Dear Savvy Senior,

Forty-four percent of Americans do not own any stock, or stock related investments, according to a recent Gallup Poll. Individuals may cite different reasons for not investing, but with important long-term financial goals, such as retirement, the reasons to not invest may actually be harmful.

The hubby and I were sitting at the kitchen table reading when he said, “What’s that noise?”

Dear Savvy Senior,

It is a noble gesture and Oswego holds the key to the door which, if opened, will drastically limit greenhouse gas emissions, and reduce dramatic climate change. It’s true! We stand at the cuttting edge of green energy hegemony. Oswego is already the power capital of the Northeast. We produc…

As the cost of a college education continues to climb, many grandparents are stepping in to help. This trend is expected to accelerate as baby boomers, many of whom went to college, become grandparents and start gifting what’s predicted to be trillions of dollars over the coming decades.

Some days it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. This day had started off just ducky. I had done laundry and walked on the treadmill with no problem. I sat down to sew and within minutes my back hurt along the right side. I quickly finished what I was doing, got up and stretched a bit. It didn’t help. 

Dear Savvy Senior,

John D. Rockefeller, one of the wealthiest Americans in history, loved receiving stock dividends. “Do you know the only thing that gives me pleasure?” he once asked. “It’s to see my dividends coming in.” There may be many things other than money that gives you pleasure, but you can still app…

If columns can have a sequel, I guess this is one. Back in November 2020, I wrote a piece that featured brief biographies of three historically significant Oswego educators of the 20th century — Dave Powers, Ralph Faust, and Max Ziel.

I just went to the races at Oswego Speedway for the first time in so long I can’t even remember. I think it’s been at least 20 years, which seems crazy to me because I started going every week with my brother when I was 12. 

A while back my husband was asked to remodel a kitchen for one of our favorite repeat customers. I was confused. He had already remodeled their kitchen a mere seven years before and it was gorgeous. The couple had pulled all the stops in the design and paint choices, and people came for mile…

During our working years, many of us have access to an employer-sponsored health insurance plan either through our own job or our spouse’s job. But when it comes to retirement, we typically rely on Medicare and Medicare supplemental coverage to afford the ever-increasing cost of healthcare. …

Apparently there are more than a few people who have not read my columns and continue to call me honey, sweetie, and the like. You can almost see my hair curl during these encounters. If I’m not going to have to deal with them again, I do my best to let it slide.

Most teenagers probably aren’t thinking about saving for retirement, buying a home, or even paying for college when they start their first jobs. Yet a first job can present an ideal opportunity to explain how a Roth IRA can become a valuable savings tool in the pursuit of future goals.

One of my favorite words of all time is the word “scofflaw.”

Dear Savvy Senior,

“You have reached Banana Airlines, press one for English. Press two if you don’t remember our menu, which has changed. (Like I would have memorized their previous menu.) Press three if you want to remain on hold for 45 minutes, frustrated, while we take care of our more important customers.”…

I was sweeping the floor when he said it, and I’d like to believe he regretted saying it the second it came out of his mouth. 

When you have a major life event such as getting married, having a child, or buying a home, your financial situation and priorities may change. As your life changes, your financial decisions must stay in line with your goals, values, and needs. When these situations come up, it’s always a go…

This graduation season, consider this my love letter to those that would deem themselves imperfect.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Conventional wisdom says that what goes up, must come down. But even if you view market volatility as a normal occurrence, it can be tough to handle when it’s your money at stake.

My little sisters wanted to take me to lunch for my birthday, but it would have to be a day early due to scheduling conflicts. They took me to a seldom-visited place that was on a lake, with sand on the outer edges and rocks in the middle. We studied the rocks and found some quite interestin…

Can you withdraw money from your 401(k) while you are still employed? Not everyone should; not everyone can. If you are able to, though, it may mean that you can effectively implement part of your retirement income plan before you retire. 

Next week, June 23 to be exact, marks the 50th anniversary of one of the most life-altering laws of my generation — Title IX. More formally called The Education Amendments Act of 1972, the Title IX section is a rather brief, 37-word piece of legislation that reads:

Kids these days think we older folks are narrow-minded dinosaurs, but they don’t know just how much we have already grown from our life experiences. 

By ROBERT ROLFE

I may not be that funny, or athletic, or good looking, or smart or talented … I forgot where I was going with this.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Back in 2010, when I was teaching high school journalism, I came up with a crazy assignment that served as the course’s final exam. The student-journalists had to incorporate all of the skills that they had (hopefully) learned during the semester to conduct an interview, write a story, and d…

It’s been three years since the hospital banned the volunteers from the hospital because of the virus, and it’s not looking good for starting up again anytime soon. When I began, I was in a low place (can you say empty nest?) and I needed the volunteer program more than volunteering needed m…

Few investors should have been surprised when the Federal Reserve raised interest rates after its May meeting.