Ptolemy. You have to be careful because Bonatti uses a modified Egyptian Table, and Lily made his own modifications to the Ptolemy. They agree for the most part, but there are major differences. The Chaldeans had their own table as well.
There's a weighted system and an unweighted system, and there's a lot of confusion as to when to use which. Schmidt and few others figured out that the Persians discombobulated Greek
facis and then confused it with the Chaldean Decans (which we call Face). What they were actually looking at is if a Planet is in aspect or in the correct facing (with respect to the Sun).
You use an equal or unweighted scoring system (+1 for each Dignity plus 1 point if it aspects the point in question) for Topical Almutens, but for something like the Almuten of the Soul/Chart you use a weighted system (and you also assign points to the Houses the Planets are in).
That makes a lot more sense, because if you use a weighted system for Topical Almutens, you come up with the same 3 or 4 Planets all the time, which is silly (and defeats the whole purpose).
As far as the Terms, that's something you'll have to play with. I used to use what I thought were Ptolemy's but were actually Lily's modifications to Ptolemy's Terms, and that didn't work out so well and I switch to Egyptian Terms and that worked better, and then I hunted down and found Ptolemy's Terms without Lily's modifications and that works even better.
You can see that better in Horary. The primary issue for me is Peregrine Planets. A Peregrine Planet is a wanderer, someone who is divorced from what they know for whatever reason. A stranger in a strange land. Could be a Serb living in Greece, an Indian in the UK, an Aussie in Ireland, a Brit in the US. Could be someone outside their race or ethnicity, an inter-ethnic, inter-racial or even inter-faith relationship. Could show someone outside their socio-economic class (rich girl and guy from the wrong-side-of-the-tracks or rich guy and trailer park trash). Could also be someone literally wandering with no clear direction or purpose in life at the moment, and if impeded by Malefics, it'll be someone spiteful and malicious. In a job Horary it could indicate the Querent is not even remotely qualified for the job. Things like that. There's a lot of diversity here with people all over the world, so you are more likely to see Peregrine significators, indicating someone outside their homeland or cultural group, and I do with Ptolemy so I'll stick with that for now.
I just set up a (really) crude table:
.........................MC..........MC Ruler......Lot of Work.......Lot of Work Ruler
Sign.. ...............Saturn....Saturn..........Venus................Jupiter
Exaltation.........Mars.......(None)..........Moon.................(None)
Triplicity............Venus.....Saturn...........Venus...............Sun
Term.................Venus.....Mercury.........Mars.................Jupiter
Facing/Aspect...(None)....Venus...........(None)..............(None)
Venus makes applying sextile to Saturn.
From that:
Saturn gets 3 Dignities
Jupiter gets 2 Dignities
Mars gets 2 Dignities
Sun gets 1 Dignity
Venus gets 5 Dignities
Mercury gets 1 Dignity
Moon gets 1 Dignity
Ptolemy had a thing against using the Greek Lots, maybe because he didn't get the Marc Antony doll with kung-fu grip and the Egyptian Bireme with moveable oars and adjustable sails (batteries not included) for Christmas one year. Anyway his method of calculating the Almuten of Wealth using only Jupiter, the Lot of Fortune and the Dispositor of the Lot of Fortune just doesn't work.
Solar Fire and there's a Lot calculator on the internet plus quite a few web sites. Probably be easier to look under Arabic Parts.
Probably the best way to learn them is pick a few that interest you (there's 124 or so) and then go back through your Solar Returns and look at the conditions of the Lot and the Lot Ruler. Some of the Lots are for Horary/Mundane charts only, others can be used in Natal, Solar Return or Horary, and then others just for Natal or Solar Return.
I only use 15-18 on a regular basis, and then maybe a few others if something in the chart jumps out at me.
Then that really wouldn't be an option, so it might be best to focus on what you can control in the here and now. Maybe in the future an opportunity will present itself. There is a Lot of Travel.
Anyway this is your current Solar Return:
You can see Venus squares the Lot of Work. Saturn opposes the Lot of Labor. Your Solar Return Ascendant Ruler and your Profectional Year Ruler Mars is Combust. Mars receives the Sun, but that only makes the Sun not Malefic and Sun/Mars are Enemies anyway so things could actually be worse, like Sun/Mars in Cancer or Libra.
Mercury who rules your Lot of Work is in Detriment and squares Jupiter, and while Jupiter receives Mercury, Pisces is another House that Mercury hates so that's like taking two steps forward and then one step backward.
Moon opposes your Lot of Fortune.
You said your step-father had an heart attack. This is not something I would have seen, but I believe the step parent of the opposite gender is the House opposite the parent. That would make your step-father the Leo Midheaven, and 21° Leo is a Pitted Degree.
This is just a bad year for you.
This is your upcoming Solar Return:
Now the key to this is that Taurus is your Profectional Ascendant making Venus the Year Ruler. You see Venus Angular but Peregrine (that would be understandable for your situation). You have the nice trine with Mutual Reception with Saturn. Venus receives Saturn the Ascendant Ruler in Libra and Saturn receives Venus in Aquarius. Saturn is Exalted and Direct, plus he's a Diurnal Planet up in the Day Sky where he should be in a Day Chart.
Your Lot of Wealth is Angular in the Ascendant and its Dispositor Saturn is again Exalted and Direct and in trine with Venus and also note your Lot of Labor is conjunct Saturn and trine Venus, and your Lot of Work is trine Sun.
This chart isn't perfect, but it's certainly better. The one problem I see is Moon square Saturn.
I offer my deep condolences and hope the best for him and for you! 
