I took a bunch of financial planning classes in the 1980s where it was drilled into me that a successful retirement depended on a three-legged stool of income: a pension, retirement accounts and...

Like a monster from an old creature feature, an ugly beast once again looms over Wall Street. I’m talking about inflation. And if I needed any more confirmation, this week’s consumer price...

Longtime readers know I was raised on a vegetable farm in Western Washington. Like all farmers, my father worked like a madman with purpose. What I mean is he worked like a madman because that’s...

Here’s a sad fact: According to the Federal Reserve, one in four Americans has nothing saved for retirement — zilch, zip, nada. It’s another bad situation made worse by the coronavirus pandemic...

What have you planned for the Fourth of July weekend? Fireworks, boating, grilled hot dogs and hamburgers, cold adult beverages, some quality time with friends and family? Of course, I enjoy...

Sure, I was in only in junior high, soon to make the leap to high school, so my experience was limited. But, still, it was the most horrifying string of words I’d ever heard in my life ... “Your...

It’s said that “knowledge is power.” That’s truer today than ever because the world — you and me, too — are generating mountains of information every single day. The invention of Wi-Fi, the...

As the son of a vegetable farmer, I was acutely aware of seasons; spring was one that brought a mixture of blessings and curses. “Spring” meant baseball, and my family loved America’s pastime....

What do you have planned for Memorial Day weekend? Hitting the beach? Planning a family barbecue? Watching a ball game? Whatever your plans, I hope you enjoy yourself. But I hope you also take a...

Being a farmer’s son wasn’t easy. My father expected us to work long hours, just like he did. That wasn’t fun. But the worst part was that our rural farm was so remote that growing up, I didn’t...