Dorm life 101: Renters insurance can be invaluable

- 07:00 PM CDT

It was a spectacular fall Sunday afternoon when I got a call from my daughter, who was sobbing and upset.

• Renters insurance: Don’t live without it

Recent headlines provide basis for important financial lessons

- 07:48 PM CDT

Leave it to a teenager to provide fresh perspective on Wall Street’s financial meltdown. On the day when the federal government opened its vaults with an $85 billion bailout of American International Group, I asked my 16-year-old whether he had heard of the financial services titan.

Getting a handle on high school portraits

- 07:19 PM CDT

The numbers look stunning. Your teen’s monthly text-messaging bill? Not even close. Try the cost of high school senior portraits.

Debate about paying children to learn is all about nurturing success

- 07:17 PM CDT

Two weeks ago, I wrote a column raising concerns about paying children for good grades. In particular, I was troubled by a growing movement among mostly large, urban school districts around the country to pay high schoolers for classroom performance.