Try handling problems in the office as dispassionately as you can and I guarantee you will have a better time of it; not least because when you bring emotion into the conversation, you furnish your colleagues with an easy "out" for dismissing you. If you are able to strip out the emotion, however, people have to deal with you based on the facts.

Late payments also hurt your FICO score. And never, ever take out a cash advance on your credit card.

Focus on what you have.

If you're not staying on top of your money, you are putting your financial well-being at risk.

If the relationship between you and your money is harmonious, regardless of how much you have, your financial transactions will be harmonious as well.

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 you expect your money to take care of you, you must take care of your money.