“Don’t get a haircut!” That was my father’s reaction years ago when I told him I was about to have a professional photograph taken.  I was baffled. I had no more hair then than I do now. Why this odd advice? Dad proceeded to tell me about his own experience. He’d once had his picture […]

Some see “debt” as the foulest of all four-letter words.  “All it does is reveal a lack of discipline,” they insist. “All it does is cause major stress.” I agree it’s a bad idea to use debt to buy items that decrease in value over time. And, yes, indiscriminate borrowing often stems from a failure […]

On this day 245 years ago, the Second Continental Congress signed a declaration that the 13 American colonies were no longer under British rule.  That feisty letter—which our forefathers sent “across the pond” to King George—effectively said, “As of today, we are free to build and become a different kind of nation.”  We call the […]

Here’s a shocker: Forbes estimates that nearly two out of three Americans do not have a will. No clear instructions for survivors. No written record of “Here’s how I want my property distributed.” Even the “rich and famous” are part of this will-less majority. The artist known as Prince died without a will. So did […]

On Father’s Day we honor the dads who make the world a better, richer place.  I should probably define terms. Some guys are “just-a-father.” That is, they made a strategic biological connection with a specific obstetric result. That’s it. Then they disappeared. The legacy of these “just-a-fathers” is grim. Did you know children in father […]

In a celebrity culture like ours, the “rich and famous” get most of the attention. The freak athlete. The shrewd mogul. The talented entertainer. The mesmerizing author. The successful investor. The flamboyant reality star. Through some combination of genetic gifting, hard work, and dumb luck, these few lucky souls have managed to hit it big. […]