Families and businesses take their best shot, when making financial decisions. They assess where things are, where they are likely to go and then act.

Lately, a tornado of economic conditions has everyone from Maine homeowners to lobstermen trying to pick up the pieces of their financial lives, after having made perfectly reasonable decisions that now have them trapped.

Good financial news seems hard to come by sometimes. Everybody is always sending you the latest piece of downbeat information, so that you will publish something that furthers their effort to gain new government funding, bashes their political opponent or convinces people to buy their product.

So, today's news release from Saco-based PeoplesChoice Credit Union stood out: The organization has no mortgage loans in foreclosure and, in fact, hasn't had a foreclosure in more than 20 years, it says.

Wrestlers and black belts in judo know how important leverage is to winning a match. Even physically weaker or smaller contestants can prevail, if they get the angles and the momentum working in their favor.

The same is true for people who borrow money to make an investment, whether that is to buy a corporation or a car. When the investment is going up in value, leverage can turn a small investment into a big profit. When it is going down, leverage gouges investors.

Tough times often cause people to fantasize about retirement, especially on warm summer days like today. Never happens to me, of course. I'm speaking in general here.

People like my sister Lynda and her husband even make a hobby out of looking at possible retirement locales. They read articles about what to consider as they think about the perfect spot to kick up their heels. They seek out magazines that claim to have lists of ideal retirement locations.