ArcaMax

I'll be honest -- I'm just as surprised as you are to be wading into the murky waters of U.S. health care. Specifically? Health insurance. It's a tangled mess. Even if your coverage comes neatly wrapped in your job's benefits package, it's still messy. Premiums keep climbing, deductibles are sky-high, and somehow we're paying more for less.

And...Read more

By Victor Block

In the winter of 1805, a group of men constructed a rustic fort near the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. They stayed there until the following spring, then returned to their homes.

These men were members of the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Their exploration of uncharted areas of the country had been commissioned by ...Read more

It was shocking, if not surreal. The email message was from a woman I'd never met and whose name I recognized only because, a few months earlier, she mailed me a book she'd written.

The message announced that she and her family were planning a road trip to Disneyland and would just love to stay with us since (at the time) we lived nearby and oh...Read more

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot circled over the Great Salt Lake, tipping the wings ever so slightly so we could witness the unusual reddish-purple color of the water -- a phenomenon, he explained, that occurs when a particular species of algae meets up with a certain bacteria. It was quite fascinating.

Just as he was bringing the plane level ...Read more

If I asked you to deduct your monthly expenses from your monthly income, I have a feeling you'd look pretty good on paper. The mystery for many people is why they can't get through a month without using a credit card to cover unexpected expenses, such as a prescription for a sick child, a quarterly insurance premium or a wedding shower gift.

...Read more

If you've ever stared at a grocery aisle full of cooking oils, wondering if you're picking a kitchen staple or a chemistry experiment, you're not alone. The world of cooking oils is a confusing place, and the debate over seed oils is heating up. Are they really as bad as some say? And if so, what should we use instead? Let's clear this up.

WHAT...Read more

It's time once again to reach into the mailbag to answer a question from my dear readers. It's kinda my favorite day, which should give you an idea of how much I love to hear from you. While I cannot respond personally to all your messages and letters, know that I read every one, selecting those to answer here that I believe will have a ...Read more

Not only do houseplants bring warmth and a sense of calm to a home, but they are also an inexpensive way to decorate. Keeping your beautiful houseplants looking healthy and green is the challenge. The most common question is: Why do the leaves turn brown?

According to the Smart Garden Guide, there are many reasons why the leaves on your indoor ...Read more

Dear Mary: We would like to enlarge our small two-bedroom bungalow. Our kids are reaching the teen years, and we need more space. We have always budgeted our money.

We have $6,000 in our emergency fund and drive two paid-for cars, and our only debt is our mortgage. We have college savings accounts for our kids and tithe to our church. Our ...Read more

Let's be honest -- nobody wakes up thinking, "Today, I'd love to pinch every penny so hard Abe Lincoln winces." But with prices climbing faster than my stress level when I realize I've left my phone at home and have to survive a whole day without it, smart money habits are a must. The good news? You don't have to live off canned beans in a dimly...Read more

These days, it's practically inevitable that you or someone close to you will face a period of unemployment. Consider these practical tips while dealing with the financial and emotional toll of leaving one job and searching for another.

DON'T TAKE IT PERSONALLY

Losing a job can cause shame, humiliation and embarrassment. You may feel depressed...Read more

Discovering that you'll be getting a tax refund is certainly not the worst news you've had in your life. In fact, it's easy to see a tax refund as some kind of gift from the universe. You might even be feeling kinda proud of your forced savings account, to which you knowingly contribute every payday while living from paycheck to paycheck and ...Read more

Whether you're aware of it or not, you have a money temperament. Everyone does. It's the way you naturally think about money, behave with money or react to money. To loosely assess your money temperament, and to have a little fun with it, consider the following scenario and choose the response that's closest to what you would do.

Your rich ...Read more

Dear Mary: My husband and I have been out of debt for approximately five years. It's great. The problem is we now seem to spend a lot of money needlessly just because we can. We have so much money over and above our living expenses that it is easy to be reckless.

We keep just enough in savings ($2,000 or so) for emergencies but never get beyond...Read more