When you've been battered down and battered down and battered down, your spirit gets broken.

I have never been a fan of bond funds. Unlike a direct investment in an individual bond that you can hold to maturity and be assured you will get your principal back (assuming no default), a fund has no finite maturity date and most funds are actively traded.

If a child, a spouse, a life partner, or a parent depends on you and your income, you need life insurance.

A wise woman knows how to summon her courage and do what is right, rather than what is easy.

I have always advocated doing everything possible to pay off credit card balances; it's good financial management and the ticket to a strong FICO credit score.

If you're going to live in the house make it your goal to just pay off your mortgage.

If you are worried about job security and do not have an adequate emergency fund (ideally eight months' worth of living expenses stashed away in a federally insured bank or credit union), you need to focus more on saving money than paying down the balance on your credit cards.