Imagine you recently discussed with your spouse replacing your aging car. The discussion did not go well until you dug down far enough to understand that layoffs are a near-term possibility where your spouse works. Your spouse knows how much you want a new car, but you’re not a crazy risk-taker. You agreed it makes sense to wait before buying that new car. Now, you’re watching a...
I’ve owned a few businesses, some on my own, two of them with partners. For tax purposes, it’s important to be clear whether any person I am working with is an employee, a self-employed contractor, or a partner. An employee does what I want, how I like it, and when I want, typically at will, which means either of us can end the relationship if we’re unhappy. A self-employed...
I’ll be gathering with my first husband’s family in a few weeks to celebrate the life of my sister-in-law, who died the same week as my mother earlier this year. It has me thinking about marriage and families. A few months after I met Rod, we drove across the continent to meet his family. The next year, they flew to us for our wedding. We were married for thirteen years before he died...
Recently, I had a stimulating discussion with two highly intelligent and articulate women half my age. One of them introduced me to a new name for having sex with people other than your spouse but with your spouse’s permission: ethical non-monogamy. When I was in high school, swingers was what we called consensual spouses having sex with other partners. They went to sex parties together or...
I am a worrier. A world-class worrier, I suspect. My father taught me well: always ask, “What if?” MIT taught me well: they gave me a degree in Planning. But my native curiosity and imagination were probably more than enough on their own. The other night, I was sitting on the sofa beside my husband when I smelled smoke. I asked him if he smelled it. Nope. But, to humor me and out of a...
