So you're getting an inheritance. You're not alone. Whether you are a recipient of one of the 20,000 or so estates that are worth more than $20 million that are transferred each year, or something less than that, it's estimated that there will be trillions of dollars inherited over the...

Each year about half the country gets to experience a "sudden wealth" event in the form of a tax refund. While not necessarily a financial windfall for most, this annual occurrence can create some awfully strange and counterproductive behavior.

The average tax refund is about $3,000. This is...

Unless you've been living under a rock, you've heard that the Dow Jones hit a record high this week. If you're one of the millions with a 401(k) retirement account (and you have it invested properly!) this is welcome news. But what if you're not invested...

That bloated sensation you feel isn't just from the excess eggnog and stuffing you ate over the holidays. It's far worse. It's actually the end, not the beginning, of each January that's the most important time of the year.

Most people are focused on losing the extra pounds they gained...

Can profanity help your career? What about raising your voice or slamming your phone down? Did it help save John Boehner's role as House Speaker who allegedly told Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to "Go f*** yourself." Most of us do our best to fit in at the...

Nearly all of us make the same mistake when it comes to New Year's resolutions, one that practically guarantees we'll fail miserably. Sadly, it's not just New Year's resolutions that we blow. Anytime we try to change our behavior -- whether it's investing, losing weight, or writing a book --...

I talk to a lot of people who are about ready to give up on their finances. They confess that they can't save for a distant retirement when they're struggling to pay off debt and make ends meet right now. Many will joke they are banking their financial future on...

It's everyone's dream. Winning the big jackpot that changes everything. But even if you weren't one of the winner's in this week's PowerBall lottery, the issues that come from sudden wealth may still apply to you. In fact, you have many opportunities to experience sudden wealth that have...

A handful of phrases make me cringe every time I hear them. And when I hear otherwise smart, successful people utter them, I can't help thinking they need serious help.

In speaking with a number of managers and my executive coaching clients, it turns out I'm not...

I've always been fascinated by FBI profilers. Those are the folks who get inside the heads of criminals to try to figure out why they do what they do. There is a great deal of power that comes from being able to quickly analyze someone to determine what they are...

How much better would your life be if you were unbreakable? If you knew that no matter what happened that you would survive and persevere -- and that maybe you'd even come out a little better? We cannot escape pain, difficulty, failure, tragedy and heartache. Sooner or later it will...

Nobody cares about you. Furthermore, nobody thinks about you, watches you, keeps track of what you're wearing or notices the words you mispronounce. And yes, this is wonderful news! Why? Nearly all of us, nearly all the time, are deathly afraid we'll say the wrong thing, do the...

Do you ever feel like curling up in a ball and trying to forget the problems around you? With everything going on in the world today -- sky high unemployment, the housing market at its lowest point, prolonged wars in the Middle East, famine and genocide in Africa, the stock...

Last week I asked the miracle question from solution-focused therapy. The miracle question is simply: "If while you were sleeping and a miracle occurred that solved all of your problems, how would you know it when you woke up in the morning? What would be different?" The...

Do you need a miracle in your life?

I'm a big proponent of asking solution-focused questions. Solution-focused questions focus on a better future as opposed to problem-focused solutions that focus on a troubled past. Can't get a callback for a job interview? The problem-focused person will dwell on what's...

What does it mean to act "out of character?" In Hollywood, when an actor breaks character, it means they are acting in a way that isn't consistent with the character they are portraying. Sometimes an actor will get so enmeshed in their role that they argue with the writers and...

Whose permission do you need? Really, it's not a trick question. Who needs to give you the nod of approval before you can start a business, start dating after a bitter divorce, or write the book you've been talking about for the past nine years? Whose approval are you desperately...

Does your morning routine feel more like a "mourning" routine? The first 30 minutes of your day have a powerful grip over the rest of it: they can influence how you feel and what you do. Instead of smashing the alarm clock, kicking the cat and cursing your life every...

Shakespeare was wrong. All the world is not a stage. You just think it is. And it is this thought -- the belief that you need to perform for an always-watching and always-critiquing audience -- that creates massive anxiety. If you'd like to reclaim some of the time and energy...

It turns out Garth Brooks was right: when you have friends in low places, you'll have plenty of company to help you drown your blues away. But did you ever consider that your friends might be contributing to your problems? Who you are is a function of whom you know....