History of Credit Ratin...

Credit rating agencies have been around for the better part of the 20th century, and have played a key role in the financial world by providing ratings on the creditworthiness of bonds and other debt instruments. These ratings are invaluable tools for investors looking to get a better...

Non-Qualified Retiremen...

Millions of employees save for retirement by deferring a portion of their compensation into an employer-sponsored, tax-deferred savings plan. The majority of these are known as qualified plans and fall under the jurisdiction of ERISA guidelines, which means they are subject to certain...

What Is S&P? Unders...

Standard and Poor’s (commonly known as S&P) is one of the most prominent financial intelligence companies in the world. S&P is a division of the McGraw-Hill Companies and has more than 150 years of experience providing financial services to investors worldwide. Though...

8 Best Job Ideas for Re...

While at work, many of us dream of having time off to fill our days vacationing, playing golf, and relaxing with loved ones. But when retirement comes, we may actually find that we miss the work! There are myriad reasons to continue to work after retirement: it can help you stay...

How to Become a License...

From the time that traders gathered under a buttonwood tree on Wall Street until the 1970s, stockbrokers were known primarily as salespersons who got rich by recommending stocks and bonds to wealthy speculators. And while many brokers still do this today, the role of stockbrokers has...

Options Industry Counci...

The complex world of options trading can provide knowledgable investors with quick profits, regular income, and protection against losses. Unfortunately, many investors are lured by the quick-profit potential and choose to merely dabble with these instruments without knowing what...

U.S. Securities and Exc...

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is a regulatory agency that oversees a major segment of the economy along with the IRS, the Consumer Protection Bureau, and the Federal Trade Commission. Specifically, the SEC oversees “Wall Street” where market activity is...

What Is the Dow Jones I...

The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is an index of 30 of the largest publicly owned, U.S.-based companies and has been an economic force for over a century. It is also one of the most widely used indexes and plays a fundamental role in the stock market and the way people manage...

What Are Municipal Bond...

Most investors stick with the basics and invest in long-term, tax advantaged accounts for their retirement savings, such as pension plans, annuities, 401k or 403b accounts, and traditional or Roth IRAs. All of these accounts provide significant tax benefits and enable savvy investors to...

Generosity as the Antid...

For those of you new to Free Money Finance, I post on The Bible and Money every Sunday. Here’s why . Sound Mind Investing says that generosity is the antidote to envy. In the post, the author tells the story of how he and his wife gave up an inherited set of appliances to someone...