Fall Event Schedule Announced

Show Your Library Card and Save!

Our September promotion and other Fall events

September is National Library Sign-Up month and this year we have partnered with local businesses to offer our card holders a chance to save money by simply showing your GDL library card. That's right, show you card and save money at local businesses such as Great Harvest Bread Company, The Laundry in Fenton, plus the Flint Institute of Arts and many more!  

You can't beat saving 10% when dining out!  

Look for information at GDL branches and our homepage coming soon!

In addition to this exciting promotion, we have been working on our Fall program schedule and below are is list of programs at the Grand Blanc branch scheduled through the Business Center. As always, check our event calendar for the complete list. 

All events below are held in the McFarlen Library Community Room

515 Perry Road, Grand Blanc 

Genesee County Bar Association, Attorney Alex Nasser

Wills / Trusts / Estate Planning Seminar, Wednesday, September 10
6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Morningstar Investment Research Center (both events at 6:00 PM)

Financing a College Education Seminar, Thursday, September 25

End-of-Year Portfolio Check-Up, Thursday, December 11

FranNet, Franchise Information, co-sponsored with Vet Biz Central

Franchise Informational Seminar, no obligation

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM, hosted by Linda Belford

Greenpath Debt Solutions 

 (all events at 6:00 PM)

Be Credit Wise, Wednesday September 24

What is credit, how does it work? Plus establishing and re-establishing good credit. 

Understanding Your Credit Report, Wednesday, October 1 

What does my credit report mean, how do I access it for free? Plus, how to understand your credit score and its impact on your financial health. 

Money Management Through a Job Transition, Wednesday, October 8

Take control of your finances during a career change, layoff, or period of reduced income. 

SCORE Business Counseling returns to the Business Center this fall starting on Tuesday, September 9th, and the second tuesday of each month following. To secure an appointment with our business mentor, please contact the business librarian directly at 810-694-5310. You must have an appointment at least 24 hours in advance.

June Events @ GDL Grand Blanc!

 SCORE, SBDC, Morningstar, 

and Franchise Network

Summer is finally here and GDL has several programs scheduled for June you won't want to miss. All programs are taking place at the Grand Blanc-McFarlen Branch, 515 Perry Road, unless otherwise noted.

SCORE Business Counseling

Tuesday, June 10

1-on-1 meeting  available at 6:00 PM

FREE

GDL offers SCORE business counseling on the 2nd Tuesday of every month from 4PM to 7PM. Three 1-on-1 sessions are available, and as of the May 30th, only the 6 PM time is available. Please call 810-694-5190 or email the business librarian at twinn@thegdl.org to make an appointment.

Morningstar Investment Research Center Seminar:

Dividend Investing

Thursday, June 19, 6:00 PM

FREE

Learn from the experts! Morningstar has long been a trusted source of unbiased investment information this free seminar will focus on dividend investing and is hosted by Josh Peters, editor of DividendInvestor, one of four newsletters included in the library's Morningstar subscription. Click HERE to make a reservation.  

Small Business Development Center Seminar:

How To Write A Business Plan

Wednesday, June 11, 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Location: Kettering University

FREE

Join the I-69 Corridor Region for this free seminar to kick-start your business plan. Attendees should have previously taken SBDC's "How to Start a Business" class. Registration is required, click HERE for more information or make a reservation. NOTE: This event is held at Kettering University. 

FRANNET Franchising Seminar

Thursday, June 26, 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM

FREE

Join Franchise Placement Specialist Linda Belford as she explains the processing of franchising and the options available to the prospective owner. No specific franchise will be promoted, and there is no obligation in attending the meeting. Linda does not work for any specific franchise so her goal is to find the best possible fit for you. 

For more information on any of these events please contact the business librarian at 810-694-5190.

Making the Most of Your 401(k) : Morningstar.com

Stock & Fund Analysis @ GDL

Get Expert Advice Before You Invest

Your Library Card Is More Valuable Than Ever

When you think "library card" it's natural for our minds to jump to printed books. While this remains accurate, it's only a fraction of what Genesee District Library makes available to you at no charge. Thousands of e-books are downloaded every month to kindles and tablets of all kinds, and our new magazine service, Zinio, offers you over 100 magazine subscriptions for download to your PC/Mac or tablet. 

Further down the list of what you might expect your library to provide is investment information. More often than not, when people stop by the business center and see the collection of over 3,500 books, they are most surprised by the extensive selection of investment titles. Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and investment strategies for the novice or expert are all covered and readily available.

New Year, New Business Resources!

2014 Brings Additional Resources for Our Patrons

Last year was a great year for Genesee District Library and the Business Center. Our electronic books and music service through Overdrive continues to grow in popularity and many more are discovering this new service each month. If you received a tablet or e-reader over the holidays, check out GDL's Digital Branch to search our e-book collection and download your next great read. It's available 24/7 using your library bar code and PIN. The Business Center became a certified Business Resource Center through the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) through Kettering University, and we have continued to partner with local organizations to provide free business counseling to local entrepreneurs.

This year looks to be even better, as GDL has several exciting new resources coming available for the business owner / entrepreneur and investor, in addition to free online access to your favorite magazine. 

First, for business owners and entrepreneurs completing their business plan, we will being offering access to two Mergent resources: Key Business Ratios and First Research. Key Business Ratios (KBR) was purchased to facilitate more accurate price and cost estimating and provide industry benchmarks. Estimating costs and determining a sensible pricing structure is essential to any well-written business plan and this database will aid in this process.  

First Research, also beneficial to the aspiring business owner, provides market-specific information for more than 900 industries. Currently having access to industry trends for large sectors through Mergent Archives, First Research will help business patrons hone their research by individual industry, in addition to Census information which is currently available.These Mergent products should be available starting mid-January; links to each will be available via the Business Center Resources page.

Second, and for the investor, GDL has added the Newsletter module to our Morningstar Investment Research Center database. The Business Center does stock several investment newsletters in print, but these newsletters from Morningstar are especially valuable for the investor, as they give access to analysis from one of the most trusted, unbiased sources, Morningstar, written by the experts in the field, CFPs and CFAs. 

Sample first page of DividendInvestor Newsletter

 There are 4 newsletters, one each for Funds, Stocks, Dividends, and ETFs. And we're not talking a couple pages, no, each newsletter published monthly is 15+ pages of analysis, and is yours to download and keep. In addition to ValueLine, and the information you're already using from Morningstar, you're in a terrific position to make wise financial decisions, or make time with your investment professional all the more efficient. Access to each newsletter, available via the Personal Finance Resources page, should begin February 1. 

Last, as mentioned at the start, GDL also now provides access to your favorite magazines electronically and at no cost to you. Beginning with the last couple of  issues, begin reading your favorite magazine through the Zinio link from our homepage. Login with your library bar code to gain free access, then create a Zinio account to begin. Download and read any of the 60+ magazines at your convenience and with no check out dates. You download and keep any magazine(s) you choose. No limit. This service is available now, so check it out.

For more information stop by the Business Center at the Grand Blanc branch and speak with Trevor, the Business Librarian, or for help with Zinio see any GDL staff member at your local branch.

Happy New Year!

GDL Business Center on ABC12!

Business Center Promotes Financial Resources on ABC12

Genesee District Library, in partnership with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority's Investor Education Foundation, has taped 3 informational television spots highlighting investing and personal finance resources. See full post for current video.

ValueLine & Morningstar: Money Smart 2013

Using ValueLine and Morningstar to Monitor Your Investments

Whether you hire a investment professional or manage your portfolio on your own, monitoring the status of your stocks, bonds, mutual funds, or other investments is certainly necessary. The more you know about your current financial status, the better financial decisions you will make going forward. Watching the market can be time-consuming, and at times (many times) unnerving as you watch IRAs and stock prices fluctuate, and getting some perspective on the broader situation will help as you make decisions. The GDL Business Center has many such resources, including the Wall Street Journal, business magazines such as Bloomberg, Inc., and Forbes. Located in the business center you will also find several investment newsletters, including the Fidelity Monitor, Kipplinger Letter, and Dick Davis' Investment Digest.

In addition to these print sources, the library subscribes to both ValueLine and Morningstar, investment resources that offer advice and perspective on stocks and mutual funds.

Previously delivered in print format, the library now has online access to ValueLine, which means that with a valid library card and PIN number, you are able to access this resource anywhere an internet connection is available from the Personal Finance page of our website. If you access the resource from outside any of our branches, the site will prompt you to enter your barcode and PIN after clicking "View this Resource."

Updated every Monday at 8:00 AM ET, ValueLine has several different informational reports available:

1. Ratings & Reports: Here you will find detailed reports on 134 companies, especially important if you are looking to invest in their stock. These reports contain historical and current stock data and ValueLine's commentary on the company's performance.

2. Selection & Opinion: This resource contains ValueLine's view on the market overall, and contains additional economic commentary for the week. 

3. Last listed is the Summary and Index, which is helpful for an at-a-glance view of a stock's performance; companies are listed alphabetically. Near the end of this report ValueLine has listed industries by their timeliness, and then corresponding stocks in those industries, also listed by timeliness. Listed last in this Summary section is a group of stocks ranked 1 (the highest) for performance over the next 12 months. See a snapshot of today's report below:

The other online resource you will find helpful as you review your investments is Morningstar, the organization known for its ratings of stocks, mutual funds, and exchange traded funds (ETFs). 

 Morningstar offers comprehensive stock and fund information, with analysis, and suggestions for the types of funds you might consider depending on your particular situation. You can search morningstar several ways. If you know the ticker symbol for a company or fund simply type that in the header search box on the right side of the screen. For other searches by name, or fund type, use one of the "screens." Think of Morningstar's screens as just that, the ways you sift out exactly what you need and nothing that you don't need. Take a look at the stock screen below:

 

On the initial Morningstar screen I chose screen for funds, then "Fund Name" (viewable behind the screen function above, from a long list of searching options. You can then begin by typing a firm (MorganStanley, Fidelity, Vanguard, Merrill Lynch) and search for the fund you're looking for. After you've entered the name, be sure to click the button on the bottom right to view results. 

As you can see from the screen clipping from my search for funds that include the word "Fidelity," the resulting list contains the dates of the last report, the type of fund, the star rating, and total assets. Clicking on the link to any of the funds listed will direct you to the full Morningstar report.  

GDL wants you to win with your money, so check out these trusted sources for financial information today. Don't forget that Money Smart Week is next week, April 21-27th; please join for a special presentation on Tuesday, April 23rd, 6:45 PM, at our Grand Blanc branch. Click on our calendar of events to make your reservation today!