This month, my goal is to share with you some of the basic building blocks that will put you on the path to becoming a lifelong student of investing. Even the best of the best never stop learning. In fact, being a lifelong student might just be the first principle of becoming a great investor. So, let’s get started.

When it comes to retirement, there are plenty of misleading thoughts, opinions and fake news floating around out there. This month, I’d like to clear up some misconceptions that surround the retirement years. With that in mind, let’s jump in.

Picture this—it’s Friday afternoon, your work is done, and you have the weekend ahead of you. But what makes this weekend different than any other weekend is that two-week vacation following it. You wish your colleagues well, they express similar thoughts, and you head toward freedom.

I recently came across a definition of financial literacy in Wikipedia that I believe sums up the term well. I’ll paraphrase: “It refers to the set of skills and knowledge that allows an individual to make informed and effective decisions with all of their financial resources.”

In today’s blog, I would like to discuss coming into financial windfalls. Be it a large inheritance, a pension payout, life insurance proceeds, DROP monies for those of you who work with the county, settlements of all kinds and for the extremely lucky and rare lottery winners.