• French
• German
• Italian
• Greek
• Russian
• Japanese
• Mandarin Chinese
• Brazilian Portuguese
• ESL Spanish
• ESL Polish
• ESL Brazilian Portuguese

Mango also offers the following additional features:

• No downloads – Mango is completely web-based with no downloading required.
• Progress through lessons at your own speed with a native speaker to coach you through each exercise.
• Tests and quizzes to check memory and retention skills
• Grammar and cultural notes
• Phonetic spellings of pronunciations
• Vocabulary and phrase reviews

Read more or have your library card handy to get started now!

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered July 02

Below is a list of the Below is a list of the DVDs, Books on CD, and Music recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs
Movies
Ace of hearts
Bonneville
Hard rain
It's a boy girl thing
Love me or leave me
Music within
Step-up 2
The wedding singer

Books on CD
Fiction
The front by Cornwell, Patricia
Lavender morning by Deveraux, Jude
Damage control by Jance, Judith
The cure for modern life by Tucker, Lisa

NonFiction
The age of miracles by Williamson, Marianne

Music
Aerosmith: Big ones
Heidi Newfield: What am I waiting for
Jakob Dylan: Seeing things

New books we ordered July 2, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, Large Print, and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Judge by Allen, Dwight
Spider star by Brotherton, Mike
Horizon by Bujold, Lois
Trapp's secret war by Callison, Brian
The lost quilter : an Elm Creek Quilts novel by Chiaverini, Jennifer
Agincourt by Cornwell, Bernard
Lavender morning by Deveraux, Jude
Beauty stolen from another world : selected and new stories by Erdrich, Louise
Still life by Fielding, Joy
The outsider by Gabhart, Ann
Dream river by Garlock, Dorothy
Dreamkeepers by Garlock, Dorothy
Home-place by Garlock, Dorothy
Ribbon in the sky by Garlock, Dorothy
Sins of summer by Garlock, Dorothy
White witch, black curse by Harrison, Kim
Twisted by Kane, Andrea
Blood and bone by Lashner, William
Temptation and surrender by Laurens, Stephanie
An uncertain dream by Miller, Judith
Stop me by Novak, Brenda
Trust me by Novak, Brenda
Watch me by Novak, Brenda
Dear husband by Oates, Joyce
Handle with care by Picoult, Jodi
All the colors of darkness by Robinson, Peter
As Puck would have it : an original novel by Ruditis, Paul
In the courts of the crimson kings by Stirling, S. M.
Very Valentine by Trigiani, Adriana
The birthday present : a novel by Vine, Barbara
Victim by Wilson, Gayle

NonFiction
Real meditation in minutes a day : optimizing your performance, relationships, spirituality, and health by Arpaia, Joseph
Katey : the life and loves of Dickens's artist daughter by Hawksley, Lucinda
Lizzie Siddal : face of the Pre-Raphaelites by Hawksley, Lucinda
Body signs : how to be your own diagnostic detective by Liebmann-Smith, Joan
The two kinds of decay by Manguso, Sarah
Teach yourself visually handspinning by McCuin, Judith
Books : a memoir by McMurtry, Larry
Sassy, classy and still sparkling : celebrating life after 50 by Redhat, Ruby
Energy victory : winning the war on terror by breaking free of oil by Zubrin, Robert

LargeType
Agincourt by Cornwell, Bernard
Lavender morning by Deveraux, Jude
Still life by Fielding, Joy
Temptation and surrender by Laurens, Stephanie

Children
Once upon a crime by Buckley, Michae
Among the imposters by Haddix, Margaret
The haunted hotel by Roy, Ron
The invisible island by Roy, Ron
The jaguar's jewel by Roy, Ron
The lucky lottery by Roy, Ron
The missing mummy by Roy, Ron
Geronimo and the gold medal mystery by Stilton, Geronimo
Geronimo Stilton, secret agent by Stilton, Geronimo
The most dangerous race by Wheeler, Chase
The race against the Mammoth Car by Wheeler, Chase
Race for revenge by Wheeler, Chase
The life of me : enter at your own risk by Winkler, Henry
A tale of two tails by Winkler, Henry
Who ordered this baby? : definitely not me! by Winkler, Henry

Joey Goebel book signing July 17

The Friends of the Library is hosting a book signing and reception for local author Joey Goebel and his latest book, Commonwealth. The event will take place on Thursday, July 17, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. at the Presbyterian Church in Henderson. The Friends will be providing light refreshments and all are invited to attend. For more information, please contact the Library at 826-3712.

This just in ... June's new materials

For those of you who like nice and neat organized lists (like librarians do), we have put together lists of the new materials that were added to the library's collection in the month of June.

Click on the links below to see the lists and request items. (Hint: You can see these lists every month in the "Book Lover's Corner" section of the library's online catalog, or in the library in the New Books section.)

Books
General Fiction
Mysteries, Westerns, and Science Fiction
Nonfiction and Biography
Large Print
Children
Teen - A new teen collection has been launched! Ask about it the next time you're in the library.

Movies, Audio books, and Music
DVDs
Books on CD
Downloadable eAudiobooks (what's this?)
Music on CD

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered June 25

Below is a list of the Below is a list of the DVDs, Books on CD, and Music recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs
Movies
Autumn hearts
City of God
Finding Amanda
The flock
The forbidden kingdom
Futurama: The beast with a billion backs
Laura
Money pit
My blueberry nights
Nancherrow
O brother, where art thou?
Penelope
The pledge
The Spitfire Grill
Superhero Movie
The thief of Bagdad
Witless protection

Family
Camp Rock
Diego's Halloween
Dora saves the Snow Princess
Hundred Acre Wood hauntThe jungle book 2
The jungle book
Manny's pet roundup
Mickey's storybook surprises
Nim's Island
Scooby-Doo and the Goblin King
The sword in the stone

Regular
Bleak house
Coming home

Books On CD
Fiction
Heart and soul by Binchy, Maeve
The geometry of sisters by Rice, Luanne

NonFiction
When things fall apart by Chodron, Pema

Music
Hayes Carll: Trouble in mind
Lizz Wright: The orchard
Mudcrutch

New books we ordered June 25, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, Large Print, and Children. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Promise the moon by Arnold, Elizabeth
Heart and soul by Binchy, Maeve
Three weeks to say goodbye by Box, C. J.
Orange mint and honey by Brice, Carleen
On the grind by Cannell, Stephen
Antiques to die for by Cleland, Jane
Master of the delta by Cook, Thomas
Talent by Dean, Zoey
While my sister sleeps by Delinsky, Barbara
Death on the holy mountain by Dickinson, David
A girl called Rosie by Doughty, Anne
Grace by Evans, Richard
Devil may care by Faulks, Sebastian
The knees of Gullah Island by Fryer, Dwight
The Dirty Secrets Club by Gardiner, Meg
Voyage to oblivion by Gardner, Theodore
People of the weeping eye by Gear, W. Michael
Death list by Goines, Donald
Inner city hoodlum by Goines, Donald
Heavenly pleasures : a Corinna Chapman mystery by Greenwood, Kerry
The dark tide by Gross, Andrew
Love is not enough by Herries, Anne
A summer affair by Hilderbrand, Elin
Blood sins by Hooper, Kay
Around the way girls by Hunter, Angel
The sorrows of an American by Hustvedt, Siri
An instinctive solution by Jeffries, Roderic
Around the way girls 4 by Joseph, Dwayne
Walk the blue fields by Keegan, Claire
Take one by Kingsbury, Karen
The last time I was me by Lamb, Cathy
The last of the husbandmen : a novel of farming life by Logsdon, Gene
The blood ballad by MacPherson, Rett
House and home by McCleary, Kathleen
Fool, stop trippin' by McKinney, Tina
Desperate hoodwives : an urban tale by Mink, Meesha
Frogs & French kisses by Mlynowski, Sarah
Bloodsucking fiends : a love story by Moore, Christopher
You suck : a love story by Moore, Christopher
Second opinion by Palmer, Michael
The Truth Commissioner by Park, David
Eclipse by Patterson, Richard
Runner by Perry, Thomas
The death of Corinne by Raichev, R. T.
The hunt for Sonya Dufrette by Raichev, R. T.
The geometry of sisters by Rice, Luanne
Sweet Georgia Brown by Robinson, Cheryl
The last oracle : a [upper case Greek letter "sigma"] Sigma Force novel by Rollins, James
The triumph of Caesar : a novel of ancient Rome by Saylor, Steven
Goy crazy by Schorr, Melissa
Geek magnet : a novel in five acts by Scott, Kieran
Perfect : a pretty little liars novel by Shepard, Sara
Sun going down by Todd, Jack
Black widow : a novel by Turner, Nikki
Around the way girls 5 by Tysha
Black out : a novel by Unger, Lisa
Seduction : a black door novel by Velvet
The Lady Elizabeth : a novel by Weir, Alison
Around the way girls 2 by Williams, Kashamba
Around the way girls 3 by Yvonne, Alisha

Nonfiction
Spinal cord injury and the family : a new guide by Alpert, Michelle
A splendid exchange : how trade shaped the world by Bernstein, William
New collected poems by Boland, Eavan
Step by step : a memoir of hope, friendship, perseverance, and living the American dream by Bowman, Bertie
G.K. Chesterton : thinking backward, looking forward by Clark, Stephen R. L.
Gandhi : the man, his people, and the empire by Gandhi, Rajmohan
Flat earth : the history of an infamous idea by Garwood, Christine
The shipwreck that saved Jamestown : the Sea Venture castaways and the fate of America by Glover, Lorri
Life in the balance : a physician's memoir of life, love, and loss with Parkinson's disease and dementia by Graboys, Thomas
The private life of spiders by Hillyard, Paul
Reinventing the sacred : a new view of science, reason and religion by Kauffman, Stuart
Leadership gold : lessons learned from a lifetime of leading by Maxwell, John
Your girlfriends only know so much : a brother's take on dating and mating for sistas by Mitchell, Finesse
Fleeced : how Barack Obama, media mockery of terrorist threats, liberals who want to kill talk radio, the new do-nothing Congress, companies that help Iran, and Washington lobbyists for foreign governments are scamming us-- and what to do about it by Morris, Dick
William Cullen Bryant : author of America by Muller, Gilbert
A mended and broken heart : the life and love of Francis of Assisi by Murray, Wendy
That mean old yesterday by Patton, Stacey
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers : runnin' down a dream by Petty, TomA champion's mind : lessons from a life in tennis by Sampras, Pete
Chicken with plums by Satrapi, Marjane
Embroideries by Satrapi, Marjane
Boots on the ground by dusk : my tribute to Pat Tillman by Tillman, Mary
Traffic : why we drive the way we do (and what it says about us) by Vanderbilt, Tom
The big questions in science and religion by Ward, Keith
Mr. Playboy : Hugh Hefner and the American dream by Watts, Steven
Barbarians to angels : the Dark Ages reconsidered by Wells, Peter
Labor of the heart : a parent's guide to the decisions and emotions in adoption by Whitten, Kathleen

LargeType
Fiction
Emily's place by Bateman, Tracey
Laney's kiss by Bateman, Tracey
Tarah's lessons by Bateman, Tracey
Domestic affairs by Goudge, Eileen
The killer angels by Shaara, Michael

NonFiction
Big Russ and me by Russert, Tim

Children
Dude, that's rude! : (get some manners) by Espeland, Pamela
Treasure hunters by Smith, Jeff
Ghost circles by Smith, Jeff
Old man's cave by Smith, Jeff
Rockjaw by Smith, Jeff

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• Quizzes, puzzles, and word games

Have your library card handy to get started now!

DVDs, Books on CD, and Music ordered June 19

Below is a list of the Below is a list of the DVDs, Books on CD, and Music recently ordered by the library. Click on the titles to see more and request a copy!

DVDs
Movies
Adam's rib
Alien
Blue velvet
Bull Durham
Caddyshack
Children of the corn
Gremlins
Groundhog Day
Invasion of the body snatchers
Little Caesar
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
The public enemy
Raging bull
Red River
Scarface
Terminator 2
The terminator
The thief of Bagdad
The usual suspects
Waterboy

Regular
Monarch of the Glen: The Complete Series 7

Books On CD
Fiction
The cat who tailed a thief by Braun, Lilian
TailSpin by Coulter, Catherine
Crank by Hopkins, Ellen
Glass by Hopkins, Ellen
Identical by Hopkins, Ellen
Phantoms by Koontz, Dean

NonFiction
What happened by McClellan, Scott
Ghosts among us by Van Praagh, James
Democracy matters by West, Cornel

Music
The best of Radiohead
David Finck Quartet: Future day
Emmylou Harris: All I intended to be
Gonzalo Rubalcaba: Avatar
Kathleen Edwards: Asking for flowers
Perry Mayfield: Get way back
Steve Winwood: Nine lives
Thank you Uncle Edward
Van Morrison: Keep it simple

New books we ordered June 19, 2008

Below is a list of the books recently ordered by the library. They are grouped by Fiction, Non-fiction, and Large Print. Click on the title to see more and request a copy!

Fiction
Something wicked by Beverley, Jo
Sacrifice by Bolton, S. J.
The great man by Christensen, Kate
Invincible by Denning, Troy
Doris Day : the untold story of the girl next door by Kaufman, David
The gun seller by Laurie, Hugh
House rules by Lawson, Michael
Fallen angels by Myers, Walter
Mind's eye : an Inspector Van Veeteren mystery by Nesser, Hakan
The greatest thing since sliced bread by Robertson, Don
The steel wave : a novel of World War II by Shaara, Jeff
The god of war by Silver, Marisa
The Septembers of Shiraz by Sofer, Dalia
Brothers in arms by Weis, Margaret

NonFiction
Whale done! : the power of positive relationships
Keeping bees and making honey by Benjamin, Alison
George Washington on leadership by Brookhiser, Richard
Say goodbye to being shy : a workbook to help kids overcome shyness by Brozovich, Richard
Tail talk : understanding the secret language of dogs by Collins, Sophie
Enjoying dog agility by Daniels, Julie
Simon says : a true story of boys, guns and murder by Eastburn, Kathryn
Breast- and bottle-feeding : an easy-to-follow guide by Edwards, Naia
The iambics of Newfoundland : notes from an unknown shore by Finch, Robert
My horizontal life : a collection of one-night stands by Handler, Chelsea
Distracted : the erosion of attention and the coming Dark Age by Jackson, Maggie
Not without my sister by Jones, Celeste
Forward from here : leaving middle age--and other unexpected adventures by Lindbergh, Reeve
I don't have to make everything all better : six practical principles that empower others to solve their own problems while enriching your relationships by Lundberg, Gary
Heartless : the true story of Neil Entwistle and the brutal murder of his wife and child by McPhee, Michele
Against medical advice : a true story by Patterson, James
Warped passages : unraveling the mysteries of the Universe's hidden dimensions by Randall, Lisa
Desperate passage : the Donner Party's perilous journey West by Rarick, Ethan
Nobility of spirit : a forgotten ideal by Riemen, Rob
The ABCs of breastfeeding : everything a mom needs to know for a happy nursing experience by Rubin, Stacey
White House ghosts : presidents and their speechwriters by Schlesinger, Robert
Julie Andrews : an intimate biography by Stirling, Richard
The gonzo way by Thompson, Anita
A fourth treasury of knitting patterns by Walker, Barbara
The billionaire's vinegar : the mystery of the world's most expensive bottle of wine by Wallace, Benjamin

LargeType
Married lovers by Collins, Jackie
The pagan stone by Roberts, Nora

Children
An artist's America by Albert, Michael
Cool zone with the Pain & the Great One by Blume, Judy
Paddington here and now by Bond, Michael
Maybe a bear ate it! by Harris, Robie
A day with Dad by Holmberg, Bo
Ever by Levine, Gail
The big field by Lupica, Mike
Forever Rose by McKay, Hilary
All shook up by Pearsall, Shelley
How I learned geography by Shulevitz, Uri
United tweets of America by Talbott, Hudson
Alternative cars by Wheeler, Jill
Avi by Wheeler, Jill
Barbara Park by Wheeler, Jill
Christopher Paolini by Wheeler, Jill
Cockapoos by Wheeler, Jill
C.S. Lewis by Wheeler, Jill
Everyday conservation by Wheeler, Jill
Goldendoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Kate DiCamillo by Wheeler, Jill
Labradoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Lemony Snicket by Wheeler, Jill
Mary Pope Osborne by Wheeler, Jill
Puggles by Wheeler, Jill
Schnoodles by Wheeler, Jill
Yorkie-poos by Wheeler, Jill
Go, go America by Yaccarino, Dan