Unable to meet withdrawal requests triggered by depositor panic, Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was placed into receivership by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. (FDIC) on March 10. SVB represents the second-largest bank collapse in U.S. history. 

It’s right around the corner, that day of tomfoolery, and I am nostalgic for the life I once lived. 

A number of my friends have had cataract surgery in the past six weeks. For some, only one eye needed help. For others it was the first of two surgeries.

Dear Savvy Senior,

If I could, I would put a little notice in the bottom left corner of the front page of the newspaper every time I realized I’d made a boo-boo. But I do have this forum.

Whenever I head south on Route 481 leaving Oswego, I glance over the berm on my right, near where 481 intersects with Dutch Ridge Road, and think about what might have been if the inflatable dome that once stood on that site had survived.

John 9 in the Bible shares the story of Jesus healing a blind man. The larger point is that Jesus has the power to create vision and uses it to heal the man born blind. 

Dear Savvy Senior,

Businesses sell shares of stock to investors as a way to raise money to finance expansion, pay off debt, and provide operating capital. Each share of stock represents a proportional share of ownership in the company. As a stockholder, you share in a portion of any profits and growth of the c…

There is a dog that lives across the street. He is a medium-sized mutt of some kind who is tied up in the yard, well not so much tied up as tethered to a run. This allows him room to roam aplenty but is one of the biggest reasons I have never met my neighbor. 

A series of witnesses testified during the trial, telling what they had seen or heard or done or knew. At moments I was a child again hearing, “I saw her do it,” or “It was his fault.”

Dear Savvy Senior,

In exchange for fixed premiums, an insurance company promises to pay a set benefit when the policyholder dies, but also offers additional benefits as well. Whole life insurance policies can build up cash value — effectively a cash reserve that pays a modest rate of return, and the growth is …

In January, I wrote a letter to John B. King Jr., chancellor of the State University of New York (SUNY), to address a concern raised by students taking classes in the New York State Pathways in Technology (NYS P-TECH) program. 

We turned our calendars to March last week, which means the basketball madness of March that culminates on April 3 in Houston, with the NCAA crowning a national champion in its men’s tournament, can’t be far behind. 

I thought I would do a Ten Things You Don’t Know About Me column except I’ve been a real chatty-Cathy here, so I’m not sure I can come up with 10 things I haven’t already spilled the beans on.

​In the book “Holy Moments,” Matthew Kelly describes a “holy moment” as “a single moment in which you open yourself to God. You make yourself available to Him. You set aside personal preference and self-interest, and for one moment you do what you prayerfully believe God is calling you to do.”

There’s a term that’s been floating around since the ‘90s: ‘KGOY’ or ‘kids getting older younger.” It often refers to children being more tech-savvy and self-aware than previous generations.

Dear Savvy Senior,

Aging is a long-term debilitating process, a downhill slide, or as my grandmother used to say, “don’t get old, Jackie.”

There are a few important documents that are imperative to know where they are at all times and ensure they are protected from theft and in case of emergency. Often times, these documents can be difficult to find when needed most, so here are some tips on what documents are most important an…

Have you ever had a weird thing happen? They happen to me a lot. Just recently I was driving through my old stomping grounds and passed by the corner grocery store. A flood of memories pulsed through me as I recalled my childhood visits there, with siblings or friends, upon finding money som…

A friend of mine recently received a description of someone’s funeral. There were a number of favorite hymns and beautiful drapings with black crepe (which is a material). However, the writer had not spell checked (I assume). Instead of “crepe,” the writer had spelled it “crape,” which would…

Dear Savvy Senior,

Most understand that waiting to claim Social Security benefits can result in higher monthly payments. However, many don’t know that there are other ways to maximize their benefits, some of which depend on their marital status.

Even though I was reading “The Memory Keeper’s Daughter” upstairs and “The Office BFFs” downstairs, I joined a book club. It was online through Reader’s Digest (rd.com/bookclub in case you want to join). It was starting up in February so on Feb. 1 I signed up, got the title and tried to borr…

Editor’s Note: This is a revision of a Mike McCrobie column written in 2020 when J.C. Penney originally planned to close its Oswego store. Now that the closing is certain, it’s worth revisiting this piece.

As I write this week, the death toll in Turkey following the earthquake has passed 36,000.  Ukraine has been under attack for over a year. Millions of refugees are on the road, homeless, or in tents. 

Dear Savvy Senior,

One of the common threads of a mobile workforce is that many individuals who leave their job are faced with a decision about what to do with their 401(k) account. Individuals have four choices with the 401(k) account they accrued at a previous employer.

So last Friday I got a headache. You might be thinking, “What’s the big deal, everybody gets headaches.”

As I boarded the plane for Manaus, Brazil, and the Amazon River, I was surprised by whispers of anxiety in my mind. I have traveled out of the country before, but media and friends had taken a toll. 

Dear Savvy Senior,

As the biggest sporting event of the year approaches, football fans all over the nation (including me) are gearing up for the big game on Sunday, Feb. 12, at 6:30 p.m.

I think I’m about to get fired. From what, you might ask, being as I am retired — from a job that didn’t require too much of me anyway — unless you count raising the kids, which was exhausting because I put everything I had into it.