In our 12^th year of Summer of Sharing, Community Financial is fortunate enough to donate $60,000 in total to 60 local charitable organizations, community programs, and educational funds in Michigan. One such organization, who was selected as a Summer of Sharing recipient at the beginning of June 2022, is the Plymouth Pollinators.

In 2019, Plymouth residents David and Carly Cirilli started working alongside the City of Plymouth and the Department of Municipal Services to identity open spaces that could be better utilized as gardens for pollinator plants. With restoration in mind, the Cirilli family began creating garden spaces within both city and residential landscapes, educating as they go.

What are Pollinators?

Just a few of the pollinators these amazing gardens provide food and shelter for include bees, butterflies, moths, wasps, beetles, and certain flies—all which do the majority of pollination activities in the wild.

Why are Pollinators Important?

Did you know that over 80% of all flowering plants need assistance from pollinators? In order for flowers to bloom, grow, and return each year, pollination is necessary to complete the reproduction process. In fact, 1 in every 3 bites of food is made possible by pollinators!

Read more >>

Retirement looks different for everyone. Whether that includes lounging on a beach reading your favorite books, having the flexibility to volunteer your time, or just plain enjoying your post-career life. Regardless of your retirement goals however, one thing remains the same. Planning for retirement is a process that takes years and should be started as early as possible—ideally, at the beginning of your working career. Below, you’ll find our top tips on how to start planning early so you can retire when and how you’ve always dreamed.

Investing is a great way to grow your funds and secure your financial future. However, choosing your first investments can be tricky. If you are currently employed, you likely already have a retirement plan available through your workplace. There are many ways to maximize this account or even open additional retirement options. Here are some of the most common retirement plans:

Read more >>

Raising children in today’s society has a variety of challenges, but none so timeless as the need to teach one’s children about finances. Financial education is a topic often missed in traditional schooling, leaving parents and loved ones to teach healthy financial habits on their own. While it may seem overwhelming to do so, raising financially independent children will help smooth the transition into adulthood, giving them the tools needed to achieve and maintain financial wellness throughout their entire lives.

To help get your financial education discussion rolling, we’ve compiled a variety of tips for raising your children to be financially independent.

Start with the Basics: Budgeting

Successful budgeting is the foundation of every financially independent household. You can introduce your children to the concept of earning money and spending it mindfully when they’re still young, and then build upon that knowledge as they grow older.

Read more >>

As the world continues to trend toward cashless transactions, credit cards have become a household necessity. Managing a credit card responsibly is crucial to establishing credit history, which directly impacts your approval and interest rate for future lending, understanding credit cards—and how to use them!—is a must.

Here’s a run-down of all you need to know about credit cards.

How Credit Cards Work

When you use a credit card to pay for a purchase, you’re borrowing money from the financial institution that issues the credit card. You will be approved for a credit limit that you can charge, that is typically based on credit history, credit score, and relationship. Once approved, each month, you will then be sent a bill to repay the money you’ve borrowed on your credit card. 

Read more >>