Your favorite nature lover will appreciate these affordable woodsy offerings.

Choose one of these culinary gift ideas for the kitchen lover in your life.

Question: I'm 26 and want to set up a diversified portfolio for retirement. I'm almost totally invested in stocks, but I know that I should put some money into bonds. I really don't understand how they work, however, and I don't feel comfortable investing in something I don't understand. For example, I think I get the basic idea of a bond, but when I see bond yields fluctuate, I get confused. Aren't they supposed to have a consistent interest rate? --John, Portchester, New York

Foreclosures are dominating the housing market. Right now, there are 1.5 million such homes for sale, and more are expected to be available soon. That provides both opportunities and pitfalls for bargain hunters.

Looking for the perfect present for that tech-savvy someone in your life? Try one of these affordable gadgets.

Nicolas Cage brought about his own financial ruin with a spending spree that included two castles, 15 palatial homes, a flotilla of yachts and a squadron of Rolls Royces, his former business manager said.

When people think of Black Friday shopping, they usually think of things like flat screen TVs, toys and sweaters. Now you can add cars, trucks and SUVs.

Question: I lost my job, so I have my retirement savings in three separate 401(k) accounts with three different employers. Should I just leave them there, roll them over into an IRA account or do something else? --Annie, Texas

Nothing with taxes is ever simple, even when you're getting a tax break.

If you only look at its performance so far this year, Ivy Science & Technology, which has $1 billion in assets, doesn't look terribly impressive.

Try these holiday offerings for the fashion-conscious man in your life.

Money looked for careers with great pay, superior growth prospects, intellectual challenge, flexibility and more.

Question: I had the good fortune to be able to retire early at age 52, but last year's market meltdown has made me rethink the decision. I may still be okay, but I don't have the same level of certainty I once had. My question is this: How will Social Security be calculated for me and how does the fact that I haven't worked the last few years fit into the calculation? --Jack Ford, West Newbury, Mass.

Question: I always heard that you will need 80% or so of your working salary to live on in retirement. But is that a percentage of your gross income or your take-home pay? --Mary Taylor, Chalfont, Pennsylvania

Question: I'm in my 30's and have a 401(k) from a previous job, 75% of which is invested in a variety of stock portfolios. Although my stock holdings have recovered a bit recently, I'm still down about $7,000 from my peak balance. I'm planning to roll over this old 401(k) into either the 401(k) at my new job or into an IRA account, but I'm wondering whether I should do the rollover now while stocks are still cheap or wait until the market has recovered and then do it. What do think? --Todd Gerecke, Lynden, Washington

Question: I'm 55 years old and have my entire retirement savings plan at work invested in a total stock market index fund. I'm worried, though, that my account is too heavily skewed toward equities given my age. Any suggestions for how I might take a more balanced approach? --Ray K., Oakland, California

Question: My 21-year-old daughter makes $80,000 a year working at a large firm. She has very low expenses, so I'd like to see her sock away a huge amount of money. I told her that if you get used to spending a lot each month on "fun" stuff, it will be much harder to save down the road. I'd also like to see her bypass the high-end investment firms in favor of less expensive alternatives. What do you suggest? --Tom F., Chatham, Illinois