Spare Change

Money Tip

Your credit-card company is probably pushing you to take out “credit card protection insurance,” also called “credit shield” or “payment protection.” Don’t bite. By enrolling in these plans, it’s as if you are voluntarily increasing your annual percentage rate for insurance you’re unlikely to use.

Survey Says

Here’s why retirement planning is important. Some demographers say there will be more than 580,000 centenarians — people 100 years or older — in the U.S. by 2050, up from the 72,000 identified in the 2000 Census. A healthy couple age 65 today has a 50 percent likelihood of seeing one of them live to age 92 and a 25 percent chance that one will survive to 97.

Market Tip

Mining companies are reporting record profits amid lofty commodity prices, and their workers know it. Mining companies might have to make more concessions to employees over the next few years, which could could cut into the companies’ bottom lines and potentially increase the odds they will disappoint investors.

Fund Fact

Thirty years ago, John C. Bogle had a revolutionary idea; his Vanguard Group launched the first index-style fund for small investors. At the time, the few hundred mutual funds that existed were all actively managed, meaning they charged high annual fees. Today, index funds hold more than $1 trillion, representing about 12 percent of the money invested in mutual funds. Thanks, John.