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 Jen Intro 1Return to index of stories... |
Hi, I'm Jennifer Rooks and this is Making Sense New England. |
| Jen Tease/Intro Return to index of stories... |
Welcome to Making Sense New England, a monthly series about the economy and you. We're here to share ideas, advice and solutions to the economic challenges facing all of us. The stories come from neighborhoods throughout northern New England and take on some of the problems caused by the recession. Today, you'll learn how to start a new career - after retirement. And - not all free lunches are created equal. Plus - a little etiquette during these tough times - please. First -- one of northern New England's icon industries is threatened - commercial fishing. There are fewer boats on the water, more regulations and declining markets. So, how have the men and women who catch fish reacting to the bad news? Correspondent Phil Vaughn is in Seabrook NH to show you. |
| Story 1 - CSF Return to index of stories... |
At Hampton Harbor Marina, not far from the Atlantic sits the Ellen Diane. Her captain is David Goethel. Dave - "I started fishing in 1967, running a party boat in Seabrook at Eastmans." For nearly thirty years, the Ellen Diane has carried Goethel and his crew to sea. They fish for a living. 200 "I enjoy it, I'm not the type who can sit in a cubicle." And fishing, Goethel says, is a lot more than simply throwing a net overboard. It's a business where success can be fleeting. 225 "It's never the same two days in a row. The fish got tails and they know how to use them. Despite all the electronic in the wheel house, it's not that that finds them, it's the guy who finds the fish. I like the challenge, the mental challenge. And perhaps that's a good thing. New England's fishing industry is facing a boatload of challenges. Costs of getting to the fish are up, the market is shrinking and new regulations reduce the size of the bounty. 330 "Now it's probably the most heavily regulated business in the country. What has that done to livelihoods? In Nh it's put about 50 percent of boats out of business and the remaining 50 percent face an uncertain future." But the men and women who make a living on the water know how to survive. Ten years ago in NH they created Yankee Fisherman's Coop. Bob 4500 - "We have 62 members - any product that sold through here puts money in their pockets and keeping this viable is their number one goal." Bob Campbell manages the coop. Members bring their catch to him where it's documented and then sent off to restaurants and stores. It eliminates the middleman - a distributor who takes a percentage of the profits. Bob - 4410 "This is owned by the local fishermen so whatever makes the coop money makes the fishermen money as well." Dave 525 "We sell all our product to the coop. I'm a member of the coop - it's a marketing agreement amongst a number of small boats like me. As individuals we have no power within the marketplace but if you put 20 of us together we begin to have some clout." This year, Yankee Coop and its 62 members are trying something new for NH - a community supported fisheries - or CSF. Bob 4315 "This is the first year we've done a CSF for native shrimp. We looked for new way to get our product to the consumer." Dave 610 "The coop produces small quantities of shrimp for people who agree to buy a certain amount of shrimp over aperiod of time in 5-10 lbs." The same business model is used by farmers to sell their harvests to shareholders. Fishermen in Maine adopted the practice two years ago and it seems to work well. Dave 825 "Was that move done to save jobs? Yes - our own jobs. The cut back in ground fish and inability to market shrimp." As it turns out, northern New England's shrimp market is affected by the global banking crisis. Dave 840 - "Recession killed banks in Iceland - lost ability to market - fish doesn't improve with time - need to market it." Ken 37- "People in north carolina started looking at this mode of selling then they did it in maine - success. Then the yankee coop we went to farmers markets and had great success." Ken LaValley is a commercial fisheries specialist at the University of NH. He says there are real economic benefits with community supported fisheries. 5923 "For the shrimp industry and the yankee coop - this year fishermen may have been getting 50 cents pound. The people in the csf were paying 160 - that three times the money was brought back to the cooperative." And, LaValley says, there's another benefit - one that fishermen are now getting used to. 440 "Yes there's a recession and it's important that fishermen find innovative ways to support their livelihood… but there's a social aspect too." Bob 4808 - "It's developing a relationship between local fishermen and consumers." Ken 143 "There's been lessons learned on both sides from the business pov the fishermen to people understanding how weather dependant fishing is." Men and women have made a living from the sea for as long as history's been written. Time will tell whether this new approach of marketing will sustain livelihoods. Ken 317 - "It's the first year but they sold 10,000 lbs of shrimp that they may not have otherwise sold. And they sold it 160 ld rather than 51 cents/lb." Dave 1000 "Do you like the model - does it work? Yes I wish we could get more people involved with it. We need to move about ten times the product that we do right now so we need ten times the interest in the csf that we do now. We could be marketing to a lot of people |
| Tag /Intro Mature Return to index of stories... |
For information on how community supported fisheries work go to making sense NE. org Today's unsettling unemployment rates have discouraged many in our region from even trying to find work. But there is also a group of people who never imagined they would be looking for a job. Correspondent Bridget Barry Caswell reports. |
| Tag/Intro Free Lunch Return to index of stories... |
If you're considering working on into your 60s, 70s and even beyond, you'll need to weigh a number of factors including your health, present skills and personal goals. Our website contains information on working into maturity and organizations that can help you make it happen. Visit the "resources" page at Making Sense N E.org Have you ever received an invitation to an "educational seminar" about investing? If so, was there a fine meal offered as part of the seminar? These events are referred to as "Free Lunch Seminars," and they often target senior citizens. A recent study by AARP shows that 6-million Americans have attended a free lunch seminar. And in many cases, participants have been pressured in to buying investment products that they don't need. |
| Story 3 - Lunch Return to index of stories... |
Alyson Cummings works at the Maine Office of Securities. She's here at the AARP office in Portland, leading the first of three special workshops about free lunch seminars. 1:08:21 nats What happens. How you're solicited. What kinds of claims are typically made.:26 Most free lunch seminars, she says, are not educational seminars at all, but sales pitches. 1:35:38 These seminars are set up to sell specific kinds of high-commission products usually, and that's not disclosed prominently. So people are going and they're kind of going under false pretenses, and they may be getting information that is incomplete or deceptive or inaccurate, or they may be purchasing a product that is not suitable for their life stage or their particular circumstances. :09 Some of the participants in this workshop admit they've attended free lunch seminars, and share their experiences. 1:14:06 nats/woman in audience What it was, it was that same kind of thing: I'm not selling anything today, but at the end, he had a prize to give, but you had to fill out your name and address and your information to be in the drawing and that gave him the information to contact these people. :16 It may seem counter-intuitive that savvy people could be enticed by a free meal… but Cummings says, it often works. 1:36:26 What research has found, is that you can give a small gift and create in the person who gets the gift a sense of reciprocity that far exceeds the value of the gift. So that's why these free meal seminars have been so popular over the years, is because the people who are offering know that if they provide a free meal, many more people are willing to listen to their sales pitch, either during the seminar or after the seminar, even though, when you look at it, it's really not a think of great value. :05 Today, Cummings wants to do more than just educate this group… she wants to recruit some of them, as spies of a sort: Free Lunch Monitors. 1:33:49 We want to equip them with information about what typically goes on in a lot of these free lunch sessions, educational sessions - we want to blow the lid off of them and expose them for the sales seminars that they are. But we want them to - if they would like - attend the seminars and be our mystery shoppers if they would, and report back to us and to AARP who is cooperating on this project about what goes on at the seminars. :20 A checklist and tips for monitoring free lunches go out to every participant, including Michelle and Lenny Zelkowitz, who say they recently attended an investment seminar. 1:28:55 Michelle I thought it was a sales pitch. Even though they were not trying to deceive us. It was definitely - they brought in somebody from the outside, from another state - who jumped in front of the room and was getting the audience all excited, you know "This is a great product, I've been doing this here, I've been doing this there. You really can't miss this opportunity and you need to meet with these financial planners." :21 After hearing what Cummings had to say - and doing some research themselves - they aren't sure whether they'll contact the person who ran their seminar… but they say, they might sign up as Free Lunch Monitors. 1:30:33 Lenny I probably would do it. I have free time now, and I see no problem helping other seniors who might be coerced or tricked in to investing in something they shouldn't be investing in. :46 |
| Tag/Intro discussion Return to index of stories... |
Alyson Cummings says - if you attend a free lunch seminar - you should know the warning signs of a scam. If the presenter claims it's high-return, no risk or that the profit is guaranteed - don't believe him… if he uses words like "Today only," or "for you Only," take your time and think about it. You don't have to live in Maine to become a Free Lunch Monitor, on our web site, we'll show you how to get involved. The economic downturn poses all kinds of potentially awkward situations in our everyday personal dealings. Saying and doing the right thing has never been more fraught with possible social faux pas. So Making $ense New England asked Vermony Public Television's Bridget Barry Caswell to consult manners guru, Peter Post, for a few pointers on recession etiquette. |
| Thanks/Goodbye Return to index of stories... |
If you're faced with a socially tricky money moment that demands quick thinking, whatever you do, don't panic! As Peter Post's great-grandmother Emily would have said, "just use common sense. and hope you're right." I'm Jennifer Rooks - thanks for being part of Making Sense New England. |
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Did you have a reaction to any of the stories or interviews featured in this program? Did we miss anything or do you have suggestions for future Outlook espisodes? If so, we want to hear from you. Drop us an email at nhoutlook@nhptv.org. As always, you can find these stories and more online at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION ONE: Connect with us online. New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org/outlook. We've been streaming our programs since Outlook premiered in September 2000. Whether you want to watch this show again, email it to a friend, search and watch past programs or get more information on thousands of stories and topics, you'll find it all at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION TWO: Connect with us online. New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org/outlook. VERSION THREE: Connect with us online. New Hampshire Outlook is available online on demand at nhptv.org/outlook. Whether you want to watch this show again, email it to a friend, search and watch past programs or get more information on thousands of stories and topics, you'll find it all on our website. |
| key: Business /Industry Return to index of stories... |
Making Sense New England #105 Air Date/Time: 3/18/2010 HOST: Jennifer Rooks Length: 7:15 Hi, I'm Jennifer Rooks and this is Making Sense New England. Welcome to Making Sense New England, a monthly series about the economy and you. We're here to share ideas, advice and solutions to the economic challenges facing all of us. The stories come from neighborhoods throughout northern New England and take on some of the problems caused by the recession. Today, you'll learn how to start a new career - after retirement. And - not all free lunches are created equal. Plus - a little etiquette during these tough times - please. First -- one of northern New England's icon industries is threatened - commercial fishing. There are fewer boats on the water, more regulations and declining markets. So, how have the men and women who catch fish reacting to the bad news? Correspondent Phil Vaughn is in Seabrook NH to show you. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Bob Campbell\Manager, Yankee Fisherman's Cooperative, David Goethel\Fisherman, Ken LaValley\University of New Hamsphire, Michael Meagher\Customer. |
| key: Employment Return to index of stories... |
Making Sense New England #105 Air Date/Time: 3/18/2010 HOST: Jennifer Rooks Length: 7:32 Hi, I'm Jennifer Rooks and this is Making Sense New England. Welcome to Making Sense New England, a monthly series about the economy and you. We're here to share ideas, advice and solutions to the economic challenges facing all of us. The stories come from neighborhoods throughout northern New England and take on some of the problems caused by the recession. Today, you'll learn how to start a new career - after retirement. And - not all free lunches are created equal. Plus - a little etiquette during these tough times - please. Today's unsettling unemployment rates have discouraged many in our region from even trying to find work. But there is also a group of people who never imagined they would be looking for a job. Correspondent Bridget Barry Caswell reports. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Bridget Barry Caswell NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Patricia Moulton Powden\Commissioner, VT Dept. of Labor, Pat Elmer\Executive Director, VT Associates for Training & Development, David Swainbank\St. Albans, VT, David Frisque\Park Ranger, Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, Ed Chase\Program Manager, VT Associates for Training and Development |
| key: Business / Industry Return to index of stories... |
Making Sense New England #105 Air Date/Time: 3/18/2010 HOST: Jennifer Rooks Length: 8:10 Hi, I'm Jennifer Rooks and this is Making Sense New England. Welcome to Making Sense New England, a monthly series about the economy and you. We're here to share ideas, advice and solutions to the economic challenges facing all of us. The stories come from neighborhoods throughout northern New England and take on some of the problems caused by the recession. Today, you'll learn how to start a new career - after retirement. And - not all free lunches are created equal. Plus - a little etiquette during these tough times - please. Have you ever received an invitation to an "educational seminar" about investing? If so, was there a fine meal offered as part of the seminar? These events are referred to as "Free Lunch Seminars," and they often target senior citizens. A recent study by AARP shows that 6-million Americans have attended a free lunch seminar. And in many cases, participants have been pressured in to buying investment products that they don't need. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Jennifer Rooks NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Alyson Cummings\Maine Office of Securities, Michelle Zelkowitz\Portland, ME, Lenny Zelkowitz\Portland, ME. |
| key: Business / Industry Return to index of stories... |
Making Sense New England #105 Air Date/Time: 3/18/2010 HOST: Jennifer Rooks Length: 4:00 Hi, I'm Jennifer Rooks and this is Making Sense New England. Welcome to Making Sense New England, a monthly series about the economy and you. We're here to share ideas, advice and solutions to the economic challenges facing all of us. The stories come from neighborhoods throughout northern New England and take on some of the problems caused by the recession. The economic downturn poses all kinds of potentially awkward situations in our everyday personal dealings. Saying and doing the right thing has never been more fraught with possible social faux pas. So Making $ense New England asked Vermony Public Television's Bridget Barry Caswell to consult manners guru, Peter Post, for a few pointers on recession etiquette. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Bridget Barry Caswell NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: Peter Post/Director, Emily Post Institute. |