Whether it was your first job or one you had held for many, many years, it is still no fun losing it. Your first reaction is one of disbelief, then comes despair and eventually resolve. OK, now I have to start from the bottom. No, you do not.

Depending on who you listen to and the time period, one or the other style of investing, active and passive, will be winning. Let’s take a look at both.

Let’s talk about the markets in 2017. The Dow Jones Index was up about 5,000 points. It advanced by 25 percent, making it the best year since 2013. The Dow took 14 years to climb from 10,000 to 15,000, then took only 3.5 years to get to 20,000. On top of that, the S&P500 and the NASDAQ indexes climbed 19 percent and 28 percent respectively.

I hate to start off on a negative note, but statistics state that more than 50 percent of first marriages end in divorce. I suspect that marriage-minded people spend more time preparing for the proposal than the wedding and life together after. You plan the perfect time and place for your proposal, and she says yes! Now what?

Have you ever noticed that when you are driving on the highway and there is an accident ahead, virtually every driver (read: ‘investor’) slows down and stares. They do not know or understand what they are looking at, but they feel obliged to slow and stare?

How do 529 College Savings plans and the government’s now expanded scope that include saving for K-12 schooling affect you?

Both Washington and the IRS trying for tax simplification. They added around 500 pages to the current policies, bringing the total up to around 70,000 pages, just to make things simpler for you.

The market had a very nice run in 2017, and with the New Year here we should reflect and review.

One thing that needs reiterated each year at this point is to not buy mutual funds – that’s especially true this year.

A fact that might ease the pain of not winning the $700 million plus Powerball jackpot. New York State hits you with the largest state tax on lottery prizes.

To build a credit rating, you have to have at least one credit card account for at least six months and have your activity reporting to the credit bureaus. If you are just starting out you may need to get a secured credit card. This is a card backed up by a cash deposit you put up.

Finding the right attorney to handle your estate can make a big difference for both you and your estate. Make sure you choose an attorney familiar with estate distribution.