I've always been a big proponent of the public library, no matter where I was living at the time. Before coming to Vancouver, I lived in Corvallis, Ore. The Corvallis-Benton County Public Library has a great selection of DVDs and CDs, in addition to books, of course. So great, in fact, that I rar...

I was watching "The Today Show" this morning, and a financial expert came on to talk about housing and mortgages. As someone who'd like to buy a first home in the next few years, I listened closely. Here are a few of her suggestions:

1. Don't think of your house as a piggy ...

The Columbian's Business section regularly runs Washington Post writer Michelle Singletary's "The Color of Money" column. I found one this week particularly interesting. You can view it at

I didn't realize that appliances and small electronics use energy even when they're not on. It's called standby mode I guess. If you unplug them, you can help the environment and save on your energy bill. Savings estimates vary (I've heard everything from 10 to 25 percent),  but every bit he...

The Social Security Administration added a new retirement calculator to its Web site July 21 to help people estimate their Social Security benefits. The Web site is www.ssa.gov.

Posted by Mary Ann Albright