Blog
"Life is a curious mix of fantasy, experienceand interpretation."
Health Insurance for Frequent Travelers
Each time I examine the subject of travel insurance, the landscape has changed. Here are strategies to follow, and the best of what emerged from this year’s hunt.
How to Be Richer in Retirement
If you spent most of your adult life budgeting around a steady paycheck, a departure from the workforce, by choice or circumstance, poses a new challenge: What funds will you use to meet expenses?
How to Find the Perfect French Vacation Rental
The recent announcement that Paris regulators plan to shut down 43,000 Airbnb listings by June will leave many travelers scrambling for alternatives. An experienced traveler offers tips to help you find them.
The Dollars and Sense of Audiobooks: What Indie Publishers Need to Know
New distribution platforms make it easier than ever for independent authors and small publishers to create audiobooks. Making a profit is more challenging.
A Visit to Paris Without Leaving Home
As travelers imported botanical specimens from distant lands during the late 19th century, a horticultural craze took root in France. Impressionist artists, many of them avid gardeners, took their easels outside and captured this page of history.
3 Ways the New Tax Law Can Hurt Retirees
To appreciate what’s at stake, you need to think beyond the tax return that’s due April 17. For the next eight years, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act could affect several life transitions before and during retirement.
Home Office Deduction Can Skirt Limits on State and Local Taxes
Conventional wisdom holds that taking a home office deduction is an audit flag. The new tax law gives more people a reason to risk it.
Flavors of Basque Country in a Brooklyn Kitchen
Peppers are abundant lately at U.S. greengrocers. Just what you need to create poulet basquaise – a classic chicken dish that warms body and soul.
Fed Up with Airbnb Amateurs? How to Find the Pros
Some travelers who’ve been burned on sharing economy websites no longer want to deal directly with homeowners. Instead they are using these platforms to find local property managers. The hope is that they will impose quality control.
What to Do if Your Vacation Turns into an Airbnb Horror Story
The sharing economy has created a new breed of amateur hoteliers. And when the accommodations don’t measure up, that can wreck a vacation. These steps can help you take recourse.
How to Make an IRA Last Longer
Proposals to eliminate the “stretch IRA” escaped the recent tax overhaul. Here’s what you need to know to take full advantage of it.
5 Last-Minute Tax Breaks to Grab Before Year-End
Under the GOP tax overhaul, starting in 2018, you’ll have a lot less leeway using deductions to reduce the amount of income that’s subject to tax. Make the most of them by December 31.