A few years ago, my nephew was on a chaperoned, summertime, outdoor adventure with a group of other teenagers. It included some hiking, camping in various locations, and outdoor cooking–a real rugged experience. On the first day of mountaineering, someone in the group ahead of my nephew moved a tree branch out of the way only to have it snap back and hit him in the eye, cutting it deeply. Needless to say, his outdoor adventure was short-lived. My sister, his mother, a nurse, and our own health-blogger, had to retrieve him and rush him to some very expensive eye-care clinics. After quite a bit of time, many sleepless nights of 24-hour medical care, intense treatment by very capable professionals, and prayers, my nephew was able to keep his eye with very little side effects, although he came within a millimeter of losing it. You can read more of her story here . At one point during this escapade, my sister, ever the optimist, told my nephew (and here is the intro take-away for ...

I’m not sure how this happened, but 30 years of my life just vanished. I swear, I was just in high school yesterday, and now I have five grandkids. Sometimes I wish I could go back in time to a specific event or two; I would certainly choose differently. If I knew then what I know now, right? Well, one of those things I would definitely do differently involves investing. Are you familiar with compound interest? According to Investopedia , it’s “interest calculated on the initial principal, which also includes all of the accumulated interest from previous periods on a deposit.” Simply put, if you put money away for a long period of time it can grow into a large sum. I would specifically like to make a better plan for my kids’ education beyond high school. If you did not know, there are investment accounts that are specifically designed to pay for a child’s college education. They have limitations and rules, but your investment can grow TAX FREE. A few months ago, I was able to p...

The weather in the Rocky Mountain West this year has been totally psychotic. It was atypically over 100 degrees for many days in June, then it dropped into the low 60s for a high in mid-August. Then there was the monsoon rain…ugh. This kind of discrepancy in temperatures is enough to drive one crazy and sure does a number on your heating and air conditioning system. But, if you plan it well, it doesn’t have to do one on your energy bill. If you have been in your current residence long enough, and if you are current on your energy bill, you can check into what’s called an equal-payment (aka balanced payment, level payment, or budget billing, depending on where in the country you live–there may be other names) plan. Basically, the energy company averages your last 12 months charges (the total you’ve paid during those 12 months divided by 12) and bills you that average amount. It makes budgeting much easier. Now, sometimes your utility company will want to charge you extra for this....

If you’ve been following me very long, you know that I had a few changes in my life over the last 18 months. And when I say changes, I am not referring to any small alterations in my daily routine. I am talking about M.A.J.O.R. differences as in I was married, and now I’m not. When those types of changes happen, you’d better make sure the paperwork follows. And that includes your electronic paperwork as well. It’s important to make sure your beneficiary information is up-to-date. If you have a life-changing event like a marriage, divorce, death of a spouse or child, or birth or adoption of a child, you have had a life-changing event and you need to update your beneficiary information. Short, sweet, and to-the-point today. Get on it.

I recently reconnected with an old friend, and we’ve done some hiking together. And while I like to exercise and hike, this girl is hard-core–she can climb rock walls like a mountain goat. She motivates me to push myself a little. In fact, she has invited me to go canyoneering with her, and after figuring out exactly what that is ( the sport of exploring a canyon by engaging in such activities as rappelling, rafting, and waterfall jumping , according to Google), I’m really thinking about it. It sounds like quite an adventure. My next question is, what do I pack? After talking with my experienced friend as well as giving it a little thought, I’ve figured it out–as little as possible. I only take what I need. This month, review your spending and look for ways to slash expenses. The best way to do this is to reassess wants versus needs. “To quickly determine the difference between a want and need, think of a need being something required for survival. Needs are water for drinking, foo...