Q: As our political leaders and financial gurus are swept away into today's fiscal whirlpools, we find ourselves with them in the storm-tossed waters. We are afraid of drowning. In planning and recalculating our financial futures, we can't envision how we will stay afloat. How can we best survive?

A: Our parents and grandparents made it through tough times like the Great Depression with little guidance. If we follow their examples of thrift and perseverance, we will too.

It is easy to understand your confusion because there seems to be no agreement about the causes or solutions to our current financial mess. The media is no help. Publishers want to sell subscriptions, radio station managers need listeners, television station owners want larger audiences, and the creators of websites fight to be first with updated news. Consequently, we are often bombarded by a cacophony of instant yet often erroneous information.

The best way to fight through the noise is to use old-fashioned common sense and practical wisdom. Your options are three: anticipate, stay positive and have a plan.

In making that plan there are questions you must answer. Does the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. cover all the money in your bank and retirement accounts? Are your investments diversified, or have you put all your eggs in one basket? Can you make changes in you retirement accounts? Should you consider paying off or refinancing your mortgage, selling or renting your home?

Can you walk or ride your bike to the market or church? Could you and a neighbor share rides for shopping and appointments? Have you considered a crockpot to make cheaper meals? Is it time to enjoy playing checkers or marbles, which are fun and cheap?

Make daily decisions based on your needs, not your wants. Remain contented with and supportive of your family, friends and neighbors. Live purposefully day-by-day; realize no one can predict the future. Keeping positive and appreciating your well-being is the best defense in these troubled times.

Q: As aging grandparents we would like to give our 21-year-old grandson a special college graduation present. Our budget allows us few options. Can you suggest a memorable gift?

A: A combination scrapbook, photo album and memorabilia book containing information and mementos of your lives would make a wonderful gift. Your album could contain photos, old letters and postcards, maybe even with a 5 cent stamp, some coins made of real silver, your high school report cards, out-of-date passports, expired driver's licenses, and maybe even old matchbooks (I still have some).

Fun and informative facts about your childhood to include could be whether you got an allowance, your school sports and activities, awards you received, what teacher influenced you most, and who taught you to drive and whether you had any accidents.

Include your passions, your favorite songs, your favorite movies and information about your best friends. Consider information about your grandparents, where they lived, what their home was like, how they met and where they spent the first night of their honeymoon.

Your grandson would like to know about your health issues, your travel experiences, your first full-time job and how much it paid, thoughts about your mother and father, your favorite family memories, your religious education, and the most important things you learned from your mom and dad.

If you can afford it, you might consider recording a DVD on which you could relate the experiences shared by his grandma and grandpa and play for him your wedding songs. In time, your grandson will treasure your gift more and more. It would be irreplaceable.

Doug Mayberry makes the most of life after work in a Southern California retirement community. Contact him at deardoug@msn.com. To find out more about Doug Mayberry and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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