Forbes Video: Key Things To Know Before Adopting A Pet

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Bringing a cat or dog into the home is a big decision. Here’s what you need to ask before doing so, says Joey Teixeira, senior manager, ASPCA Adoption Center, along with his adorable dog Mervin the Chihuahua. You won’t believe how cute Mervin is until you see him.

Watch, listen, and learn in this video.

TheStreet: Below Zero: Here's How to Invest Safely With Negative Rates

By SIMON CONSTABLE

If the United States joins the sub-zero club of countries that already have negative interest rates, then how should you invest? 

It might sound daunting because in large part, it's not something that's taught in investing classes at college or grad-school, or in fact, most other places. Read more here.

TheStreet: Below Zero: Why The U.S. Might Join The Negative-Rate Club

By SIMON CONSTABLE

he U.S. is becoming something of a rare breed in the developed world: It still has interest rates above zero.

While both Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen and her predecessor, Ben Bernanke, have downplayed the likelihood of negative rates in the U.S., especially in the near future, there's still a chance the world's largest economy might follow in the footsteps of Japan, Sweden, Switzerland and Europe's single-currency area, known as the eurozone. Read more here.

TheStreet: Below Zero: The Case Against Negative Interest Rates

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Negative interest rates are slowly becoming a reality for much of the developed world. 

With them has come a charm offensive, with at least one board member of the European Central Bank seeking to justify such moves. But all the jaw-boning in the world doesn't mean such policy actions always make sense, or that they come without creating other problems. Read more here.

Photo by Fractal Caleidoscope, 

CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

TheStreet: Below Zero: The Case for Negative Interest Rates

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The world of central banking is quickly turning back-to-front, inside-out and upside-down. 

Japan, the eurozone, Sweden, and Switzerland all have interest rates now that are less than zero. It's just not normal, at least in recent history, but the counterintuitive policy has helped the global economy, according to Christine Lagarde, the head of the International Monetary Fund.

Despite the oxymoronic-sounding term, the way negative rates work is fairly simple: Read more here.

U.S. News: The Incredible Shrinking World of Investments

By SIMON CONSTABLE

The investing world is shrinking. Not in the size of the dollars swashing around the markets – that's still huge – but rather the magnitude of the returns that investors can expect. And this has serious implications for how you invest.

"This is a world of low numbers," says Andrew Milligan, head of global strategy at Standard Life Investments in Edinburgh, Scotland. "It is a very important statement to get out there. Investors have to re-estimate what returns they are going to get." Read more here.

WSJ: How Much Cash You Should Keep in an Investment Account

By SIMON CONSTABLE

Most people, even those new to investing, know they need a heavy helping of stock in their investment portfolio to get the highest returns. Far fewer have any idea what portion of that portfolio should be allocated to cash or cash equivalents.

So how much is too much? 

Most advisers agree that everyone should have enough money to cover several months of living expenses set aside for emergencies in an easily accessible account. But when it comes to how much cash, if any, investors should hold beyond that as part of their investment mix, the experts’ views diverge. Read more here.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash