Karen Sommerfeld

American flags lined the walkway where Sgt. David Long stood looking at the crowd that had gathered in his new front yard: his parents, fellow veterans, new neighbors, and old friends. The sky was clear and cloudless, a perfect day for a ceremony. But of course, any day is a perfect day to be given a new home.
Long removed his hat for the national anthem and stood at attention. After receiving an oversized key to his new house, the veteran shyly took the microphone handed to him.
“I love you....

There was a lot of us to love, so we put down the snacks and fiddled with a Fitbit.
How I got us fat
Today, my pit bull-beagle-Tibetan spaniel mutt and I are creeping toward middle age. That’s not the only thing we have in common. We’re two blondes who are turning a little white around the edges. Plus, we might like our nightly popcorn a little too much. But you should see her little crunchy face when she catches a kernel.
You should also see our ever-increasing curves. Hips don’t lie. I knew...

American flags lined the walkway where Sgt. David Long stood looking at the crowd that had gathered in his new front yard: his parents, fellow veterans, new neighbors, and old friends. The sky was clear and cloudless, a perfect day for a ceremony. But of course, any day is a perfect day to be given a new home.
Long removed his hat for the national anthem and stood at attention. After receiving an oversized key to his new house, the veteran shyly took the microphone handed to him.
“I love you....

At one time or another, many of us dream of trading in our careers for days filled with more freedom. If you want those days to get here sooner than the standard retirement age of 65, here are some considerations to help you get there.
For most, it starts with saving substantially
Learning to save and starting to save as early as possible are crucial—but another key to a solid retirement plan is determining how much to save, says Truist client advisory center manager Teo Ayala. He’s a believe...

As this professor's interest in construction grew, so too did her appreciation for the beauty of architecturally exposed structural steel.

Sometimes it’s a phone call, or maybe a text. It might even look like the official caller ID of a familiar company.
“This is your bank. Your account has been compromised. May we have your account number so we can get to work on recovering your lost funds?”
But it could also happen in many other ways. An old friend (allegedly) slides into your DMs. Or you open an email that appears to be from your trusted local drugstore saying you’ve won a drawing. These seemingly innocent digital interaction...

Two months before her annual mammogram, Charmaine Tyson noticed changes in her breast: extreme sensitivity, a strange heat, and eventually a dimpling. So she got a mammogram, taking her mother with her for support.
“I thought maybe I got infected with something,” she says. But after the mammogram, the technician told the 42-year-old to stay put for an ultrasound. That led to a biopsy. Meanwhile, her mother sat in the waiting room, wondering why her daughter was taking so long. One by one, oth...

Her business vision was more than just selling gowns for one big event. She wanted her bridal shop to be part of those “moments made of smiles that hurt your face.” But then came the day that she wasn’t able to meet her customers face to face.
Lilian Masforroll, the owner of Merlili Bridal Boutique, grew up around the special brand of excitement that comes with weddings. She spent hours in her aunt and uncle’s bridal shops, where she became passionate about the details that go into wedding go...

A better way to approach budgeting is called values-based budgeting, which includes figuring out what really matters to you and staying mindful of those values when you spend your money.

Introvert or extravert: How much does it matter?
When leading introvert or extravert teammates, there’s one key to success: Go beyond the stereotypes and get to know them.
By Karen Sommerfeld

Engineers have a reputation for working in silos. But this Chicago engineer loves to solve client problems through collaboration.

You might be spending money and not know it—and that can affect your overall well-being. The culprit? Hidden expenses you’re not noticing that can add up over time.
It might seem as though a forgotten subscription renewal here and a bank fee there aren’t such a big deal. But getting control of your finances can lead to increased feelings of happiness.

Windsor Park Mall in San Antonio, Texas, was emblematic of its era. Opened in the summer of 1976, when malls were building toward the peak of their success, it featured the requisite anchor department stores JC Penney and Montgomery Ward, as well as popular retailers Foot Locker and Waldenbooks. With the ’80s came improvements like a food court, skylights and a stage for local performances. Occupancy stood at an enviable 97%.
But in the 1990s, things started to crumble. Crime spiked, promptin...

You probably already know that budgeting is a good idea. A better way to approach budgeting is called values-based budgeting, which includes figuring out what really matters to you and staying mindful of those values when you spend your money.

Riding the bus from a public housing development to the richest neighborhood in Atlanta changed Shannon Heath Longino’s life.
Longino was just two weeks old when she moved with her grandmother to East Lake Meadows, a newly built public housing community at the easternmost edge of Atlanta.
They were the second family to move into the 650-unit complex in 1971. At first, everyone was pleased with the new development, with its grassy front yards and roomy interiors. But problems soon emerged.