DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: When we set up a 529 college fund for our granddaughter years ago when she was still in elementary school, we envisioned her using it for a traditional four-year college. She ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Our youngest son still lives at home. He pays us rent, usually within a week of when it is due. He is also good about helping out with incidental expenses around the house, es... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son is going back to school to get his master’s in psychology, which, as he and his dad explain, he needs to get very far in such a competitive field.... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Our son is getting married early next spring. He and his fiancée are hopeful that they will be able to have the 150 guests their venue can accommodate.... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Both my husband and I grew up in the suburbs. We met in the city where we currently live, where he works, and where I also was working before we had our son. I was able to con... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My parents will be married for 40 years in September. My brother and two sisters and I and our significant others want to do something really special for them to celebrate, bu... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My wife has always hated her nose and been self-conscious of it since she was a teenager. I have never had a problem with her nose, but have always hated our kitchen. Her gran... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: We are very fortunate in that my husband makes enough money at his job for us to be able to stay on top of our monthly budget and even put some money away each month. For the ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: While I was putting my husband’s socks away in his dresser, I found a jewelry box inside a little gift bag. Even though this is our first married Christmas, we said we were no... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My brother borrowed my car a few months ago so he could get to work while his car was in the shop. When he came out from work at the end of the day, he saw that someone had ba... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: We knew going into our new home in an older neighborhood that we shared a driveway with our next-door neighbors. They recently had their half redone in concrete, which we can’... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My son is a very proud young man. When my father died, he left all the grandchildren a little money. My two daughters used theirs towards college, but my son used it to start ... more

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: Even before the pandemic, my husband wasn’t thrilled with the thought of my getting a job, even a part-time one. We have a one-year-old son, and right now no plans for another... more