ArcaMax

Dear Eric: I had a stroke in 2017. My husband passed away in 2022. This stroke was quite debilitating for me. I could not walk, sit up or stand.

Little by little, I’ve regained some abilities through hard work and therapy. I still can’t walk at all unless I have an orthotic device on.

My husband was wonderful in so many ways after my ...Read more

Dear Eric: I grew up in a degree of poverty. Most of my friends have done "OK" financially.

All of us but one is now retired and she is hoping to retire soon at age 73. She's continued to work as she's worried about not having sufficient funds during retirement. The other two have to pinch pennies a bit and many decisions are made based upon ...Read more

Dear Eric: I found out recently that I have a half-sister who lives 15 minutes from me. I have not communicated with her so far.

It looks like the baby was born about 10 months before my parents’ wedding and was put up for adoption by my dad and this other woman.

I think this child called my parents’ house in the early ’80s when she ...Read more

Dear Eric: My older sister is a recent widow. Her husband was unfaithful to her several times, but she chose to stay together.

One of his indiscretions was allegedly with a childhood friend of mine, with whom I’ve had sporadic contact over the years. The friend recently contacted me, out of the blue, to have dinner together.

Neither my ...Read more

Dear Eric: I have a long-time friend (with benefits) from the past who is still in my life, though platonic. He lives a very comfortable life without the monetary struggles I deal with day to day.

He would like for me to move in with him and he offers a better financial situation than what I am dealing with.

However, it comes with the price of...Read more

Dear Eric: Please help me settle a disagreement with my wife. One day, a friend of ours, “Ed,” shared something very sensitive and embarrassing with us and asked for advice. He also asked us not to tell anyone, and, of course, we both swore to secrecy.

One week later, one of my wife’s oldest and closest friends (a “BFF”) came to visit...Read more

Dear Eric: In 2012, my father died leaving valuable land as part of his estate. After selling the property, I paid off my two daughters' homes, saving them more than $500,000 in future payments.

My ex-wife and mother of my daughters passed away a couple of years ago. She had a son by another husband. Her will and trust were drafted to leave her...Read more

Dear Eric: My brother and his family are born-again Christian. I stayed with him in his hometown for about a week while I was having surgery to remove my prostate.

After the stay, my brother told me that I was no longer invited to his home because my atheism made them uncomfortable, but we could always meet at a café.

I don’t wear my ...Read more

Dear Eric: Throughout our marriage my husband has had trysts online and in person. When I became aware of this, I began the process of leaving but then was diagnosed with cancer and my focus completely changed from leaving to surviving.

Now my children, a teen and preteen, have become aware of my husband's infidelity. My daughter saw my husband...Read more

Dear Eric: I worked in an office where I was bullied and harassed by a known predator who targeted me for attacks.

This employer handled the situation like all enablers of abusers: deny, blame, ignore, and marginalize the victim.

I was 59 when this happened and had never faced anything like it.

I found a new job and worked at this company for...Read more

Dear Eric: Throughout my childhood, my cousin always had to have her friend join family events.

Fast-forward 40 years and my cousin has moved back home after widowhood. Guess who’s back at everything?

The friend is a lovely person. I have no issue with her. It’s just that sometimes we want it to be only family. How do I broach this?

– ...Read more

Dear Eric: For the past 10 years, my husband and I have enjoyed dining out with a couple of our friends, always splitting the check evenly.

Recently, we embraced sobriety and no longer consume the expensive drinks that significantly add to the bill. Despite this, we continue to split the check evenly, which doesn’t seem quite fair.

We value ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband and I recently hosted the wedding of our daughter in our beautiful, upscale California beach town. The reception was described as "cocktails, dinner, and dancing," and children were not included.

The dress was "Festive Cocktail Attire," which was communicated via a save-the-date notice sent on paper via the U.S. postal ...Read more

Dear Eric: My only son is expecting his first child in early July. I have been recently told by my son that his wife does not want anyone at the hospital, except for my son.

I am devastated. My parents, sister and husband are all gone. It was family time in the hospital when my son was born. I cannot comprehend the fact my daughter-in-law will ...Read more

Dear Eric: I am a youngish widow with an empty nest. Last year I moved to be near my daughter to help her with her young twins. My daughter and her husband have jobs that require them to leave home at about 6 a.m. I arrive at their home at six, and they leave. The kids are still sleeping.

While I wait for them to wake up, I do a few chores. ...Read more

Dear Eric: My grandchildren, ages 10 and 14, have not been to a dentist since long before Covid. I have brought up the subject with their mother and she agrees they need to see a dentist, but it has not happened.

Their mother and father have excellent teeth and the children have inherited this, but I do worry about them.

I have an excellent ...Read more

Dear Eric: My husband of 24 years has no interest in me. He’s a hard worker and stays busy all the time. I asked for a divorce, but he won’t do that. There is no intimacy, only the occasional kiss on the cheek, nothing more.

For the past year, I have been reconnecting with an old friend from school. He is so affectionate with me, is ...Read more

Dear Eric: I’m 26 and have been living on my own in an apartment for two years. I ran into some financial difficulties and had to get some money from my grandpa and parents.

I’ve gotten to the point where I can pay for all my bills and groceries if I budget, but my parents and grandpa are constantly asking about how I’m doing financially....Read more

Dear Eric: Our daughter is expecting her first child, our first grandchild, in a couple of months. Our daughter and son-in-law live about an hour closer to his family than they do to us.

My daughter’s mother-in-law (“Nancy”) is very involved in the couple’s life and has a very strong personality. My son-in-law and Nancy are extremely ...Read more