Rock and a Hard Place

About two weeks ago my 14 year old Little Brother (LB) needed money for a school trip.  We sat and talked for awhile about the situation and why there was no money available at his house to pay for something like this.   His grandmother and her boyfriend have never worked in the 3 years I have known them.  The money in the home comes from State and Federal support mainly for the two grandchildren.  I told my LB that our relationship is not going to be about money and that if he needed the money for the trip i would give it to him under the promise that he would earn enough to pay me back by Halloween.  My goal is to encourage him to work for his money and make good on a promise. 

GCI (grandchildren conscious investing)

Today on a phone call with a thoughtful couple from Utah, the topic of SRI (socially responsible investing) was mentioned.  Since they used to live in Oklahoma we usually do a weather check and I told him I was going to have a hard time sympathizing with his getting ready for the snow remarks after the summer we had here. 

Come to find out Utah is one of the driest states in the USA and relies totally upon snowfall melt and capture for water.  Good snowfall equals good  recreation in the winter and farming in the summer.  I asked what the drought plan is for Utah and he said "prayer if you are a religious person and hope if you are not."