Although they are getting better, the quality of American cars isn't what kept the Detroit Three afloat during the 2009 crisis and keeps them profitable now.

You might think singer-songwriters were too well-behaved to encounter death all that often, but you'd be wrong – the grim reaper needs to take some time off there, too.

In the week leading up to his Jan. 20 inauguration, U.S. stocks will face another trying period beset with more disappointing economic data and the start of the first-quarter earnings season.

Exchange traded funds also typically have low management fees, which many investors have taken more seriously after a brutal decline in asset values in 2008.

Eventually, these devices were networked, first locally (via office networks) and then globally (via the internet).