• Community Shred Day at the Imlay City Office - Saturday, August 24, from 9 a.m.-noon
• Community Shred Day at the Main Office - Saturday, Oct. 19, from 9 a.m.-noon.

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The Michigan State Housing and Development Authority (MSHDA) offers low interest home improvement loans to landlords and home owners who want to improve their investment opportunities through its Property Improvement Program (PIP). 

PIP Loans are available for homeowners and landlords. Homeowners must own or be in the process of purchasing the property. For landlords, the unit cannot have more than 11 units, and the gross rent of the units cannot exceed the MSHDA rental limits for one year. 

Eligible improvements must substantially protect or improve the basic livability or utility of the property. Eligible improvements include: 

• Roof repair or replacement
• Insulation, siding, window replacement and other improvements that increase the energy efficiency of the property
• Central air conditioning and furnace replacement
• Kitchen and bathroom remodeling
• Ramp installation
• Attic and basement finishing
• Upgrading electrical wiring
• Building an addition
• Walkway and driveway installation
• Lead paint hazard remediation
• Fences (chain link, brick, wood, iron)
• Fire suppression sprinkler system (indoor)
• Solar water heating systems 

For more information on PIP Loans, click here to view the Lapeer County Bank & Trust Co. brochure or call us at 810-664-2977. 

Marian Listwak, Koliene Law and Krystal Owen stand next to growing tomato plants at White Pine Farms, one of the farms which participates in the CSA Farmers Market.

The Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) Farmers Market is a small group of family owned and operated growers and producers from Southeast Michigan. Most of the growers are either Certified Organic or Certified Naturally Grown.

The group works to provide local organic food to people living and working in Lapeer, Genesee, Oakland and Wayne counties.

With most CSA programs, participants pay a yearly fee and get a portion of whatever's being harvested. The CSA Farmers Market, however, has taken a new approach.

Members visit the program's website, where they can create their orders from a list of available products. A seven percent distribution fee is added to each order, which helps cover the market's operating costs.

Products are then delivered to one of several distribution locations (chosen by the orderer). Distribution locations are available in Lapeer, Genesee, Oakland and Wayne counties.

Find out more about the CSA Farmers Market and its member farms at its website, http://csafarmersmarket.locallygrown.net. 

It's difficult to measure the effectiveness of online advertisements. Knowing that FakeWebsite.com gets 5,000 hits per month is good in the overall, but it is also important to understand where those 5,000 hits are coming from. 

One of the easiest ways to follow where web traffic is coming from is Bit.ly. 

Bit.ly is a link shortener, originally developed for use in limited-character sites like Twitter, where users only have 140 characters of space. 

For instance, if a reader clicks here, you would be able to go here and look at the number of clicks that there have been on that particular link. (Note: For this example, we've used a Bit.ly link which has some data already). 

So why is this important?

Well, suppose Bob's Boats is paying $30 per year to the Chamber of Commerce to be included in their online member directory and $500 per year to the Yacht Club to advertise on their site. 

Bob's going to rightly expect that the Yacht Club advertisement produces more clicks to his website. By using two different Bit.ly links (one for each page), Bob can make sure that he's getting the performance he expects .

What is a Buy-Sell Agreement and why do I need one?

A Buy-Sell Agreement is a contractual document that creates rules for what will happen when a business owner needs to transfer his or her interest in the company or when a business owner ceases to be an owner of the business for any reason. 

How do I know if I need a Buy-Sell Agreement for my business?

If you own a business and would like more information about: 

• What would happen if you or your partner(s) decide to retire
• What would happen if you or your partner(s) decide to exit the business
• How to protect key employees or family members who you would like to take over the business in the event of your retirement, disability or death

Then you may want to consult with an attorney about how a Buy-Sell Agreement may benefit your business. 

What's included in a Buy-Sell Agreement and why is it important to use it?

Certain events can trigger the use of a Buy-Sell Agreement. These can include: death of a business owner, disability of a business owner, voluntary or involuntary termination of employment of a business owner, retirement of a business owner, or loss of a professional license or incarceration of business owner. Company owners can also come together and choose to write in other specific events that will activate the Buy-Sell Agreement. 

A Buy-Sell Agreement should include when owners can transfer their ownership of a company and to whom they may make the transfer. It should also cover how the price of the owner's portion of the company will be determined and the procedure that will be used in the case of a buyout of one owner for any circumstance.  

There are several options available for funding a Buy-Sell Agreement. Consulting a professional can help you determine the amount needed -- through a business valuation -- as well as the type of funding that would best suit your needs. 

Stop in to the Lapeer County Bank & Trust Co. Main Office or call CBC Financial Services, and Infinex, Financial Advisor Erin Landers at 810-245-2935 for more information on business valuations and Buy-Sell Agreement funding options.