Occasionally I get invited to speak to college students about life, money, and success. In fact, I’m scheduled to do that tomorrow.  Here are the four reminders/suggestions I plan to share with them. Die well. Soon after you arrived on campus, you realized, “Not everybody thinks the way I do.” That’s actually a good thing. […]

A car breaks down on the side of the highway. The couple can’t remember the last time they had an oil change. A man lies nervously in pre-op awaiting a heart-lung transplant. He recalls his first cigarette and wishes he’d never started smoking.  A couple wrangles in divorce court, arguing bitterly over custody and property. […]

I don’t have to remind you we just celebrated Thanksgiving. For many of us, the day was full of family, feasting, football and Friday…endless advertisements about Black Friday and the “don’t you dare miss this” sales that go with it.  One of my family’s simple traditions is to go around the table during the Thanksgiving […]

What’s the most overused phrase in the English language? Here’s a vote for “the new normal.”  (“At the end of the day” runs a close second.) Pundits talk endlessly about “the new normal” in healthcare, politics, foreign relations, sexuality, the climate, the workplace—you name it. One exception is the financial world where I’m seeing a […]

I grew up watching Let’s Make a Deal with Monty Hall.  Eager audience members would scream wildly, pleading with Monty to pick them to play the game. Once Hall had chosen someone to play, announcer Jay Stewart would bring down what looked to me like a TV dinner trey with a small package on it.  […]

“I should get on a budget.”  Ever say that? It’s really an admission that budgeting isn’t easy or fun. (If it were, everyone would be doing it, right?)  So, if you’re one of those who doesn’t have a budget, why bother trying to create and live by one? Because having a firm spending plan—which is […]