Investing tips for college students

Hi Taylor - I’m a 20 year old college student looking to save via investing I’m trying to think long term and wondering what’s the best way to save/invest $100 each month

Taylor Kovar

- Rose

Hey Rose - Glad to hear you’re getting an early jump on investing

At 20 years old, $100/month will really start to add up as the years go by

There are a lot of good ways to invest your money, so you need to think about what will be personally fulfilling while still getting the job done When I say personally fulfilling, I mean what types of investments will keep you interested so you don’t get impatient and move your money or do something foolish Some people love watching the stock market jump around, and they have no problem buying a bunch of shares and never get the itch to sell and buy something else Other people need to see what their money is doing, and shares of companies don’t quite accomplish that

If you are someone who likes the idea of buying stocks, earning dividends, and trusting that the market will continue to climb, I’d save that $100 for about a year and then make one big purchase of stock in a company you like That might mean you buy something that’s $80 per share or something that’s around $5 per share, as long as it’s a company with a proven track record and a product you appreciate

If that doesn’t float your boat, you can look into something like peerto-peer lending, where you help sponsor personal and business loans and then get reimbursed along with interest This makes the lending process a little more real

Living with children

and can produce pretty returns You also don’t huge amount of money started because you’re crowdsourcing effort

As you look at investin keep service fees in mi Ideally, you want to in enough that you’re not big a percentage of your funds to trading fees Some companies take a percentage of your investment, while others charge per transaction If you’re buying $100 worth of shares each month and getting charged $9 99 per trade, you’re losing 10% of your investment capital, which is a good chunk Trading less regularly and in bigger amounts will help offset these costs Whatever platform you end up using, don’t overlook the expenses you may be charged

The most important thing is putting aside that $100 each month If you keep doing that, you’re already investing in cash, and with a solid cash reserve a lot of investing options become available Keep at it and good luck!

Taylor Kovar, CEO of Kovar Capital Read more about Taylor at GoFarWithKovar com

Disclaimer: Information presented is for educational purposes only and is not an offer or solicitation for the sale or purchase of any specific securities, investments, or investment strategies

Investments involve risk and, unless otherwise stated, are not guaranteed Be sure to first consult with a qualified financial adviser and/or tax professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein To submit a question to be answered in this column, please send it via email to Question@GoFarWithKovar com, or via USPS to Taylor Kovar, 415 S 1st St, Suite 300, Lufkin, TX 75901

I am perennially asked whether I do or do not “believe” in autism I suspect that on most occasions, it’s a test Nonetheless, it’s a fair question that usually takes this form: “I know you don’t believe in ADHD; but do you believe in autism?”

To be clear, it would be absurd of me to deny that there are children –plenty of them, relatively speaking – who frequently exhibit behaviors associated with the bogus diagnosis of ADHD (attention deficithyperactivity disorder) Those kids are problematic, for sure But no one has ever proven that they “have” something Childhood behavior disorders like ADHD are constructs; they are not realities Leukemia and nearsightedness are realities The spurious claim that these kids “have” something –biochemical imbalances being the number one “have” – is used to sell various therapies, including drugs that have yet to reliably outperform placebos and involve the very real possibility of dangerous side effects

But ADHD and classical autism are horses of different colors. I have no way of proving it, but I am convinced that autism in its classical form is a very real, “have” thing, albeit researchers have yet to discover the nature of its reality They are handicapped in doing so by the fact that autism is classified as a psychiatric/psychological disorder What, pray tell, is psychological about a two-monthold baby who doesn’t want to be held, doesn’t smile, and seems pained by eye contact? What unresolved issue is at work here? The answers to those questions are “nothing” and “none ”

The symptoms of classical autism appear much too early and much too randomly to think of it as anything but a yet-undiscovered physiological malfunction of one sort or another Taking it out of the realm of psychology/psychiatry –that is, removing it from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders – would be a boon to research as well as a boon to the kids in question and their anguished parents The roadblock to that has much to do with the fact that autism is producing a significant income stream for lots of mental health professionals And yes, I proudly admit to cynicism

The further problem is that one can’t talk in general terms about autism without consideration of the so-called “spectrum” that includes, most prominently, something called Asperger’s Syndrome I say “something” because this Asperger’s something is about as ill-defined as something can be The common denominator among kids who are hung with this label or are said to be “on the spectrum” seems to be “odd” and/or “quirky.” Personally, I think children should have the right to be at least slightly odd and quirky

Without exception of which I’m aware, once a mental health diagnosis begins to gain traction –that is, it begins to sell – the mental health professions begins expanding it – explicitly or implicitly – such that it captures more and more people (i e , paying clients) over time; thus things have gone with “the spectrum” and Asperger’s

I don’t deny that some kids who are said to have Asperger’s may need help Equally likely, their parents need help managing and disciplining them The many anecdotes I’ve been told strongly suggest that most of the somewhat odd kids in question, however, grow out of it, whatever “it” is My long-time readers know that with some conservatively-defined exceptions, I’m not in favor of allowing children into rooms with therapists (and I’m a licensed therapist) Labels, which therapists have a bad habit of dispensing, tend to stick For me to believe in Asperger’s (hypothetically) is one thing; for a child to believe he “has” it is quite another thing

Family psychologist John Rosemond: johnrosemond com, parentguru com

John Rosemond has worked with families, children, and parents since 1971 in the field of family psychology In 1971, John earned his masters in psychology from Western Illinois University and was elected to the Phi Kappa Phi National Honor Society

Monday, July 8, 2019

Sherman man arrested for Possession of Child Pornography

On the Wednesday June 26, 2019 at approximately 6:00am, the Grayson County Sheriff’s Office executed a search warrant at a residence in the 500 block N Burdette Ave Sherman, Texas, this warrant stimmed from a lengthy investigation into Internet child pornography

The Grayson County Sheriff’s Office is part of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force program which is nationwide network made up of 4,500 federal, state, and local law enforcement and prosecutorial agencies These agencies are continually engaged in proactive and reactive investigations and prosecutions of persons involved in child abuse and exploitation involving the internet

Task Force colleagues from the Grand Prairie Police Department assisted in the investigation and Sherman Police Department assisted with the search warrant

Gerald Thomas Smith, 35-year-old white male from Sherman, was