Southern Appalachia real estate booms with ‘halfbacks’
So many northern retirees head to Florida these days that snowbirds have become something of a cliche. But it seems that destinations are changing. Many…
Author: Rick Good
Rick Good spent ten years in the newspaper business, including with The News & Observer (Raleigh, NC) and The Greenville News (Greenville, SC). He co-wrote, with Melinda Coleman, Rutledge to Riley: Governors of South Carolina, 1776–Present (Published by The Greenville News), and is the author of Mind Games Trivia #1 (Amazon). He has recently spent 15 years creating original trivia content through Sounds Good Mobile Entertainment and continues that with his new company, SGME Software. He edits The Smart Reader's money, real estate, and business coverage.
Andrew Carnegie’s rise from rags to riches
Perhaps no one pulled on his own bootstraps as hard as the legendary industrialist Andrew Carnegie. Carnegie built America’s steel industry, but he grew…
Restaurants bring back communal tables
The next time you step into your favorite restaurant, you may notice large tables seating multiple parties. So-called communal tables are trendy in the…
Inexpensive: DIY: These upgrades may boost your selling price
When you’re trying to sell a house, looks matter almost as much as a competitive price. But you don’t necessarily have to spend big to give your interior…
Ask the Expert: Preapprovals
Home prices are still high in my area. Should I apply for a preapproval that’s more than I think I need? The fundamental rule of home buying still applies…
7 tips for delivering bad news to customers
In a perfect world, nobody would ever need to deliver bad news to a customer or client. But that’s not the world we live in, and sometimes we have to tell…
Study history to understand the present
Do you want to understand how others live, or solve puzzles and chase down mysteries? Know more about how our world works and why? Become a better and…
How to be a good dinner guest
During America’s Gilded Age, a formal dinner setting might include as many as 24 pieces per person, and choosing the wrong fork for the cheese course was…
The dragon rules the zodiac
The Chinese zodiac proclaims 2024 to be one of the most prosperous and its all due to one mystical creature with the head of a camel, the neck of a snake…
These sounds have vanished
If you are of a certain age, you can close your eyes and hear the sound of a rotary dial phone. It’s one of the common sounds of the beginning of the 20th…