I’ve hit a milestone for many born before 1990 – my first painful bout with shingles. Around age four, I was blessed with chickenpox, which was kind enough to pass itself along to my brother during a family vacation that was promptly cut short by the virus. Nearly 40 years later, I still ...

Welcome to the end of Halloween month. Just one last helping of creepy, cringeworthy commentary and then we will return to our regularly scheduled program. Hang with me here. Imagine you are perusing real estate online and, suddenly, there it is again. The house you saw online a few weeks ...

This week, several unsolicited emails landed in my inbox from freelancers offering to help with research. One came with a résumé and portfolio attached. The sender said they preferred to communicate in writing and asked whether my team would pay for background research on an upcoming story. ...

The phone rings at 9 p.m. It's your grandson. He's crying. There's been an accident, he's in trouble, and please, please don't tell Mom and Dad. A man claiming to be his attorney takes the phone and explains that $8,000 in cash will make this go away tonight. The voice is his. The panic is ...

I appreciate a good effort to scare me. A giant skeleton in the yard is always a treat. A ghost that drops from the porch ceiling is nothing but fun. Hey, I’m even game for something that grabs my ankle when I’m reasonably certain it wasn’t moving a moment ago. After all, it’s October. ...

Ask most people when tax season is and they'll say spring. April 15, shoebox of receipts, maybe an extension if things got away from you. Here's what 30-plus years in this business has taught me: By the time April arrives, the game is over. You're not planning at that point. You're reporting. ...