It’s the most wonderful time of the year…and the most wonderfully expensive! That new plaid dress for Taste of Scotland, tickets to A Christmas Carol at the Alexandria Little Theatre, and – the big one – holiday gift giving. It can add up quickly and easily, getting swept away by the holiday decorations, marketing enticements, and the ease of tapping that credit card at checkout.

Thanksgiving arrives next week, officially kicking off the holiday season. We all hold dear our traditions and ways of sharing our gratitude. It may be a turkey trot in the morning, Friendsgiving, dinner out at a local restaurant, hosting family from out-of-town or traveling to visit loved ones. We asked our contributors to share their Thanksgiving traditions and a few also shared their favorite dish.

As Thanksgiving looms for the Sandwich Generation, many of us find ourselves not just celebrating with our families, but also navigating the complexities of change for aging parents. This Thanksgiving, consider using the occasion to have meaningful conversations with your parents. Here are some topics and tips to guide your discussions, making the most of this special time together.

With chlorine, sun and salt water no longer wreaking havoc on our manicures, we’re all in for rocking some new nail looks this fall. Our hands are an extension of our daily look/vibe/mood and keep us feeling polished (pun intended) during the fall madness. While we’ve been out and about in Old Town, we couldn’t help but notice the vast range of shades and styles displayed on our friends’ hands. So we asked our contributors to share the fall hues they’re loving:

It’s fall, y’all, and ghosts and goblins abound! There’s one that lurks around you, though, all year-round – and he is so sneaky. Let’s have a little chat about that sly little gremlin known as lifestyle creep. You know, that insidious phenomenon where you’re just living your best life, and before you know it, your spending habits have ballooned faster than your last self-care splurge.

One intention of the standardized testing program is to track a student’s progress against a baseline. What about adults? You’re doing all your homework—automated savings, maxing out retirement investments, regularly reviewing your insurance coverages – but what does it all add up to? And, at the end of the day…are you on track?

With fifty states, six continents, and countless trips under my belt, here are my personal Top 5 Areas I like to specifically budget for, and sometimes allocate a bit more in order to get the most out of a trip.

Money and dating can be tricky, especially as a financially independent and successful woman. To help take some of the angst out of it, I solicited Erika Ettin’s input. Erika is founder of A Little Nudge, a dating coaching service specializing in online dating.

I had an amazing college experience. And if you have kids, I know you want that for them, too. Yet, the sticker shock of the cost of higher education can be daunting. So, on 5|29, let’s review the 529 education savings accounts with a few commonly asked questions.

We discussed all the things – relationships, spring events, retirement planning, the wealth transfer and the language of money. That’s what I love about smart, confident women—the conversation goes much deeper.

In many partnerships, one partner takes the lead and ‘relieves’ the other of the responsibilities in an area of life: laundry, car maintenance, and often money and finances.