Solano Real Estate Scene: Hang around with the right crowd

My parents raised five boys and two girls, and other than our oldest brother, who has autism, sent all of us to Catholic school through 12th grade in the city. They both worked and my dad always had two jobs to make sure we got the best education possible and to make sure we didn’t hang around with the wrong crowd. I had two groups of friends, my athlete friends that I played sports with, and my rowdy party friends that smoked and wore Ben Davis black work pants, steel-toed boots and were the cool guys. The problem with smoking cigarettes on Friday nights while drinking some beers at 16 years old is that some kids are more susceptible than others to addiction, and all kids make bad decisions, especially when they are drinking. Solano Mortgage, Travis Credit Union, Valley Strong Credit Union and Daily Republic contributors Tim Jones and Mark Sievers are all promoting financial literacy these days to bring value to the community and help folks become financially successful. As I was thinking about this week’s column, I was thinking about how important it is to hang around with the right crowd when it comes to financial success. I am not saying people should turn their backs on friends and family who have horrible credit, gambling or substance abuse issues or are just downright poor, but I do think it is important to avoid letting them drag you down financially. Financially successful people hang around with people who are successful and help those friends, especially young people, with financial advice as leaders, who are just getting started on their path to financial freedom. A great real estate broker, a smart lawyer and a brilliant financial adviser are also important to have as part of your stable of relationships. If you happen to be a person who is a financial mess, which is not a mortal sin, Travis Credit Union and Valley Strong Credit Union both offer great financial coaching at no cost to their members. They are part of the right crowd. Jim Porter, NMLS No. 276412, is the branch manager of Solano Mortgage, NMLS No. 1515497, a division of American Pacific Mortgage Corporation, NMLS No. 1850, licensed in California by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation under the CRMLA / Equal Housing Opportunity. Jim can be reached at 707-449-4777.