Chosen Me

[While in the car with the kids, discussing how it was 12:12 on 12/12/12.] Samson (12): Oh! When is the next one? Mom: We won’t have another one like that until 1:01 on 1/1/3001. Monica (15): I don’t think we’ll still be here then. Mom: I don’t...

All Banks Are Not Created Equal

Years ago, Sam and I helped a couple dig out of a financial mess. They came to our apartment and, one bit of data at a time, entered all the transactions they ‘d made in the past year. Why did we have them do this? To show their spending habits and patterns. Not...

Merry Month of Christmas

While in the middle of frantic Christmas preparations, myriad performances for the school kids (musical theater, orchestra, ballroom), finals week for the three college kids, planning a three-week health extravaganza, and all manner of insanity—including preparing a...

Consumable Gifts for Those Who Have Everything

I’m not sure when it happened. But one day a few years ago I really stopped needing presents. For Christmas I would always ask for “peace and harmony”—and it drove the kids to distraction. But that’s really what I wanted. They preferred to give...