OK, you blew it. Now what? As an individual contributor you thought being a manager was easy. Now that you have been in the role for a while you realized, like most things in life, it’s a lot harder than you thought.

Q: Greg, I read with interest your recent article on the 1957 Ford.  Back in 1957 and 1958, I managed a Ford dealership in Socorro, N.M. Back then, Ford Motor Company had a special on demonstrator Fairlane 500s, complete with power windows, seats, steering and brakes. It also had air conditioning.

Small businesses are often credited as being a strong driver of our economy, and many are owned by one person. You may own one yourself, or have at least one solely owned business as a supplier of products or services for your home or business. In my experience, very few of these have a plan to deal with the succession of the business in the event that they can't come to work some day.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on living arrangements to save money, and how to use a large gift.

Look around you at every public place: at the beach and the gym and in line for coffee; on the bus or on the sidelines at the Little League game. Everyone’s playing with their phones. There’s no doubt we’re communicating like crazy. So why does it feel like we’ve never been so disconnected from each other?

Q: Hi, Greg. I read your column every week, and with the Indy 500 coming up, I'm wondering your thoughts on the current state of Indy Car racing compared to yesteryear. Bill K., Mass.

At least in America, the words “Volvo” and “racing” usually don’t appear together unless they’re connected by a negative. As when your mother or spouse hands you the keys and says, “Now don’t you race my Volvo!” As if you could. They’re smooth, lovely cars that can be driven fast, but not hard, if you get my drift. Until now, that is. This C30 T5 Polestar R-Design is a speed sled worthy of any of the better-known performance shops.

Love it or not, it’s a costly couple of months. With hoards of tiny humans visiting for meals and snacks and exciting activities on the docket, it’s easy to overspend. This year, I have a few ideas in mind to keep us happy, organized and financially sound. Here are some thoughts on what we can all do to save during the coming months.

You see one of the people who is working for you bullying another employee. You observe a person working for you selling illegal drugs to a fellow employee in the restroom. One of your employees starts swearing at a customer on the telephone. Other than the obvious that they are all bad things, what else do they have in common? The answer is that as a manager, you must deal with these situations immediately. If you don’t, the following bad things may happen.

The popularity of Internet banking is driven by the convenience of being able to pay bills and manage household finances from the comfort of an armchair, but concerns about safety remain high. Protecting your personal data and finances is a critical part of getting the most from online banking. Follow these tips to ensure you remain as safe and secure as possible.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on teens and bank accounts, and life insurance.

The next decade will be a watershed for tablet computers. They will be far more useful than today’s devices, which will look like Model T’s. Tabs are in position to eliminate most of our electronic devices. Big plus for us: We’ll only need to buy one device.

Looking at the Cayenne now, it’s hard to remember why it caused such a fuss when it appeared, back in 2002. Porschephiles were livid because their brand had gone mainstream with a family hauler — an SUV! Then they ridiculed the Cayenne for everything from its name (pepper?) to its looks, which truly did fall somewhere on the backside of homely.

Q: Greg, my grandfather has a 1966 Rambler Rebel two-door hardtop. I’m wondering how much it is worth in fairly good condition. It has a 232-cubic-inch, 6-cylinder engine with automatic, power steering and brakes, and has about 110,000 miles on it. Thanks much. Colin L., Illinois.

Occasionally, it absolutely makes sense to splurge. For me, that splurge usually comes in the form of flowers or plants and this time of year, my gardening gloves are itching to hit the dirt. As long as our budget warrants it, the budget will include garden spending in the spring.

You have been looking for employment for months and just face one disappointment after another. You don't have enough experience, training or education or you have too much. There were too many applicants for too few jobs. "Who wouldn't be discouraged?" you say. You are right about that. It can lead to depression, too much sleeping and eating and substance abuse. But some people in these circumstances seem to manage better than others. It may be due to two factors: attitude and resilience.

Not only do costs vary from company to company, they also vary wildly within the same company, depending on where and when you pick up the car. Renting a car at an airport can double or even triple the price you’d pay at “off-airport” or “neighborhood” rental locations.

As managers, we are continually negotiating with those me work with. These people include our staff, peers, customers, internal departments providing us with value, internal customers that we support and many others. Outside the workplace, we are also continually negotiating with our spouses, kids, parents, friends, car dealers, vendors and others.

Weekly financial Q&A, with advice on impulse spending and finding a part-time job after retirement.

Buyable declines or declines that have to be avoided? That's the biggest question I've seen during this earnings period, and it is on display big-time in today's session.