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Jonathan Clements, a former Wall Street Journal columnist, is facing a terminal cancer diagnosis and is focusing on organizing his estate and ensuring his family's financial stability. He has been having numerous conversations with his family about his estate, simplifying his finances, and making necessary changes to his will and beneficiary designations. Clements emphasizes the importance of financial flexibility and resilience, and is also making financial gifts to his children within the gift-tax exclusion limit. Additionally, he is forgiving a private mortgage to ease the settlement of his affairs and considering the tax implications of his financial decisions for his family's benefit. [Extracted from the article]

The article presents an overview of things that parents can do to make their children smarter about money. The advantages of teaching children about delayed gratification, teaching them how to manage money, sharing financial information with them, teaching them to be suspicious of large displays of wealth, and eight other financial learning tools are presented.

The article discusses nine ways on how parents can help boost the financial literacy of their children and help them become money-smart.

The author offers opinions on personal finance, in his last piece on the subject in a 14-year career with the publication. He states that the value of personal finance is that money can make life easier, by creating leisure time, the freedom to pursue other interests besides work, and perhaps most significantly, freeing a person from the need to worry about money.

The author offers opinions on personal finance. The number of U.S. consumers whose credit ratings are at the lowest level has increased dramatically since the start of the mortgage market crisis. A strict budget plan allowing a six-month cushion for living expenses and a strategy to reduce debt are advised.

The article presents an overview of mistakes that consumers commonly make when estimating the rate at which their savings will grow and estimating how much their debt will cost them. A discussion of the advantages of planning with online financial calculators and asking lenders what finance charges will be as an annual percentage rate prior to taking a loan, is presented.

The article offers tips for retirement planning. Financial adviser Charles Farrell says a person should save a manageable 12% of income every year to retire in comfort. The savings rate will give a retirement stash equal to 12 times income at age 65. He adds that the annual savings required to amass 12 times income by age 65 is 20%. A person would need to salt away 12% of the pretax income every year to retire with 10 times income.

The article presents advice and information for investors who want to make sound investments without letting their emotions get involved. Investors are advised to wait a week or consult a friend before making major portfolio changes, favor diversified investments such as target date funds, and consider signing up for 401(k) payroll deductions.

The article presents advice and information for retiring consumers on the benefits and disadvantages associated with payout mutual funds and lifetime immediate fixed annuities. Consumers are advised to choose the funds if they don't mind fluctuating income and want access to their principal, and to choose annuities if they are in good health and want a steady stream of guaranteed lifetime income.

The article presents an overview of the benefits of investing in high yield stocks. A discussion of several high yield stocks which are available to consumers, including Bank of America and Wachovia, and of high yield exchange traded index funds, which can offer consumers broader diversification, is presented.

The article presents advice and information for investors that explain the benefits and disadvantages which are associated with stock index mutual funds and exchange traded funds. Financial strategies for using both types of funds, including the Vanguard REIT Index mutual fund and the exchange traded funds of Fidelity Investments are offered.

The article presents an overview of the benefits and disadvantages to investors of covered-call closed-end funds, which typically offer high yields and positive downmarket results. A discussion of investors who have had problems with several funds, including NFJ Dividend Interest & Premium Strategy, is presented.

The article presents advice and information for consumers who find themselves in court with a lawsuit and want to protect their assets. Consumers are advised on the benefits of getting a personal umbrella-liability insurance policy, maximizing their retirement plans, knowing their state's laws, owning assets jointly with a spouse, and hiring an attorney.

The article presents banking advice for consumers who want to avoid bank fees, increase credit card rewards, earn extra interest and increase their credit scores. The advantages of getting and paying bills from a no-fee, low minimum checking account, keeping extra savings in a high yield online savings account, and putting expenses onto credit cards that give cash back, are discussed.

The article focuses on the impact a decrease in corporate profits in the United States in 2007 could have on stocks and investors. Analysts feel that corporate profits have been growing faster than the U.S. economy in recent years and will not continue to do so forever, which will require U.S. investors to modify their investment strategies. Advice which investors can use to guard against a possible future reduction in corporate profit is offered.

The article presents advice and information for investors who are concerned about a recession. Investors are advised to keep funding their 401(K) plans in order to get the full employer match, stockpile cash in a money market fund, set up a home equity line of credit and pay off their credit card balances.

The author discusses how families can help their children establish credit. Families should pull a copy of the child's free credit report to check the information. If a child has no credit, having a child co-sign on an automobile loan can help, as can adding a child as an authorized user on a parent's credit card. Other options to help establish credit are also discussed.

The article presents advice and information for consumers who want to avoid unnecessary costs while attempting to save money. A discussion of methods consumers can use to increase their wealth by avoiding financial account fees, credit card charges, borrowing costs, and high insurance premiums, is presented.

The article presents advice and information for mutual fund investors who want to rebalance their financial portfolios in 2007. A discussion of the best and worst fund categories since the July 19, 2007 peak is presented. Suggestions are offered for the management of REIT funds, index funds , inflation indexed bond funds and other financial tools.

The article presents advice and information for U.S. investors who want to analyze their financial portfolio's risk level and remain calm and financially stable in 2007, a year which has seen many changes in the U.S. stock market. The importance to mutual fund investors of examining two key measures used in risk assessment, standard deviation and beta, is discussed.

The article reports on financial websites, including Bloomberg.com, which are available to consumers and can help them make investment decisions about Treasury bonds, large company stocks and small stocks, bonds and junk bonds based on financial data from major U.S. stock indexes including the Standard & Poor's 500 Index.

The article reports on statistics related to low cost mutual funds which shows that since 1997 90% of new stock fund money has been invested in funds with below average expenses and that 74% of recent mutual fund buyers considered fees and expenses before purchasing, 69% looked at performance, 61% at risk and 25% at the fund's manager.

The article presents financial management advice and information for consumers who are unsure how to invest their paychecks. A discussion of methods consumers can use to manage their capital, insure their income and find financial stability over the course of their working life and into retirement is presented.

The article reports on a lack of retirement planning which is seen in U.S. consumers in 2007 despite their having access to credible retirement advice. Arguments are presented which suggest that while 70% of Americans are somewhat or very confident that they will have enough money to retire comfortably, almost 50% of them have less than $25,000 saved for it. Common retirement planning errors are discussed.

The article presents information and advice for investors who are considering investing in hard asset funds. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of investing in natural resource funds, commodities funds, and precious metal funds, which together boast $112 in assets in 2007, is presented.

The article presents the author's opinions on financial performance which may be seen in stocks on U.S. stock indexes in 2007 and on decisions investors should make before purchasing stocks in 2007. Arguments are presented which suggest that no one knows what the performance of stocks will be and so it is unwise for investors to rely on index forecasts. Investors are advised to analyze how much risk they can tolerate and purchase stocks only if they have at least seven or eight years to invest.

The article focuses on the advantages and disadvantages that are associated with mortgage loans. Options for consumers who want good returns on their investments but do not want a mortgage loan, including participation in employer sponsored 401 K plans, Roth IRAs, and tax managed stock funds, are discussed.

The advice presents advice and information for young college graduates who want to save $1 million for their retirement. Graduates are advised to not focus on the $1 million goal but instead aim to accumulate savings that are equal to two times their annual income. A discussion of several no-load funds which offer low minimums and broad diversification is presented.

The article presents advice and information for consumers who are seeking to find an exchange traded mutual fund (ETF) with longevity. Consumers are advised to research an ETF before purchasing to make certain that it has assets above $200 million and is from a firm which has established itself as a leading ETF sponsor such as Barclays or Vanguard Group.

The article reports on the advantages including, insurance components and death benefits associated with purchasing variable annuities. A discussion of several variable annuities with flexible investment options including Ohio National Financial Services' Oncore annuity and AXA Equitable's Accumulator annuity is presented.

The article reports on the advantages and disadvantages associated with making changes to lifecycle retirement funds. A discussion of common changes consumers make to the funds including adding on to the funds, using the funds to amass money for a large purchase such as a home or college tuition, and laddering funds is presented.

The article presents advice for consumers who want to deposit funds in a tax-deductible IRA. Consumers are advised to make sure that they file Form 8606 with their federal tax returns, use their IRA account to buy bonds, REITs and other tax-inefficient investments and aim to convert their IRA into a Roth IRA in 2010 or when they retire.

The article offers advice for consumers who want to get more money and rewards out of their savings without a great deal of work. Consumers are advised to find a high-yield money fund or savings account, put their expenses onto a credit card that has a good rewards program and pay off the balance every month, move money from their checking accounts into a high-yield savings or money market account, and focus on their financial portfolio rather than their monthly cash flows.

The article provides advice for consumers who want to trim their taxes as they age. People in their 50s are advised to make maximum contributions to their 401ks. People in their 60s are advised to sell any stocks that they own that have big capital gains, postpone taking social security, and convert a portion of their savings to a Roth IRA. People 70 and older are advised to withdraw additional sums from traditional retirement accounts in low tax rate years and consider bequeathing their IRAs.

The article presents information and advice for investors nearing retirement who are considering changes to their financial portfolio after a large drop which was seen in U.S. stock indexes on February 27, 2007. Concerned investors are advised to change their standard 70% stock 30% bond ratio to something which has less than 70% stocks, or do nothing at all since it is unreasonable to expect continuous high performance from any markets.

The article presents tips for investors who are seeking to increase their income and slash their investment costs. A discussion of the advantages and disadvantages associated with investing in exchange-traded bond index funds, taxable bond funds, and using several websites which can help an investor increase their portfolio's returns is presented.

The article presents advice for consumers who want to save money when preparing an estate plan. Consumers are advised to title their assets so that they go directly to their heirs, give away money during their lifetime, and place their assets in a living trust. A discussion of the advantages of using websites that enable consumers to draft a will for $20 and the advantages of approval in many states of transfer-on-death accounts, which let investments bypass probate, is presented.

The article focuses on the importance of having a good credit score, checking credit scores, and establishing credit with the use of credit cards. A discussion of the factors which affect an individual's credit score, including prompt bill payment, the amount of debt which is owed by the individual, and the length of an individual's credit history, is presented.

The article offers tips for capitalists and investors who want to buy and sell mutual funds successfully. A discussion of the advantages of buying the top-performing no-load stock fund from the previous year, avoiding funds which focus on foreign stocks or a single industry, and purchasing funds who have shown poor financial performance, is presented.

The article offers information and advice to capitalists and financiers who do not want to become victims of investment fraud. A discussion of the way investment fraud is used by financial investment firms, and a discussion of which types of investors are most at risk for investment fraud, is presented.

The author describes a method for people who would like to organize their personal finances using their refrigerators. It is claimed that those who post their important financial priorities, goals, mistakes, and predictions on their refrigerators will be motivated to display financial responsibility due to fear of humiliation by spouses, children, and any guests who happen into the kitchen.