Blog
Wildfire Preparedness
Wildfire preparedness in California becomes an important part of life for those of us who live here. We had wildfire preparedness week last week, and this is fresh in my mind. I wanted to share that fires extend well beyond California and help you prepare, too. Wildfires don’t confine themselves to one state, one season, […]
Appreciation
This is a week of appreciation for teachers, nurses, and on May 10th, it’s Mother’s Day in the US! For all who teach, nurse, and mother us, we celebrate you and all you do. Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay Thank You Teachers Teacher Appreciation Week is a reminder that teachers care deeply about their students’ […]
Topics of Interest
Happy May! Watching the trees, grass, and flowers at this time of year invites us to celebrate and notice changes all around. If you had asked me twenty years ago about topics of interest, I doubt I would have considered the elements of contingency planning I focus on today! Image by WOKANDAPIX from Pixabay Thinking […]
Earth Month: How Everyday Choices Add Up
For Earth Month, let’s look at where we are and how everyday choices make a difference. images-assets.nasa.gov/image/art002e023175/art002e023175~orig.jpg Stand at the edge of Antarctica and look up. The air is so clear it almost hums. Researchers at the international stations there have spent decades watching the ozone layer overhead — counting it, measuring it, worrying about […]
Passport News
I read two separate articles about Passports this week. They caught my attention as it is that time of year when people are talking about travel! If you’re planning summer travel and having a valid passport is a part of your plans, here are important updates for you. The demand for passports has gone up, […]
Financial Literacy Month
April is Financial Literacy Month. While most of the advice you’ll see focuses on budgeting apps and retirement accounts, there’s a quieter, more generous form of financial literacy that rarely gets enough attention: organizing your financial life so that the people who love you can actually help you when it matters most. Whether it’s a […]
Social Security & Surviving Spouses
Losing a spouse is emotionally and financially difficult. I read an article this week on FinancialBuzz.com discussing ways to navigate different benefit types from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and use strategic timing to try to optimize what you receive. If it’s helpful, here are the points to consider. Image by Nattanan Kanchanaprat from Pixabay […]
World Backup Day
Don’t Be an April Fool — Back Up Your Data! March 31st is World Backup Day! World Backup Day falls on March 31st, the day before April Fools’ Day, for good reason: don’t be fooled into thinking it can’t happen to you. Imagine waking up tomorrow and every photo from the last 20 years — […]
Social Security and Foreign Travel
Traveling when we’re older happens frequently! I was surprised by a quiet regulatory update from the Social Security Administration and wanted to share it today. As of December 2025, the SSA paid benefits to approximately 75 million people, of whom about 11 million were under age 65 and receiving disability benefits, and nearly 5 million […]