One of the biggest decisions divorcing couples face is what to do with their shared home. It’s often an emotional decision — and if the home has an outstanding mortgage, the situation gets extra complicated.

Here’s what to know about divorce and your mortgage.

Mortgage options in a divorce

Depending on the details of your mortgage, the ...Read more

Dear Anna,

I moved to a new city for work last month, leaving behind a "situationship" that never quite became official. Now he’s texting wanting to try long distance, saying the new year made him realize what he wants, which is, evidently, me. I'm torn between giving this another chance and making a completely fresh start in my new home. ...Read more

After 13 years of helping people find love (and sometimes dodging a few bullets along the way), I’ve seen the dating landscape evolve dramatically.

Let’s look at five tips for navigating the dating world this upcoming year.

1. Curate your dating profile like it’s a first impression (because it is)

Your dating profile is your personal ...Read more

BOULDER, Colo. — Ruffian the champion show cat reclined on a fur pillow wearing tiny protective goggles to shield his eyes from the laser therapy being used to treat his inflamed joints.

Veterinary physiotherapist Kerry Kilgannon hovered a laser wand over Ruffian’s hips one December morning while using a dangling cat treat to bribe the ...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I have a question regarding a situation in my classroom. I have my kids grouped at tables and have stressed to them that this is where we are for the year. I reminded them that sometimes we have to sit by people we aren't best friends with and have to work with people who we don't get along with, but we have to try. Here is ...Read more

Q.My ex and I split up six months ago and our children go back and forth between our new homes. We don’t have a formal parenting plan -- the split was amicable; we just share the kids every few days. They are 5 and 7. It seems to be working OK, but I have recently met someone new. I am afraid this will complicate things, and their mother will...Read more

"Stay tuned for a weather impact update," says the man on the television.

I have problems with the word impact and not just because it's one of those words that can be both a noun and a verb. Impact always reminds me of when my brother was a toddler and shoved a Red Hot up his nose. The Red Hot was impacted and our mother had to carefully ...Read more

According to statistics that must be true or I wouldn’t have made them up, 87% of grandfathers couldn’t pass a third-grade math test.

This is shocking because it represents almost half the grandpa population.

Unfortunately, I am in this group because I recently got taken to school by my 8-year-old granddaughter, who is in third grade, has ...Read more

CHICAGO — Marvin Fournier launched two canoes off a city park boat dock on a recent December afternoon, as he has done countless times for over a decade. The vessels were decked out in twinkling Christmas lights, the remnants of a prior paddling outing on the river — a holiday tradition with fellow river canoe guides.

“We put up Christmas...Read more

CHICAGO -- The ancient manuscript rested on the shelves of the Newberry Library for more than a century.

Little was known about the bound book from colonial Mexico that had been donated to the library in 1911 by Edward Ayer, a collector and a tycoon who made his fortune supplying ties to railroad companies. It was called “Ayer 1485″ in the ...Read more

BALTIMORE -- Laura Hutton has taken in everyone from a baby born weighing a pound and a half to a pregnant teenager, children whose needs ranged from feeding tubes to mental health therapy.

With a background as a special education teacher, Hutton, 55, has become something of a go-to foster parent for children whose medical, emotional or ...Read more

Every gardener across the country is looking forward to the new plant introductions making their debut in 2025. One of the most eagerly awaited is a new angelonia or summer snapdragon by the name of Angelface Wedgwood Pink. This bicolored pink and white selection is one we have anticipated for years. You see, sometime ago Angelface Wedgwood Blue...Read more

Navigating the world of personal finance is daunting for anyone, but it’s a particularly pressing concern for members of Generation Z as they begin their careers and become financially independent. Adult Gen Zers, aged between 18 and 27, are grappling with new financial challenges at a time of expensive college costs, a competitive job market ...Read more

In the summer of 2020, when a pandemic gripped the globe and civil unrest filled city streets and dread clouded the air like a low-hanging fog, Dan O’Conor would get up every morning, drive to a parking lot at Montrose Beach and stick a hand-scrawled sign inside his windshield: WENT TO JUMP IN THE LAKE.

The sign was to keep his car from ...Read more

Question: “I have been dating someone for three months, and we’re exclusive (not seeing other people). I’m ready to define the relationship (DTR) but don’t want to lose him if he’s not ready. How to have the talk?”

My response:

“For better or for worse (and I hope better, of course!), that's a risk you're going to have to take. I...Read more

Dear Kid Whisperer,

I have decided to give my eighth-grade students assigned seats for the rest of the year to help with behaviors. Could you give me a bunch of quick, witty comebacks for all of the complaining that I am going to deal with from these students?

Answer: I could, but I won’t.

Having a bunch of cute things to say in response to...Read more

We have smoke detectors that warn of fire, dashboard icons that warn of low fuel and dying batteries, and health hazard warnings are printed on every pack of cigarettes.

In 2024 we were given a clear and resounding warning for cell phones. It came in the form of a thick book titled “The Anxious Generation” (How the Great Rewiring of ...Read more

LOS ANGELES -- Nancy Adams grew comfortable sharing her Compton townhome during the COVID-19 pandemic when she rented spare bedrooms to traveling nurses.

Still, it was a long leap of faith to open her home to her current house guest — a paroled murderer.

Adams, 72, had retired from a career in banking but still relishes her backup job, ...Read more

Q. My ex is impossible. Each time we go back to court, I hope for a different outcome, but nothing is ever changed. No one understands! How do you co-parent with someone you cannot agree with? What’s good ex-etiquette?

A. Disagreements don’t stop co-parents from co-parenting well. Conflict is normal, but you do have to create an environment...Read more