I hate seeing the individual investor taken for a ride, so I thought it might be a good idea to give you some recommendations for investment books that I feel genuinely do offer some good tips for investors.

Today, there are more than 700 ETFs, scattered among just about any investment category you can imagine.

The Income Statement, also called the Profit and Loss Statement (P&L), shows investors whether a company made or lost money during the reporting period -usually three or 12 months.

The Beauty of the Russell 2000; Rising Star Stocks Watch List Profile; Discover the Profit Power from Emerging Markets

In today's market, the pressure for firms to produce outstanding earnings year after year sometimes creates a temptation to

"cook the books," as we have seen time and again over the last few years.

As long as there is value in a higher price, then it's worth paying for. Mutual funds carry a huge range of fees, covering everything from compensation to financial advisors to the flight the analyst took to China to research investment opportunities.

Every day, in every grocery store, Americans willingly spend more money than they have to on ketchup. The shoppers and their families believe that Heinz is superior to any other ketchup on the market and they gladly pay the premium.

Raise your hand if you read the fund prospectuses that your mutual fund companies send you in the mail! 

In last week's issue of Financially Fit, I discussed five major money mistakes that all too often sabotage an entire lifetime of earning, leaving folks facing retirement with inadequate funds to enjoy their golden years.

If you diligently avoid these five major money mistakes, you will be well on your way to a much more sound financial life.

You need to begin to maximize your retirement savings NOW.

Our acceptable standard of living and what we plan to do in retirement is much greater than that of our parents or any generation before them.

Roth IRAs provide certain advantages beyond traditional IRAs.

You should get very well acquainted with EDGAR, because EDGAR is here to make you money.

Last week's issue of Financially Fit introduced options, defining the terms commonly used among options traders. This week, we'll delve a little deeper.

Options provide a chance to turn small investments into large profits by employing simple leverage.

Investing in recent IPOs is much like investing in seasoned stocks, with the noted exception of the limited availability of information.

The ability to understand financial reports of your current holdings or potential investments is essential knowledge for individual investors.

Valuations are assessments of market capitalization as compared to the company's intrinsic value.

With the proliferation of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), even the most time-challenged investor can begin and sustain a fine investing program.