History of Financial Advice Collection. This was intended to be a practical guide to help readers to understand and manage their investments, and was described as a guide to “stocks, bonds, annuities, any number of shares, and lottery-tickets,” amongst other things. Largely comprised of tables for “casting up” and addition, and showing share value and dividends, Hayes also provides information about the major companies of the period (East India Company, Bank of England, etc.). The book explained to a lay audience what various financial terms meant and the practicalities of the payment of dividends or brokerage fees.