I wrote an article on appreciation for our electronic newsletter yesterday. It felt good to write that. And I figure that I might as well stay on the same topic. After more than seven years, we continue to rely on volunteers, funders and partners who have stayed with us from the very beginning. One of the nice things, though, is that we pick up new blood each year.

One of the aspects of Progress Through Business that I like most is that I really like the people who work with us.

As an upcoming newsletter article we are publishing will show, Progress Through Business and its sister organization, the Center on Business and Poverty, have become "net exporters" of projects. That is to say, we start good programs and spin them off to organizations or people which or who are most able to carry the projects to their best possible outcomes. This has been true of our free tax preparation programs at employer and educational institutions in five states. It has worked as we have helped to start 30 companies. And we are intending to spin off even more of our activities.

March 10, 2011, 11:13 AM ET, from the Wall Street Journal

By Emily Maltby

Minority-owned businesses have long faced barriers when it comes to access to credit. And even today, racial discrimination may still be to blame.

That’s the viewpoint of Robert W. Fairlie, professor of economics at the University of California Santa Cruz, who testified recently at a Senate hearing on the topic.

NOVEMBER 27, 2010

Copied from the Wall Street Journal

By BILL GATES

The science writer Matt Ridley made his reputation with books like "The Red Queen: Sex and the Evolution of Human Nature" and "Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters." His latest book, "The Rational Optimist: How Prosperity Evolves" is much broader, as its title suggests. Its subject is the history of humanity, focusing on why our species has succeeded and how we should think about the future.

Al Lewis, one of the members of our National Board of Advisors team, has taken some of our ideas and packaged them, along with many others, into an economics book. Al's problem is that he can't write anything without being funny, so his spoonful of humor helps the policy medicine go down. You can read the introduction at http://www.whytheheck.com/wthbook-order-page/

From the NY Times, October 6, 2010

MUMBAI, India — Vinod Khosla, the billionaire venture capitalist and co-founder of Sun Microsystems, was already among the world’s richest men when he invested a few years ago in SKS Microfinance, a lender to poor women in India.
Add to Portfolio

Vinod Khosla, a billionaire venture capitalist, promotes companies that profit the poor, and still turn a profit themselves.

Anne and Jim have joined the team. While they are formally VISTA volunteers who report through the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County and the Wisconsin Institute for Public Policy and Service, they are going to be working on projects led by Progress Through Business during the next 3 months. On August 22nd, Anne will be starting her second year as a VISTA with us and Jim will be starting graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. We welcome Anne and Jim and look forward to their good work on the financial literacy programs we help run throughout Wisconsin.

The Annual Report for both organizations is available as of 2/17/10. Since the two organizations are formally tied together, the two reports cite the same accomplishments. The entire report is one page long to make it easier for readers to learn of our organizations quickly. Those interested in receiving a report can contact John Hoffmire at hoffmire@wisc.edu.

Helaman Berrios of the Educated Investor University, a product of Precision Information, Inc., described to the directors of Progress just how it educates Credit Union employees on-line and on financial matters. The 10 courses available to employees cover budgeting to macro economics and everything in between.

Don Graves, CEO of Progress Through Business, participated on January 13th in the Education and Training Subcommittee of the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board (PERAB) meeting in Washington, DC. The Subcommittee is looking at a variety of initiatives related to tax and tax preparation policy and other policies that will aid in the financial stability of American workers struggling in the current economy.

Every one of us at PTB is excited for the opportunities 2010 promises to bring and we're eager to make improvements in both our personal and professional lives.

From exercising and Saxophone lessons, helping with PTA committees, to creating a website on the philosophy of kite-flying, we have many things to occupy our time.

We are eager to increase our efforts to strengthen and expand tax preparation programs and sites (expecially in light of the changes in tax laws and brackets this year).

We will also continue working with credit unions, businesses, and other organizations to provide financial education to more people.

And, among many other things, we'll be dedicating our time and energy to employee ownership programs and domestic as well as overseas entrepreneurship support projects.

2010 will be great!

With the passing of John Logue, Executive Director of the Ohio Employee Ownership Center and a board of advisor member of Progress Through Business, there is now a huge hole in the economic development world.

John had just started working with us, as well, on the new Alliance Holdings SES Advisors Legacy Fund. It was a pleasure to be with him whenever we could.
And we miss him already.

Our best go out to John's family. And we look forward to picking up a small part of the work that John was not able to complete.

Paul Hammeke, a VISTA volunteer with Progress through Business attended the 2010 VITA Grant Orientation Conference on how to administer the $3,725 grant from the IRS, which will provide help to low income people in completing
their income tax forms.
The Dec 1-3 conference, held in Atlanta and attended by about 150 people covered a range of technical issues including how to report expenses,
allowable uses of the grant money, and how to complete the required quarterly reports.

Progress Through Business is teaming up with the University of Wisconsin Credit Union to provide free tax preparation to low-income employees from the UW-Hospital. We are very excited about this unique collaboration and the difference it will make for Madison residents.

Len Janeski of Progress Through Business is working with Al Barsema in Rockford, Illinois
to help gather clients for income tax help, a long standing effort by
Progress to ensure that low income people are able to get the tax credits
they are eligible for.
He is working with faith-based organizations in the Rockford area to get
people to go to a tax preparation site operated by the Center for Economic
Progress, a Chicago-based non-profit organization.

Up to 4000 Wisconsin credit union employees will be taking part in an online investment education program that is being managed in part by Progress Through Business through the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Center on Business and Poverty.
The program is being funded by a $200,000
grant from the Investor Protection Trust.
The 18 month program will offer 30,000 hours of investment education, provided by Precision Information, including investment basics, managing IRAs, 401(k)s, managing risk, and diversifying portfolios, to name but a few
of the more than a dozen topics.

Conferences co-sponsored by Progress Through Business brought together diverse groups of individuals to learn how to tap into the federal government's stimulus package. The conferences were held on October 13th and October 15th at two California universities.

Hello this is Helaman. I'm looking forward to participating in this effort.

Welcome to the Progress Through Business blog.
We welcome comments relevant to our mission.

Here’s a plan that could solve the toxic-asset pricing problem voluntarily—without requiring Uncle Sam to nationalize the whole industry—and make (pretty much) everyone a winner.

FEBRUARY 2009 • Lowell Bryan and Toos Daruvala, Consultants in Financial Services