Author: Charles McChesney

Children who learn about money and financial literacy at an early age tend to be more responsible with their money, and have more respect for costs.

Few things are cuter than children and pets. The pure joy each finds in the other makes getting a pet appealing to many. Yet getting a pet is about far more than cuteness. Adopting a pet brings rewards and risks for a family that bear serious consideration before the first visit to a shelter, breeder or pet store. “A puppy with a child can be a beautiful experience,” says Kathy Gilmour, executive director at Helping Hounds, a dog adoption service in DeWitt. “And it can also be an absolute nightmare.” The benefits of having a pet may seem obvious to…

Isaiah Pierce, 14, wants to get a job and an apartment after he graduates from high school. His brother Ethan, 15, wants to get his driver’s license and is planning to go to college. In the meantime, their parents, Samantha and Jeremy Pierce, are deeply involved in making sure the boys get all the special services they need as students diagnosed with autism. Today, about one in 68 children in the United States is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. The disorder can look very different from child to child. For some, it is characterized by difficulty making eye…