If you’re in your forties, my guess is you’re thinking hard about the economy lately—and specifically, your own financial future.  You see the volatility in the markets. You read the reports about trade wars, inflation, and signs of a possible recession. You hear the “experts” questioning the viability of Social Security.All this has you thinking […]

Someone told me, “I wish your emails and columns would sometimes relate to people with average income or meager means. Everybody’s not rich, you know! What about us? What can WE do to live better?” Here’s how I responded… I have met multi-millionaires with no time, love, or peace in their lives.  I have met […]

Despite her widow status, advancing age, and increasing forgetfulness, Elaine insists on “staying in my home!”  She manages pretty well, but lately her adult sons have become concerned. Evidence suggests that mom’s new maid has been “borrowing” money from the petty cash envelope.  And the latest problem? Yesterday, a “nice young man” sold mom life […]

Are you one of those people who says, “I make a new financial plan every few years. But the wheels fall off every single time. Honestly…what’s the point. Why bother?” I suspect you know why a financial plan matters, but let me offer this… Twenty years ago, a man named Bob Castiglione told me, “Money […]

You’ve probably seen news reports of the devastating fires that swept through southern California last month. At last count, authorities say almost 17,000 homes were destroyed. I bet each time you saw a teary-eyed homeowner picking through charred rubble, you thought, “What should I do to be prepared?”  The answer isn’t complicated…the same thing that […]

Richie and Cari Cheney have a ninth-grade son. According to Cari, “We’d really like him to go to the small private school where we met, but it’s kind of expensive.” “Yeah,” Richie adds, “No way in the next three years we can save enough, so what’s the best way to borrow for college?”  What would […]