It’s time higher education leaders figured out how to bring down college costs
My oldest child, Olivia, will be heading to college in two years. As we’ve been putting money away, I’ve become even more passionate about helping other people find ways to cut college expenses. So I’m now intrigued by Texas Governor Rick Perry’s proposal to come up with an affordable college degree program. Perry, now running for president, has created quite ...
A parent’s guide to launching grown children back into the world of paying bills
One of my favorite movies is “Failure to Launch.’’ Not because it’s great cinema, I just like the premise. It’s about a 35-year-old, played by Matthew McConaughey, who lives at home and has no intentions of leaving. The take-away message for me is that parents need to help their adult children launch into adulthood.
For investors chasing a secure investment, gold is not the silver bullet
Hear that pop? It’s the price of gold bursting.
Parents should establish expectations before shelling out college tuition
Just recently someone asked me whether parents should require their children to contribute to their college education.
The simplest savings plan for retirement: Have little or no debt on the books
During one of my recent online discussions, a lot of people had thoughts about retirement. One had me laughing out loud.
Working longer may not work out
I’ve been looking forward to retirement since I worked for that first manager who got on my nerves decades ago.
Being forced into retirement raises many tough financial questions
At the beginning of the summer, at 65, a friend was laid off from her job. She wisely sought the advice of a financial planner, but she’s still worried about making the wrong choices.
Book of the month: Brooks’s first effort portrays a future that hits close to home
Imagine a world where the US government is nearly bankrupt because most of the revenue coming in is used to pay its debts.
Housing meltdown shouldn’t keep financially stable families from climbing upward
“Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.’’ That’s the defining line in Langston Hughes’ poem “Mother to Son.’’ It’s about a mother advising her son to keep climbing, even when the steps have tacks, splinters, and broken boards.
The IRS finally adopts some common sense with the innocent-spouse rule
A recent Internal Revenue Service policy change shows an agency many people fear and loathe can also make common-sense decisions.