It should be no surprise that banks are down and taking the rest of the stock market along for the ride.

Canada has the 7th largest economy in the world and is the 2nd largest country by land mass. It has a wealth of natural resources, making it a large energy and minerals exporter. For commodity traders looking to invest primarily in North America, Canada presents a compelling opportunity. [This article takes a look at Canada's top commodity exports and imports and offers suggestions as how to invest in Canada's commodity industry.] Words: 905

The world is in a mess economically, financially, politically and morally. The excesses and moral decadence of the magnitude the The world is experiencing today can never vanish in an orderly way. Sadly, only a total economic collapse can solve the problem and this is, of course, inevitable. No government, no corporation and no individual can or will ever repay the $250 trillion debt that is owed.

While this year has been especially lackluster for gold with its price slumping 8% YTD and down 35% from its high.in 2011 this out-of-favor asset class now deserves a place in investment portfolios. Here's why.

40 years ago, a grand experiment was embarked upon that promised American workers that by contributing to newly introduced defined contribution vehicles they would be better off when they reached retirement age. That raises a simple but very important question: How have things worked out? Well, the bottom line is that the vehicles and the promises made are proving woefully insufficient to fund the "retirement" dream you've been sold your whole life. Frankly put: retirement is now a myth for the majority.

Investing is about taking advantage of higher rates of return and benefiting from the power of compound interest over long periods of time. It’s also about finding the best ways to mitigate the risk via diversification, being patient, etc. Today's infographic outlines the difference between saving and investing, and provides some basic tips on how to get started in the market.

Daydreaming about retirement is easy, but saving for it, however, takes time and effort — and is something a lot of Americans struggle with - but there are strategies that can help make the process easier. Here are 20 ways to pad your bank account before it's time to retire.

Whatever the end goal of financial freedom looks like for you, there are a 5 simple key first steps that everyone must take to get there. All you need to do is decide that you are ready to transform your life for the better, and you will be well on your way to living the life of your dreams.

It seems that in order to live the American dream, you need to be super rich or gave a great credit score. Most people have ups and downs with their finances over their lives, however, and this can lead to a less-than-perfect credit score that can be difficult to fix. Many people speculate, though, that the way our credit is scored might be changing in the future so to be able to stay ahead of the credit game, we need to learn what the changes are going to be and how to keep up. Below are a few of the top predictions that most are making and how they can affect most people’s credit scores in their files.

FICO scores are the most widely used credit scores in the U.S. According to myFICO.com, 90% of the top U.S. lenders access these scores to make important credit decisions. This article presents the 5 factors used to determine your FICO score and where (and at what cost) to get such information.