The farmers’ market doesn’t need any promotion this month; you can pretty much follow your nose to find the best bargains in town. Do I honestly need to wax poetic over the flavor and aroma of an organically-grown tomato? How about snappy-fresh green beans? Or sweet corn on the cob, picked that very same morning? …

Rising fuel prices and higher government miles-per-gallon requirements have created a demand for smaller cars from both consumers and automotive manufacturers. At the same time, we expect even the smallest of vehicles to meet the strict safety qualifications we demand when transporting our family and friends. A persistent issue with compact and subcompact vehicles is …

You may find this a sensitive subject, and I can certainly understand why. Yet, we must all face it sooner or later. Death, that is. Now it seems that people of prominence, especially those who possess a great deal of either authority or money, attempt to circumvent this inevitably-final event by erecting monuments of one …

Q. Tom, lots of people predicted that higher interest rates were inevitable by early summer yet it is apparently not the case. Aren’t interest rates more attractive now than earlier in the year? The answer is a resounding YES!* And it just goes to show that no one can predict with certainty the ‘moving parts’ …

The annual Kings X Trivia Tournament was held June 28 at WPLJ in Walnut Creek. The competition was fierce. Any one of the six teams could have won. I am happy to say that my team “Outhouse Time Machine,” was the winner. As usual, it took a village to win, so my congratulations go to Tim …

Statistically speaking, marriage is a leap of faith. About half of all first marriages end in divorce, and the rates for second marriages are only a little better. One of the biggest knots to untie when a marriage fails is financial, and that is where a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst like Nick Ventimiglio, CDFA, of …

Without question, July is one of my favorite months. It’s a time of simple pleasures, like bare feet on the packed wet sand of a Santa Cruz beach and feeling the silky wrap of front-porch-warm evenings. It’s also the month I celebrate the anniversaries of two of the happiest days of my life. Thirty-four years …

It seems that the consensus opinion out there is that the U.S. is in decline, China is the new superpower and that our nation’s best times are behind her. We don’t “make” anything anymore. All of our jobs are being sent overseas. Sound familiar? This attitude is somewhat understandable given the financial crisis, severe recession, …