A study of Swedish twins found evidence that financial risk-taking is hereditary. As we know, the willingness to take on too much risk can be detrimental to your wealth. To find out whether you’ve inherited a high risk tolerance, or adopted a conservative streak, take this quiz.

In order to glean a better yield than my discount broker's bank account provided, I searched for and found higher-yielding savings accounts at smaller banks. So I decided to switch. It took a bit of time, especially for the transfer of the money between banks, but I thought it was worth it. I don’t think so anymore.

A global financial-services firm plans to bring the concept of investing in art to the not-super-wealthy investor. Art adds diversification to an investment portfolio in that it has low correlation with stocks -- meaning, when stocks go up or down, art does not necessarily follow.

Emotions tend to guide our financial decisions -- often leading us to make mistakes with money. But studies show that embracing your emotions when making financial decisions can sometimes be helpful. Example: If you feel like you're being ripped off, you probably are.

In 2009, the Harvard and Yale endowments were praised for beating the market with their broad diversification strategies. One year later, each of the endowments posted double-digit losses -- forcing Yale to borrow money to cover the shortfall. Here's what went wrong.

While it's true that hitting the lottery is a rare source of new-found wealth, it’s generally easier to strike it rich at home: 20% of all households receive some kind of inheritance. While the newly rich can enjoy the sudden windfall, it often comes a new set of problems.

Slowing economic growth, high unemployment, rising gas and food prices -- are we seeing a return to 1970s-style "stagflation"? If so, the next few years could be bumpy. Here what investors can do to protect themselves.

Have you ever been on a receiving end of a blatantly flattering comment from a sales associate or a financial advisor? There's a reason for that: It works. Researchers found that people respond positively to flattery, even when they know the flatterer has an ulterior motive.

Home sale prices sank in July, and one expert believes that may be the most encouraging news we'll see from the housing market for a while. The decline in home prices is being driven by huge inventories, already depressed prices, and the increasing number of distressed sales.

Oxytocin is the chemical that enhances trust when released -- and it can boost warm and fuzzy feelings, too. Now, one study suggests that charitable organizations may convince donors to give more by exposing them to oxytocin.