As another Chicago winter stretches on, I've been longing for spring. And isn't that how it is whenever we go through a wintry financial season? We can't wait for a better one to begin.

In my mid 20's, I inherited $60,000 from an uncle. I used the money to create my dream job, a newsletter for people who take golf vacations. The money enabled me to play some of the greatest golf courses in the world: Pebble Beach in California, the spectacular golf courses of Spain's Costa del Sol, and many more.