Now that the coronavirus is disrupting daily life, you are probably spending less time out and about, and more time at home. That presents a perfect opportunity to “MOOC.”

Editor’s note: As is noted in this column, the stack data is from a week ago and the figures have fluctuated dramatically. However, the main premise of the numbers — that stocks have seen tremendous losses in recent weeks in response to the novel coronavirus pandemic — remain relevant.

Is current market volatility affecting women investors differently than men? What about women who are breadwinners or have a high net worth? Do gender differences matter when it comes to investing? Do women investors prefer women advisers?

Last week, I promised to provide you with a list of resources that you can use to research retirement finances. Here are two sets of resources. The first 10 are provided by FINRA, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (finra.org). The second 10 are from the Social Security Administrati…

Here is a question for you: “How much have you thought about retirement?”

Since promoting financial literacy is a lifelong personal mission, I’m always looking for ways to encourage self-assessments to determine if more education is needed.

Does everyone with earnings have to file a tax return? What about an elderly parent who gets a Social Security check but has no other income, or a teenager whose sole earnings are from occasional or seasonal part-time work?

Millions of people who could possibly benefit from getting a check from the U.S. Treasury don’t. They are eligible to receive, in the words of the IRS, “the federal government’s largest benefit for workers,” the EITC (earned income tax credit).

Is it too soon to file your 2019 tax return? IRS Free File is ready if you are.

No doubt, you’ve been reading about the SECURE Act’s impact on retirement accounts. The SECURE Act was passed in December 2019. Regulations have not been issued as of yet, so be sure to talk with your attorney or accountant before taking any action.

It’s a new year! If you are one of the millions (99 million, according to WalletHub, a personal finance website) who make New Year’s resolutions, have you started working on any of them?

Last week, we talked about the law on required minimum distributions (RMDs) for 2019. As anticipated, the president signed the SECURE Act into law on Dec. 20. As a result, beginning in 2020, RMDs will be subject to some new rules. (If you would like a copy of my May 23, 2019, column on the S…

The SECURE Act, which affects retirement accounts, may be signed into law by the time you read this. I’ll update you next week. In the meantime, let’s talk about the law on required minimum distributions (RMDs) as it stands right now.

Regulators are trying to figure out whether investors know what they are doing. Recent FINRA Foundation studies suggest that they don’t.

If you read last week’s column about mentoring young people to save and invest, let me give you some additional points and resources on 401(k)s to continue that dialogue:

In my column of a few weeks ago, I provided historical stock market data that surprised many of you. Based on your letters, I’m pleased to hear that you want to continue our dialogue on the topic. Come to think of it, this makes a great Thanksgiving topic, much more exciting than, what, politics?

Following up on last week’s column, here are some more mistakes commonly made with 401(k) plans:

Because the 401(k) is a powerful retirement investment tool, you need to put it on track early in your career and be sure that it does not derail. Let’s talk about some common mistakes I have seen people make, so you can avoid them.

A few weeks ago, we talked about a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission’s Division of Enforcement initiative that required financial firms to make payments to certain customers who purchased mutual funds with 12b-1 fees. The problem the SEC was addressing was not the 12b-1 fees themselves…

In celebration of National Retirement Security Week (Oct. 20-26), an effort to raise public awareness about the importance of saving for retirement, let’s talk about how to take advantage of one’s youth.

Do you own mutual funds? You may be getting a check in the mail if you bought them through a certain type of financial adviser, one who is both a registered representative of a brokerage firm (for example, Wells Fargo, acting as a broker-dealer) and an investment advisory representative of a…

Have you ever received an email from yourself, only you didn’t compose or send it? You can probably guess that this is a cybersecurity issue. What better time than now to discuss how this sort of thing can happen, since it’s National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. The goal is a safer and mor…

Last week, we talked about finance books. I heard from a number of you suggesting additional books that you found helpful enough to recommend to others.