If you still keep a checkbook in the desk drawer, you have plenty of company. Americans wrote 9.2 billion checks worth $24 trillion in 2024, according to the Federal Reserve. That's far fewer than the nearly 43 billion written in 2000, but it still works out to about two checks a month per ...

Halloween may be the quintessential intersection of thrills and fun, with some universal traditions like trick-or-treating and devouring lots of candy — but there are dangers that can make the holiday tragic if not carefully avoided. That's why organizations like the American Red Cross of ...

Halloween is supposed to be about kids. The costumes. The trick-or-treating. The sugar rush that makes your child behave like an undersized, pre-pubescent maniac for four hours. But let’s be honest. Halloween is mostly about candy. And once your kids come home with their plastic pumpkins ...

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 ...

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 ...

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. ...