All 14 episodes in this series with David Hawkins focus on compound interest, which is a powerful way to make your money grow. In this episode, David outlines how people can use this tool to reach their financial goals, and he wraps up his advice with words of encouragement. "You CAN do this," he says.

David is the author of Ask the Mailman: A Simple Plan of High Yield Stock Investing for Uncommon Wealth, available at askthemailman.com or on Amazon.

David Hawkins, author of Ask the Mailman: A Simple Plan of High Yield Stock Investing for Uncommon Wealth, makes the bold statement that if he had it to do all over again, he would not have a traditional individual retirement account.

That's not to say that he's against IRAs. In fact, it's quite the opposite. He's for them because IRAs encourage people to save.

However, people who already are savers — as David is — will accumulate more money outside an IRA than within one. In this episode, David explains his reasoning behind this contention.

David's book is available at askthemailman.com and on Amazon.

Nicole Kowalski's parents set a great example for her and her six siblings. Even with a large family, Nicole's parents made time to help others, whether it was her mom singing at funerals with the volunteer choir at their church, or her dad stepping up to help people move.

Nicole learned early on that it's important to be of service, and that has motivated her to make a positive impact on her community by doing such things as volunteering, teaching and becoming an elected official on her local City Council. 

In this episode, learn more about Nicole including the traits that she considers essential for good leaders.

Kate had the great pleasure recently of interviewing two candidates for public office on the local level.

The experiences that they bring to public service differ greatly. One is a decorated Marine officer who has led servicemen and women from all branches through three combat deployments. The other is a 30-year-old graphic designer who first ran for office because she didn't see people in her age group represented in government.

Yet, both have the same passion for leading with integrity and serving unselfishly.

In this episode, Kate talks with Chris Banweg, who is continuing his service to the country as a member of the United States Marine Corps Reserves.

Chris talks about why he serves, how he defines good leadership (integrity is an important part of that), the importance of voting, and getting through hard times.

For more information about Chris, visit https://www.citizens4banweg.com/. 

Writer-creator, puzzle addict and enthusiastic connector Susan Terkel has a natural curiosity about people and their stories. She has a marvelous way of finding commonalities with strangers, usually within 30 seconds of meeting them. 

Kate saw this play out recently at PodPopuli, a recording studio in Hudson, Ohio, just before Susan's recording session. Then, a couple of weeks later, Kate had her own Susan Terkel moment at another studio 19 miles away in Akron.  

When an engineer at Akron's Area 67 Recording Studio heard that Kate lives in Hudson, he said, "I know a famous author there. Susan Terkel." Turns out he lived in Hudson for a while himself and hung out with one of Susan and her husband Larry's sons. 

Small world, isn't it? Susan comes to this realization on a very regular basis and, yet, every single time she's surprised and delighted. It's magical, she says, and she never takes that magic for granted. 

In this wide-ranging conversation, Susan covers a lot of topics including:

- Being a worrier (she's a Jewish mother, after all)
- Comparing life to a puzzle
- Meditating every day
- Writing (plus advice for would-be writers)
- Knitting, sewing and "upcyling"
- Doing for others
- Making friends with people of all ages
- Laughing
- Sharing her secrets to a successful marriage

Listen, learn and laugh.

David Hawkins is passionate about giving everyone, young and old, the benefit of his investment experience. And if you're a young person, David especially wants you to hear what he has to say. You have time on your side, so investing small amounts of money in dividend-paying stocks can lead to great wealth as long as you're disciplined and keep feeding the investment money machine.

In other words, if you avoid spending your money now on immediate gratification, you'll thank yourself later.

In this episode, he talks about the dos and don'ts of IRAs. Should you put your money into an individual retirement account or is there a better way to save for the future? Listen and find out.

David is the author of Ask the Mailman: A Simple Plan of High Yield Stock Investing for Uncommon Wealth. The book is available on askthemailman.com and Amazon.

In this episode, David answers the question: Should you have an IRA? The answer may surprise you.

The former "charter member of the IRA," which he got into when Ronald Reagan started the program in 1980, says that if he had it all to do over again, he would consider going with only two types of individual retirement accounts : the Roth IRA and an employer-matching IRA. He also recommends stock trading accounts.

His book, Ask the Mailman: A Simple Plan of High Yield Stock Investing for Uncommon Wealth, is available on askthemailman.com and Amazon.

Nicole Draffen had an epiphany in 2009 when she spent three weeks in the United Kingdom, first to run a marathon in Wales and then to  see the sights in London. She soon realized that people there regarded her as an American, not as an African American.

The California native ended up spending an entire year in the UK and then came home to write a book about her awakening there. The result is Hyphened-Nation: Don't Check the Box, in which she contends that descriptors based on race or ethnicity serve to divide rather than unite people.

Sounds like a heavy book, but it's anything but. Nicole writes in an engaging, conversational style while presenting ideas that are meant to make readers think and perhaps even take action. A grassroots social movement has come out of the book. To learn about the movement and the book, visit the Hyphened-Nation website or Facebook page.

Hyphened-Nation is available on Amazon in print, on Kindle and on Audible. 

Business professor Justin Alan Hayes has a passion for helping others, and to that end, he's written two books and established a nonprofit. 

In his first book, The House of You: 5 Workforce Tips for a Successful Career, Justin shares his expansive background of education, professional knowledge and experience with those who want to win in their careers and in life.

That book launched The House of You®  brand, in which Justin equates building a house with achieving life goals. To build a house, you begin with a blueprint. Then you build the foundation, and then the first and subsequent floors. Once you're finished building, then you move on to house maintenance. Those simple principles apply when it comes to reaching your goals.

Justin's second book is The House of You: Prescription for Living, which is his personal story of dealing with mental illness — and ultimately thriving. In this book, he walks the reader through his life with mental illness and offers advice and insight. "Mental illness is serious," Justin says. "It can be life-threatening but should not stand in the way of your everyday life, nor your dreams and aspirations."

Along the same lines, Justin started a nonprofit called Voices for Voices. Its vision is to make mental health a nonnegotiable priority for people everywhere. 

Voices for Voices is celebrating the 2021 World Mental Health Day on Oct. 10 from 6 to 9 p.m. at Walsh University's Barrette Center, 2020 E. Maple St.,  North Canton, Ohio. 

Due to limited capacity at the venue, the in-person event costs $10 for each ticket. The event also will be livestreamed via Zoom and recorded for later viewing. Sign up on the Voices for Voices website and you will receive an invitation in your inbox to attend the livestreamed event. Admission for that is free.

Learn more by visiting https://www.voicesforvoices.org. To find out more about Justin's books or to purchase a copy, visit https://www.thehouseofyou.com/. Both books also are available on Amazon.

Jim Trusso experienced his first major health issue — a ruptured appendix — when he was only 12 years old. During surgery, his appendix burst, endangering his life and extending his stay in the hospital. He ended up missing half of school that year.

More than 20 years went by as Jim lived a normal, healthy life. Then out of the blue, at age 35, he had a heart attack and ended up being one of a handful of patients in the United States to undergo what was then an experimental mammary artery bypass surgery.  He had two subsequent heart procedures, in 1983 and the last one, in 1999, after his heart stopped during a bikeathon for multiple sclerosis. 

Heart issues and other health problems haven't stopped Jim, who's now 79 and living within bicycling distance to the beach near his home on Little Oak Island in South Carolina. He bikes every day, participates in Dragon Boating and volunteers at the Charleston Aquarium. He and his wife, Susan, travel extensively. 

Hear more about Jim's experiences and philosophy of good living in this episode.