Weekly Column

How Many Days of Your Life Does Your Home Cost?

Oct 12, 2026

  Having spent years selling and appraising real estate, I’m familiar with the usual measures for valuing a house. Price per square foot, comparisons to similar properties, and the guideline of keeping housing at or below 25 percent of what a household earns are...

What a Less Dominant America Might Mean For Your Money

Oct 5, 2026

I have long suggested owning companies outside the United States as part of a diversified investment portfolio. For most of that time it was unpopular advice. Americans did well betting on America, and the habit of holding primarily US stocks is deeply entrenched. Our...

Living With The Realities Of A Flat Economy

Sep 28, 2026

For three years, clients have been asking me when the economy will get back to normal. I have started answering that this current flat economy may be the newest redefinition of normal, one of many I’ve seen in 40-plus years of writing about money. Home sales, auto...

Any Scholarship Or Financial Reward Comes At A Price

Sep 21, 2026

A full ride academic or athletic scholarship is the gold standard for college funding, an unrealistic dream for many families and an achievement to celebrate for a few. A recent conversation with one of those scholarship recipients gave me a new perspective on that...

How Fed Interest Rate Increases Could Raise Your Household Debt

Sep 14, 2026

For most of my career I’ve heard predictions that the federal debt would end in collapse. The warnings have come from both parties, usually from whichever one is not in power. Not having seen a collapse yet, I’m skeptical of new warnings. A recent one...

How Financial Advisors For Couples Can Include A Silent Partner

Sep 7, 2026

Over 40-plus years in financial planning, I noticed a common pattern with client couples: in meetings with advisors, one partner usually does most of the talking. The other sits back, nods in the right places, and answers direct questions. The professionals in the...