Finance

I read hundreds of financial articles every week and most are nothing more than "financial entertainment" - unfounded forecasts, fear mongering or cheer-leading. That being said, there are a number of articles that are absolutely MUST READS if you are to become an informed investor and be in position to understand what is evolving in the financial environment and act accordingly. Introductory paragraphs and links to a number of them are provided in this post.

Scanning the world map in 2014, 12 places stand out as top-notch retirement options and, while each place is different, all of them offer tremendously appealing lifestyles for the cost. Here's how much it costs to retire in these 12 great retirement spots.

Here's an interesting rule of thumb that most retirees and would-be retirees would do well to adopt.

The Fed has just released a 200 page study on the Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2013 that reveals that 52% of the respondents to the survey said they did not have a mere $400 in savings for an unexpected emergency. That suggests to me that over half the county is on a paycheck-to-paycheck struggle. Below are my key findings from the survey presented in a concise easy to understand format.

Over the past three months, the year-over-year growth in credit card debt has exceeded wage growth in the United States. This is the first time we've seen this trend since the Great Recession.

Contrary to the image we may have of billionaires, many are on a mission to give away their money. This infographic looks at the American billionaires who have signed up to the Giving Pledge, as well as other millionaires and billionaires who have been making relatively large contributions in the past few years.

Someone recently asserted on a site that: “The cost to fuel your car has never been higher as a percentage of disposable income.” I know gasoline prices are high, but I couldn't accept such a contention without looking at incomes and fuel economy, too. I put together 50 years of pretty consistent data for the key variables and my findings will surprise you. Read on.

The average American eats 5 meals per week in a restaurant but many of those who do don’t understand what’s behind the tip they left on the table. All those tips don’t go to your server as a way of saying ‘thanks’. Many actually go to the employer so that they can pay their servers far less than minimum wage. The infographic below takes a closer look at your tip to figure out if it’s supplementing minimum wages or subsidizing poor ones.

Losing a spouse through death or divorce can be emotionally devastating and is often a difficult time in which to make important life decisions yet it’s typically when many financial matters require your immediate attention. Here are six important action steps that can help protect your personal finances.

After two years of dogged wrangling, mainly to block China's ambitions for control, the new BRICS bank was announced as a reality at the sixth BRICS summit held in Brazil with the five BRICS leaders announcing that the new bank has been capitalized with $50 billion, with equal contributions from all five. While all this is a fairly small step, it remains a highly significant one.