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I purchased my first piece of real art (i.e., not an art poster from a shop in the West Village) as a housewarming and anniversary present for my husband years ago. It is a silkscreen print of firecrackers from a local artist (Clay Huffman, now deceased) who had a studio at the Torpedo Factory Art Center in Old Town, Alexandria.

To quote Dr. Seuss, "The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." Growing up, teachers and parents always stressed the importance of an education. But what happens when formal schooling is over? Lifelong learning is defined as the self-motivated practice of continuing to learn throughout one’s entire life, with the aim of improving knowledge, skills, and competencies.

I LOVE that I had the childhood that I did – playing outside for hours on end with little to no supervision, climbing on metal playground equipment, Saturday morning cartoons (Scooby Doo, Where Are You?) reading Nancy Drew books, and listening to Casey Kasem’s Top 40 countdown on the radio. I also had the benefit of growing up on a farm, so caring for the horses was among many things that I did to earn my allowance.

My husband likes to tell me not to anthropomorphize our dog by giving him human feelings and emotions. But the reality is that humans have done such a good job at breeding and domesticating dogs that they can reflect human emotions and have some big feelings of their own. So, what's a person supposed to do if their best friend is displaying signs of depression or anxiety or "reactivity?"

As a financial planner, I often hear clients comment that their teenage, or even young adult children, have a limited understanding of savings and investments. Usually, our advice is to sit down and talk to them about the basics of financial responsibility, or we may recommend a book or two. However, the best advice is to start long before your children are teenagers or college age. I’ll share with you what I have done with my own family, maybe you can relate to it.

The Rolling Stones’ originally released their single “Time Is On My Side” in the U.S. in September 1964. It became their first U.S. top ten hit, peaking at number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 Chart in December 1964. The Rolling Stones would go on to deliver a total of 23 top ten hits and the band was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1989.

My son is looking for his first apartment without a roommate. I’m worried that he won’t find anything in his price range by the time he has to move out of his current place. I don’t want him to not have a place to live, but I don’t want him back home, either.

We tend to get a lot of questions regarding Social Security. Some older clients are interested in claiming strategies to maximize their benefits, while younger clients ask whether Social Security will even be around when they reach full retirement age.

Last month we celebrated the day of my 40th anniversary with West Financial! How did that happen? To be honest, it hardly seems like it's been 40 years – and that is a gift. As I have aged, the clients have aged with me. We now have 95 clients aged 85 and older. The oldest client I have worked with was 104, and was she a character!

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love music. I sent both of my kids through the School of Rock program from elementary school through high school. My daughter still works for them during her college breaks and is in a band, herself. So, I’m very interested in how music is made and shared, and how artists profit from their efforts over time.