Giving that Gives You Joy
It seems that every Sunday when I visit my Mom for dinner, she shows me a pile of envelopes from charities asking for money. She regularly sends modest checks to several groups, but they always seem to want more. I remind Mom that giving tends to trigger more asks, and she often complains about the […]
Let Your Retirement Plans Know Who’s Boss
When I went through a major layoff as a twenty-something, my Dad didn’t hide his concern about my career choice. Advertising, I told him, was simply not going to be as secure as his life as a tenured professor. When I went on to secure a job at the regional phone company, he was delighted. […]
Investing in your Child’s Future Dreams
It seems that part of parenting is imagining what your kid is going to do when they grow up. A child who enjoys tinkering may be destined to be an engineer. One who loves to put on a show might become a director one day. We’re always on the lookout for the spark that will determine where a child will […]
Permission to keep caring about Social Security
When my 20-year-old daughter looked over the wage summary for her summer job, she zeroed in on the money that was taken out before the paycheck even hit her account. She grudgingly acknowledged the income taxes, hoping she may get some back as a refund. But Social Security? From the buzz she’s hearing among her generation, Social Security will be dried up long before they near […]