It was shocking, if not surreal. The email message was from a woman I’d never met and whose name I recognized only because, a few months earlier, she mailed me a book she’d written. The message announced that she and her family were planning a road trip to Disneyland and would just love to stay…

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot circled over the Great Salt Lake, tipping the wings ever so slightly so we could witness the unusual reddish-purple color of the water—a phenomenon, he explained, that occurs when a particular species of algae meets up with a certain bacteria. It was quite fascinating. Just as he was bringing the…

If I asked you to deduct your monthly expenses from your monthly income, I have a feeling you’d look pretty good on paper. The mystery for many people is why they can’t get through a month without using a credit card to cover unexpected expenses, such as a prescription for a sick child, a quarterly…