Recent demographic data has led financial professionals to tell clients to plan on living to 100.

When talking about investments defining what you mean by 'risk' is crucial.

When researching bonds you'll come across the term 'duration'. It doesn't mean what it seems like it should mean.

A downer message about the dangers of spending too much early in retirement.

By far, the things you should worry about the most with your finances, is what you can control.

Here is the secret to knowing when the stock market will have a decline of 10% or more.

There are many ways for a company to measure profits. In the real estate trust business, they use funds from operations as the primary measure.

All kinds of financial calculators.

Investing very small amounts in the market has a definite allure. But it also has a downside.

Does your stock have a plan for the future? Or are they fighting it?

Predicting the markets is impossible. Consider this 700 year old proverb.

If you know someone who needs help with their Social Security, you can come to the rescue as a Rep Payee.

Your retirement savings doesn't belong to you at all. It belongs to Future You.

How often you should check on your stocks is more about your personality and less about the stock market.

When it comes to money, there is a very short list of who you can trust.

When it comes to bond yields, the most important number is the Yield to Worst case.

If you're buying below investment grade bonds (i.e. junk bonds) you need to be aware of how much the risk of default goes up.

Most Americans have almost no savings. That's going to make their 'golden years' pretty leaden.

The ratings of municipal and corporate bonds may look the same, but they don't mean the same thing.

Don't let politics have an outsized effect on your investment decisions.

Very occasionally, the deal that sounds to good to be true, is really true. Be careful, but ready.

You *must* take a backup of all your financial information on a regular basis. Don't trust to luck.

You can tap your retirement accounts early. But unless it's truly a life threatening emergency, don't.

Wall Street does not look at the news like normal people. Here are five differences.

Make sure you designate beneficiaries for your IRA accounts. Check with your bank or broker to be sure they are there and what you really want.

When it comes to the financial world, sometimes companies can redefine a term like 'mandatory'.

You don't learn much from stock market history.

When looking at dividend stocks, it requires some research to determine if those dividends are sustainable.

In my whole career, this is one of the funniest things I've ever seen, a software product called FENICS. The acronym is hilarious.

When it comes to saving for retirement, Women generally have 3 distinct disadvantages they have to overcome.

Most of the strategies for extracting more from Social Security are gone. But for a couple there is still one that will likely lead to more income.

If a financial professional starts to use jargon you don't understand, insist that they explain things in plain language.

Most Americans put too much emphasis on politics when looking at the financial markets. See inside.

Some categories of stocks will have out of the ordinarily high dividends. This does not necessarily mean they are risky.

Retirees should have some liquid capital in case there is a market correction that messes with their regular retirement withdrawals.

Bond dividends are adjusted when you first purchase them, making it look like you've taken a loss. That's an illusion.

Non-callable bonds aren't always non-callable. If they have a 'Make Whole Calls' provision, you can get a rude awakening.

A great resource for all investors is Investopedia.

Companies must disclose most of the bad stuff in their SEC 10-K. Take a look to find out what could go wrong with your stock.

Some people are really enamored with the idea of going on the gold standard again in the US. This article shows how problematic that was and would be.

Some of the quirks of stock dividends.

What is the difference between investing and speculation?

You need to really understand where a company gets their profits from when you are buying a stock. Here is an example with Amazon.

If an investor is putting down their hard earned money that depends on the Greater Fool Theory they are cruisin' for a bruisin'.

Mutual funds sometimes do distributions from sources other than interest and dividends. That may not be a good sign.

When researching a stock, look at why different organizations can have very different ratings on a stock.

When you read a news item that you think may affect the market, always ask yourself, is this just interesting? Or is it important?

Looking at dividend history can give you new perspective on a stock and the power of dividends.

A two parter about how to tell if your annuities, life insurance, etc. are safe.

What happens if things turn really bad and your insurance company gets in trouble? They have insurance on their insurance, but if you're in California, look out.

Short term moves up and down can create the illusion that a stock is overpriced or a huge bargain.

Different analysts use different methodologies to come up with the value for a stock. They may differ dramatically.

Some basic steps to analyze bank stocks.

Preferred stock symbols are not standardized. Here is a website that will help you untangle them.

Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (Social Security) is not a savings plan, it's an insurance plan.

Some kind of harsh, but necessary rules about money and trusting people when it comes to money.

A shorthand way to calculate a future p/e ratio. That may give you a better sense of whether the stock is worth purchasing.

How I learned a life lesson about how much cheaper I could do something just by changing my goal a bit.

Does the price of a stock carry any information about whether you should buy or sell it?

The mortgage market is really arcane. There is a really silly way you can show income to make the lender happy when applying for a mortgage.

Why diversify if you can just run with your best investment idea? I explain why in this tip.

When you turn 70 1/2 you can donate money to a charity directly from your IRA. There may be tax advantages to doing so.

Check your mutual funds to be sure they are doing what they say they are doing.

Over the 25 years that I've been sending out these email tips, here are what I think are the most important lessons that I've shared.