Columnists

Retirement is not one-size-fits-all. It can mean different things to different people. Perhaps you have not applied for Social Security retirement benefits because you’re still working or are delaying applying so you can get a higher benefit. If you’re age 70 or older, you should apply now for the benefits you’re owed. Your benefits will…

Now, I realize in the great scope of the world’s population, I’m not particularly old. According to current statistics, the median age of a human being on earth is 30.6 years—meaning that if you lined up every living person and picked the person in the middle of that long chain of humanity, he or she…

In the ’60s, Houston, Missouri had a weekly newspaper called the Houston Herald. The owner and editor was a man I got to know well. His name was Lane Davis. I started guiding float fishermen at a young age, in an old wooden jonboat, and Lane was one of my clients. He liked floating the…

It seemed like one of President Trump’s more innocuous proclamations, buried under a blizzard of devastating policy changes and mass firings: The Gulf of Mexico, he announced, would now be called the Gulf of America. No, actually, said The Associated Press, a global news service founded in 1846. That body of water has been called…

Several years ago in late February a gentleman called me to tell me he had seen around 200 owls the day before in one small area in the western Ozarks. He said that on one corral fence there were more than 30 in a group! When you are a grizzled old outdoor veteran like me,…

We just don’t know as much as we think we do. When I studied the 18th century British poets — yes, I actually studied the 18th century British poets once upon a time — I encountered the work of Alexander Pope, who is in his work An essay on Criticism coined the phrase, “a little…

When your child turns 18 years old, they legally become an adult. This is an important time to consider their financial future – especially if they need additional care into adulthood. Here are 5 things that may help you prepare for this milestone: 1. Health and Welfare Decision-making When your child legally becomes an adult,…

We’re in a bit of a ping-pong cycle in the U.S, these days, and I can’t say I see an end coming anytime soon. By ping-pong, I mean that each consecutive presidential change heading back to Bush Sr. has seen the opposite party winning as the one who was previously in power. We went from…

I don’t remember when the old hound wasn’t around. He was that old. Jess called him Outlaw … raised him from a pup. In his day he was a big powerful trailing hound with a voice they talked about all across the county. I remember those nights in the Big Piney River valley when old…

We’ve made it past Groundhog Day — again — but whether Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not, winter can often feel unending this time of year. Across the country, we’ve had long stretches of cold temperatures and bad weather. And even when things start to defrost, the days can feel too short and the…