“The Mole” is a certified financial planner and public accountant who, in his spare time, provides a behind-the-scenes view of the financial planning industry for Money magazine. In his most recent column, The Mole explains how to deal with a bad 401(k) plan. “401(k) providers don’t actually care how they make money,” he writes, “just [...]

My friend Nicole and her family visited our house for breakfast this morning. She and her husband are the founders of Green Ronin, a Seattle-based game publisher. As we enjoyed a couple lovely hours outside at the picnic table, we chatted about life and work. We talked about what it’s like to own a small [...]

“Are we a nation of financial illiterates?” asks Stephen J. Dubner over at the Freakonomics blog. Yes, he answers. And no. High school students are getting more economics education than ever before, yet their basic personal finance competency is dropping. Dubner interviewed Annamaria Lusardi, a professor of economics at Dartmouth, about financial literacy. It’s an [...]

Though Kris and I live just a few miles from downtown Portland, we’re fortunate to have three-fifths of an acre of land. This allows us to set aside some large spaces to grow fruits, berries, herbs, flowers, and vegetables. Not all city-dwellers are so fortunate. In fact, millions of people don’t have access to a [...]