PSA: Ease the squeeze on your retirement income plan

Inflation has slowed, but many retirees still feel the effects of higher costs, especially for essentials like health care, utilities, and insurance.  They can tighten your income plan and make you wonder whether it can keep up over time.  What matters is how you respond - and you have options.

"Reel Review: ‘Hoppers’ banks on talking animals amid serious topics" by: Jessica Shepard

When I first saw the trailer for “Hoppers” I was pretty annoyed that the story wasn’t focusing on a rabbit.  But, the film readily explained itself in no time at all.  Still, I maintain it might have been cuter with a rabbit.

Lost in Translation

“Why does Julie always get to push the elevator button?”  I can’t tell you the number of times I heard that phrase when my children were growing up.In the beginning, there’s one child and two parents. Seventeen months later the second of the fold arrives.

"Gardening may be genetic in my family but I didn’t inherit it" by: Jessica Shepard

Mom gets compliments on her gardening skills every time spring rolls around and the flowerbeds explode in a variety of greenery and blooms.  I mean, I’ve had people even asking me what some of her chosen plants are and I have no clue!

"Spring Break now arrives an hour earlier" by: John Sample

Well, I know you are at least waking up earlier due to Daylight Savings time.  Moreover, that little dust up in the Middle East will cut into your budget with WTI climbing almost $20 to just under &90 a barrel.   Your next trip to the pump will be a reckoning.

Your credit score matters more than you may think

Your credit score can have a big impact on your financial life.  From renting an apartment to getting a cellphone plan, your score can open doors — or close them.  Simply put, your credit score predicts how likely you are to pay bills on time.

"Reel Reviews: ‘Scream 7’ might just be the final nail in the franchise’s coffin" by: Jessica Shepard

I know that horror movies aren’t everyone’s cup of tea.  But, there are several franchises that have been the cornerstone of my scary movie experience from childhood to now and the “Scream” franchise just happens to keep churning out flicks.

Challenge accepted

When it comes to our children, our biased opinions of them may be getting in the way of their progress when growing up.

"Spontaneity isn’t my forte and it’s always been that way" by: Jessica Shepard

Sometimes my friends and I end up reminiscing about how much change we’ve lived through.  And I know that it’s nothing compared to what my mom or Mike have endured, but it’s still uniquely ours.

"March Madness and Hummingbirds have arrived" by: John Sample

March is here and it is roaring if for no other reason than what is going on in Iran.   That will have a direct impact on oil prices, which will push inflation.    The extent of the rise in crude is being debated, but it will be higher and has climbed above $70 a barrel.