They say time flies, and I now agree with them (whoever that mysterious "they" and "them" are). My gals are turning six this year. This year, most of the kids in my girls' kindergarten class have had parties with friends, and guess what my two are clamoring for? You got it: a friend-filled bonanza at a happenin' spot. And what am I clamoring for? You got it again: a happenin' spot that doesn't break the bank.

As we continue our financial definitions series, we come to two related terms: the trade date and the settlement date. These two dates define when you purchase a stock and when you take ownership. Confusing? Well, let's take a closer look.

Trade Date

The weeks are flying by at top speed now, and I’m beginning to feel the need to nest in preparation for baby’s arrival. While I sit here in my little office typing up a storm, I imagine placing the crib on this wall, the changing table beneath the window and a chair in the corner. The problem is, I don’t have a crib. Or a complete changing table. Or a chair.

The following is a post that has gone viral on Facebook, but it is so pertinent to life that I really wanted to share it, comment and open it up to discussion. So here it goes: the viral post entitled "What Every Father Should Know About His Daughter."

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The young couple seemed confused. They bought their home with the help of a realtor, who had assured them that waiving their rights to a home inspection would help them clinch the purchase during a bidding war. The realtor was right; the strategy won them the home. But a few months after moving in, the couple learned that winning the home because they did not pursue a home inspection came at a huge cost; the home's basic structures were faulty, and it needed to be taken down to the studs for a complete rebuild of the plumbing and electricity. (Synopsis of a "Holmes on Homes" episode, HGTV).

Recently, a certain well-known chain restaurant hosted Pancake Day in which they urged everyone to come on down for a free stack of flapjacks. While my family didn't head out to join the crowd of brave souls who lined up for this promo, we did do our own celebration at home. Okay, maybe celebration is a strong word, but we did observe and mark the special occasion with some of our own pancakes for dinner.

Let’s take a little break from intense stock definitions to focus on the simplicity of a good ol’ finance definition: the commodity. Although this term is used in stocks as well as in general finance, it’s really an easy term that can be used to further your education on both stocks and finance. So let’s jump right in!

What is a Commodity?

I'm not sure if anything has amazed me as much as the movie Moneyball did. I was flabbergasted by so many things: the mathematical equations, the dollar amounts floating around, the basic premise of saving money by booking baseball's most undervalued players, and the human interaction that was needed to make the rag-tag team of players cohesive. But I'm getting ahead of myself; let's look at the basic premise of Moneyball and then get into the amazing financial and mathematical principles that can be applied to our lives.

Show me the...Moneyball

Kids can seem so fragile. I mean, they're just these little people, innocent and carefree. They can't possibly handle adult finance topics, right? Many people think that talking about losing your job or having to cut back hours at work would just be overwhelming to their little brains. But it's often not the case when presented well; kids can handle a lot more than you might think. Let's look at ways to handle the tough subjects with children of all ages.

Talking Shop with Young 'Uns

So you've enjoyed the wonderful benefits of staying home and raising your children, complete with snuggles and smiles. What now? The kids may be off to school or completely out of the house, so what will you do to fill your days? Many women immediately jump to returning to work, but it might be surprising that your resume is lacking some critical "work experience" (we think staying home with the kids is work!). In any case, returning to work may take a little resume-boosting. Let's take a look at some ways to make your resume more appealing to prospective employers.