Fred O'Neal

You’re probably accustomed to measuring the progress of your investments, and the overall condition of the investment world, by checking on indexes such as the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the S&P 500. And since these types of benchmarks focus almost exclusively on American companies, you might get the idea that the best investments are located right here in the United States. But that impression would be false — because there are, literally, a world of investment opportunities beyond the U.S. borders.

If you’re of a certain age, the new year means you’re that much closer to a day you may have anticipated with a combination of humor and resignation — specifically, the day you’re eligible for Social Security. But just because you can take Social Security, it doesn’t mean you must take it. So, should you?

As you know, the holiday season can be joyous, hectic, celebratory — and expensive. And while you certainly enjoy hosting family gatherings and giving presents to your loved ones, you’ll find these things even more pleasurable if they don’t add a lot more weight to your debt load. And that’s why you’ll want to follow some smart money-management techniques over the next few weeks.

If you have kids — or even if you don’t — you’re probably aware that Halloween is fast approaching. Of course, you may find the ghouls, witches and creepy impersonations of celebrities to be more amusing than alarming, but, as you go through life, you will find some things that are generally frightening — such as investment moves that are misdirected or go awry.

Here are some potentially scary investment moves to avoid:

If you’re a woman who owns a business, you’ve got plenty of company. In fact, women own more than 10 million U.S. companies, and women-owned businesses account for about 40% of all privately held firms in the U.S., according to the Center for Women’s Business Research. Clearly, the good news is that women like you are entering the small-business arena at a rapid pace. The not-so-good news is that you may be facing a retirement savings gap in comparison to male business owners.

To get a sense of this gap, consider these statistics:

Grandparents Day falls on Sept. 11 this year. While not as widely observed as Mother’s Day or Father’s Day, Grandparents Day nonetheless serves a valuable purpose in reminding us of the importance of grandparents in the lives of their grandchildren. If you’re a grandparent yourself, you already know the joy your grandchildren bring you, and through the years, you have probably been generous with them in many ways. At the same time, though, you probably need to strike a balance between your heartfelt gifts and your financial goals.