By Rich Smith
The Motley Fool

Who knows a company -- any company -- better than the employees who work for it?

There's no need to answer. That's actually a rhetorical question, and the answer is "Nobody." So if you're wondering about a company's business prospects, and the prospects for its stock price, there's probably no better guide you could hope for than a bit of insight from the folks who spend most of their waking hours working for that company.

As luck would have it, those folks are more than happy to share that insight.

Over at online jobs and career community Glassdoor, they just published the results of a survey of employee sentiment at some of the world's most popular companies. This is information that could prove a gold mine for stock market investors looking to separate winning companies from the losers.

It's official: fashion forward shoppers in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) will get their first upscale outlet centre this summer. Toronto Premium Outlets will open on August 1, 2013, with a bevy of shops that are firsts in Canada for a number of designers and leading brands. The mall will bring together top brands offering a wide range of high quality merchandise at savings of 25% to 65% every day, including Ted Baker, J Crew, Brooks Brothers, Restoration Hardware, Cole Haan, and Kate Spade. Additional brands will be announced over the coming weeks. The centre will be anchored by a Hudson's Bay Outlet.

With easy access off Hwy 401 at Trafalgar Road, the centre is also close to Lester B Pearson International AIrport, downtown Toronto and key areas in Southern Ontario.

But it's not just shopper excited about the new outlets coming to the Halton Hills region of southern Ontario; there are also 800 full and part time jobs being created by the new mall. To fill these positions, a job fair will be held on Thursday, June 6, 2013, in Milton, Ontario at the sports centre. For complete details on the job fair as well as additional store announcements, head to the Toronto Premium Outlets website.

Click through the slideshow to get a sneak peek at shops opening at the Toronto Premium Outlet:

Odds are, there are documents that you know you should have, but that you haven't managed to get yet. Some of these are essential, and all of them will be necessary at some point in your life. Having them handy is bound to help you sleep better at night.

Check out our gallery to see how many of these 10 must-have documents are in your possession -- and which ones it's time for you to take action on.

SLIDESHOW: 10 Vital Documents Every Adult Needs

By Bruce Watson
Daily Finance

Spring officially started in late March, but with rainstorms and cold spells making weather unpredictable, it's been hard to get excited about spring cleaning. Now, though, warm weather seems to be settling in for good, and with yard-sale season just around the corner, it's the perfect time to clear out those cluttered closets and basements, organize those overflowing kitchen drawers and maybe even tackle the attic and basement. After all, you never know what you might find.

When it comes to spring cleaning, fighting the mess is only half the battle; the other half of the struggle lies in overcoming sentimental attachment to possessions that are outgrown, old, broken or otherwise no longer useful. With that in mind, here are some tips for taking control of your mess -- and your feelings about it -- and putting a few bucks back in your pocket while doing so.

According to the Daily Mail, women spend a whopping five days a year literally standing in front of a mirror, getting ready for their closeups. Time is money, but what about the actual dollars and cents we spend in order to look good everyday?

A recent Canadian study by Leger Marketing indicates that women spend 600 dollars annually on daily facial cosmetic products and beauty treatments. Over one's lifetime that adds up to $24,000. And that doesn't include all the other costs of looking good - haircuts, manicures and waxing. So we estimated the lifetime price tag for putting ourselves together - plus all the little pleasures and conveniences we buy along the way - and it ain't pretty. Remember: these are services and things we don't need to buy; it's discretionary spending. Prepare to be shocked at how much it all costs and how doing without (or doing it yourself) can mean a whole lot more money you could be saving for your retirement.

SLIDESHOW: SHOCKING LIFETIME SPENDS

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J.Crew is a fashion label known for making affordable designer-style ruffled tees, pencil skirts and "boyfriend" blouses accessible to the masses. It's created its own look -- a mix of feminine/masculine chic -- and in doing so, created its own devoted following. With constant online sales campaigns, drawing in fashion-conscious buyers who love a deal, plus smart marketing that promotes the brand as a glamorous yet laidback lifestyle, J.Crew fashion has become in demand at a time when many retailers are struggling to find an identity. Here are 10 things you might not have known behind J.Crew's success story:


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By Dan Caplinger
The Motley Fool

Retirement savings took a huge hit during the financial crisis and market meltdown five years ago, with savers of all ages feeling the brunt of plunging markets. But members of Generation X -- those born between 1966 and 1975 -- suffered the worst declines in their net worth from the crisis and saw the least recovery in the years that followed.

As a result, Gen-Xers are in bad shape when it comes to retirement readiness, as a recent study from the Pew Charitable Trusts concluded. With only enough financial resources to replace half of their pre-retirement income, the key question for Gen-Xers on the whole isn't how financially secure their retirement will be, but rather whether they'll be able to retire at all.

By Matt Brownell
Daily Finance

Are you such a big fan of "The Vampire Diaries" that you write your own stories about the denizens of Mystic Falls? Well, Amazon (AMZN) wants to publish your work -- and it wants to see you get paid for it. The company announced Wednesday that, for the first time, authors will be able to make money on their fan fiction under a new venture it's calling Kindle Worlds.

Fan fiction describes that under-appreciated genre of writing in which amateur authors make use of an already-established fictional universe, often from a TV or book series. At heart, it has always been a way for devoted fans to explore and share "what if" questions about their favorite characters -- sometimes filling in background, other times going far outside the established canon: What does Hermione do on summer vacation? What if Buffy got turned into a vampire? What if Admiral Adama and President Roslyn met The Doctor from "Doctor Who"?