Health

What boomers need to know about prescription drugs: What you take and what you spend

Rita R. Robison / April 1, 2008

How many and what kind of prescriptions are baby boomers taking? Nearly one-third of baby boomers said they took four

What boomers need to know about prescription drugs: The problem

Rita R. Robison / March 31, 2008

It’s not the first time a scathing book on prescription drugs has sizzled on American bookshelves. But a book just

Connecting with others increases joy, improves health

Rita R. Robison / March 29, 2008

Since I quit my day job in September to become a full-time writer, I’ve been spending a lot of time

Midlife suicide rates rising

Rita R. Robison / March 28, 2008

The suicide rate among 45 to 54 year olds went up almost 20 percent from 1999 to 2004, according to

Tea group offers list of research studies on tea’s benefits

Rita R. Robison / March 24, 2008

When I was doing research on green tea, I found a general statement about the health benefits of tea on

Health risks of hormone replacement therapy persist after women in test stopped drugs

Rita R. Robison / March 7, 2008

When I began to have hot flashes, I did research on whether to take hormones. My decision? No. I found

Lack of vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, may increase the risk of cancer, other disorders

Rita R. Robison / February 19, 2008

Living in the rainy Pacific Northwest, I’ve often wondered about getting enough vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. People who live

Combat winter blahs with light, exercise

Rita R. Robison / February 18, 2008

During the winter, I get depressed. I long for spring, my favorite time of the year, and sunshine Winter darkness

This week's top 10 money tips

1. Start earlier to buy an airline ticket because you need to compare the cost of classes within the plane, too.

2. Check out these tips on what to do to avoid over-spending on your cars or cars.

3. Let the FTC know you don’t like surveillance pricing. Prices for products and services need to change based upon supply and demand, not people’s web surfing habits or buying history.

4. Take a look at these seven household expenses, in addition to gasoline, that may rise when oil stays above $100 a barrel including groceries, package and food deliveries, airfares, heating and electricity, household products and clothing, and home repairs and construction.

5. Check out these tips on how to reduce your utility bills in addition to commenting on proposed increases for electricity, gas, water, sewer, and garbage.

6. Expect yields for savings accounts, money market funds, and Treasury bills to be slightly lower due to the recent .25 percent interest rate hike by the Federal Reserve.

7. Build a financial plan by starting with your goals, not someone else’s; be selective about who you listen to; remember that financial planning is about more than investing; and learn the difference between news and noise.

8. Think about September, rather than January, as a better time to set and work toward your big money goals. As the seasons shift, vacations are over and the kids have gone back to school, and you’ve lived enough of the year to know what’s working and what isn’t.

9. Be aware that 63 percent of U.S. consumers have stopped shopping with a retailer or abandoned a purchase because of its return policy, a survey shows.

10. Be aware scammers are using AI to mine information from obituaries to fool family members. Stop and consider if you need to include things such as full names, specific hometowns, employers, schools, and other identifying details.

Sign up for my newsletter and you'll get 10 tips like this every week, for no charge. And, tell your friends and co-workers about it so they can make savvy money choices, too. Here’s the sign up: https://tinyurl.com/makeyourmoneywork. And, for a big bonus, you’ll also get my free e-book on how to optimize their personal finance decisions.

September 17, 2026