In the first quarter of 2018 not one single company in the S&P 500 cut its dividend. This is the first time this has ever happened. At this rate, 2018 will post its seventh straight record in terms of dividend payouts for companies.

Be sure to get the free money at least--which is to say, what your employer matches. It might be a dollar-for-dollar match up to a certain amount, or something that vests over time.

We’re getting closer and closer to D-day for social security. In 2014 the Social Security Administration (SSA) reported that the reserves from the Social Security trust fund will run out in the year 2034.

Know what your fees are, and figure out what they cost you. A high expense ratio on a fund with a relatively low balance, while not great, may not affect your overall total returns all that much. That high expense ratio on investments with larger balances, though, will be problematic.

Dividend payers in the S&P 500 index had a pretty good year in terms of boosting their dividends. Over 20% of the companies in this index increased their dividends so far this year. Also of note, not a single company in the S&P 500 decreased their dividends, which has not happened since 2011.