The other day, I walked into an ice cream parlor for a cone.  When I learned I had to pay with a credit card, I walked out.  I’ve seen many people pay for coffee with a card. I admire their savvy. But I manage my finances best when I watch the money flow from my wallet rather than

No, it hasn’t been 4 years. I’m sure of it.” “Four-and-a-half to be exact.” The voice coming out of the receiver was firm, almost authoritarian. I paused to count 4-and-a-half years on my fingers. In the silence, my computer guy continued.   “What you need is an upgrade,

A young woman among my Facebook acquaintances wasn’t feeling well but insisted she couldn’t afford to see a doctor. After sharing her symptoms, she asked friends if they had any advice. One replied with  a “get better soon.” The others remained silent, so I weighed in with a

When I turned 39, I received my first letter from AARP.  Looking down at the envelope, I was stunned.  Me?  Middle Aged?  There’d been a mistake. If my response seemed melodramatic, then, imagine how I reacted when a crematorium invited me to lunch, recently. My heart stopped. �

Any day is a bad day to encounter a scammer, but something about April and tax time seems to flush them to the surface like worms after a hard spring rain.   I was reminded of this when my phone rang yesterday.  Because of crank calls, I make it a habit to let my phone ring through

Not long ago, a company where I’d done business for many years rejected the password to my account. Frustrated, I sent  an email, asking if there was trouble on the site. There was none.  They confirmed my password by return message.   Frankly, I was stunned.  I wasn’t aware t

A Facebook friend put up a snapshot of me attending a writer friend’s book signing.  I had braved a dark and stormy night to get there so when I spied my picture on social media, I wrote, “It looks like Albert Einstein and I have the same hairdresser.”  Yes, at my age, I can l