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The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance

by: Kelly, Jason

The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance

by: Kelly, Jason

ISBN 13:
9780452280618
ISBN 10:
0452280613
Format: Paperback
Copyright: 01/01/1999
Publisher: Penguin Group USA

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Summary

Combining friendly advice with solid expertise, Kelly's newest book provides guidance on how to figure net worth, get out of debt, maximize income, and plan an investment strategy for retirement.

1. Your Path to Prosperity

(2)

2. Your Money and What You Do with It

(43)

Your Current Net Worth

(9)

Assets

(1)

Current Assets

(1)

Investment Assets

(1)

Personal Property

(1)

Real Estate

(1)

Add Up Your Assets

(1)

Liabilities

(1)

Current Liabilities

(1)

Loans

(1)

Mortgages

(1)

Add Up Your Liabilities

(1)

Your Net Worth

(1)

If It's Less Than Your Annual Income

(1)

If It's Between One and Three Years' Annual Income

(1)

If It's More Than Three Years' Annual Income

(1)

If It's More Than Five Hundred Years' Annual Income

(1)

Continue Watching Your Net Worth

(1)

Your Income

(1)

Write Down Your Income

(1)

Look for Ways to Earn More

(1)

Your Expenses

(30)

Track Every Expense

(2)

Why You Should Reduce Expenses

(1)

To Get out of Debt

(1)

To Keep Your Money Instead of Paying Taxes

(1)

To Put Time and Good Habits on Your Side

(1)

To Prepare for Emergencies

(1)

To Invest for a Brighter Future

(1)

The Simplest Spending Plan in History

(1)

Examine Your Expenses and Find Trouble

(1)

Reduce Big Expenses

(1)

Housing

(2)

Automobile

(3)

Vacations

(1)

Home Electronics

(1)

Home Appliances

(1)

Reduce Small Recurring Expenses

(1)

Dining Out

(2)

Entertainment and Recreation

(2)

Telephone

(1)

Clothing

(1)

Holidays, Birthdays, and Gifts

(1)

Gambling

(1)

Banking

(1)

Personal Health: Care and Fitness

(2)

Keep the "Personal" in Your Finances

(2)

Become a Frugal Freak

(1)

Buy the Best but Buy It Once

(1)

Buy in Bulk--Especially During a Sale

(1)

Join a Superstore and Buy Wholesale

(1)

Buy out of Season

(1)

Make Trade-offs to Stay Happy

(1)

Make Changes Gradually

(1)

Redirect Your Free Cash

(3)

Establish an Emergency Fund

(1)

Start a Regular Savings Plan

(2)

3. Escaping and Avoiding the Bad Kind of Debt

(30)

Why Debt Is Bad

(3)

It Makes You Earn Money for Somebody Else

(1)

It's Very Expensive

(1)

It Grows and Grows and Grows

(1)

Getting Out of the Debt You're In

(4)

Pay Your Most Expensive Debt First

(2)

Consolidate into a Cheaper Loan

(2)

Staying Out of Debt in the Future

(1)

Spend Less Than You Earn

(1)

Convert Debt Payments into Savings

(1)

Use Credit Cards the Right Way

(5)

Never Use Department Store Cards

(1)

Keep No More Than Two Major Cards

(1)

Find Cards with No Annual Fee

(1)

Find Cards with Incentive Plans

(2)

Pay Your Balance in Full for a Free Loan

(1)

Consider a Debit Card Instead

(1)

Getting a Good Car Loan and a Cheap Price

(10)

Conduct Thorough Research

(2)

Start at a Bank or Credit Union

(1)

Pay a Lot and Pay the Rest Quickly

(1)

Do Not Lease

(2)

Out-deal the Dealer

(1)

Buy at the Right Time

(1)

Consider Dealer Financing

(1)

No Silly, Expensive Options

(1)

Enjoy Your New Car

(1)

Getting a Good Home Equity Loan

(2)

Beware the Upfront Fees

(1)

Choose the Right Rate

(1)

Checking Your Credit Report

(1)

Bankruptcy as a Fresh Start

(4)

4. Managing the Good Kind of Debt

(32)

When Debt Works in Your Favor

(1)

Home Loans

(21)

Whether to Buy or Rent

(1)

The Cost of Owning

(4)

How Long You Will Live in the Area

(1)

The Opportunity Cost of Buying

(2)

How Much You Can Borrow

(1)

Your Income

(1)

Your Long-term Debt

(1)

Know Both Limits

(1)

Pay a Lot and Pay the Rest Quickly

(1)

Half the Time, Twice the Savings

(1)

More Frequent Payments

(1)

Same Amount of Money, but Faster

(1)

Types of Mortgages

(1)

Fixed-Rate

(1)

Points

(1)

Other Fees

(1)

Adjustable Rate

(1)

The Adjustment Formula

(1)

The Adjustment Frequency

(1)

Balloon Loan

(1)

Choosing the Right Mortgage

(1)

Choosing the Right Lender

(1)

Refinancing

(1)

Student Loans

(6)

Student Aid and Scholarships First

100

(2)

Look at Cheaper Schools

102

(1)

Use Debt-Beating Payment Strategies

103

(1)

Business Loans

104

(4)

5. Smart Banking

108

(13)

Credit Unions are Better Than Banks

108

(3)

How to Find and Get into One

109

(1)

Proximity Doesn't Matter

110

(1)

Brokerage Firms Are Better Than Banks

111

(3)

Get a Good Checking Account

114

(4)

Profile of a Good Checking Account

114

(2)

Manage It Well

116

(1)

Your Checkbook

116

(1)

Automate Your Life

117

(1)

Put the ATM on Your Side

118

(2)

Beware Bank Savings and Investments

120

(1)

6. The Neatest Little Investment Primer

121

(49)

Prepare to Invest

121

(11)

What People Mean by "the Market"

122

(1)

The Three Assets and Their Objectives

123

(1)

Stocks for Growth

124

(1)

Bonds for Income

125

(1)

Money Market for Stability

125

(1)

Comparing the Three

125

(1)

Understanding Risk

126

(1)

Risk and Reward

126

(1)

Time and Risk Are Your Friends

127

(2)

How Much Risk Is Right for You?

129

(1)

How Much Time Do You Have?

130

(1)

How Do You Feel About Investment Risk?

131

(1)

How Old Are You?

131

(1)

How Much Money Do You Have Outside of Your Investment Goals?

132

(1)

Choose an Acceptable Risk Level for Your Goals

132

(1)

Mutual Funds

132

(13)

What Is a Mutual Fund?

132

(2)

Open-end vs. Closed-end Funds

134

(1)

Load vs. No-Load Funds

134

(1)

Expense Ratios

135

(1)

Why Mutual Funds Are So Good

136

(1)

Types of Mutual Funds

137

(1)

Stock Funds

137

(1)

Large Company

137

(1)

Medium Company

138

(1)

Small Company

139

(1)

Sector

139

(1)

Bond Funds

140

(1)

Money Market Funds

140

(1)

Global and International Funds

141

(1)

Index Funds

141

(1)

Your Mutual Fund Portfolio

142

(1)

Allocating for Your Goals

143

(2)

When and How to Sell a Fund

145

(1)

Stocks

145

(17)

Why Stocks Are Good Investments

146

(1)

Stocks Allow You to Own Successful Companies

146

(1)

Stocks Have Been the Best Investments over Time

147

(1)

How You Make Money Owning Stocks

148

(1)

Through Capital Appreciation

148

(1)

Through Dividends

148

(1)

Total Return

149

(1)

All About Stock Splits

149

(1)

Mutual Funds Are Best for Most People

150

(1)

How to Evaluate Stocks

151

(1)

Growth Investing vs. Value Investing

151

(1)

Growth Investing

151

(1)

Value Investing

153

(1)

Combing Growth and Value

154

(1)

Three Stock Classifications You Should Know

154

(1)

Company Size

155

(1)

Industry Classification

156

(1)

Growth or Value

157

(1)

Start with Name-Brand Companies

157

(1)

Buy on the Dips

158

(1)

Stay the Course

159

(1)

Ignore the Gurus

159

(1)

Forecasting or Marketing?

160

(1)

We Could All Be Gurus

161

(1)

You Knew This Was Coming, so Why Worry?

162

(1)

Your First Investment Account

162

(4)

Discount Brokerage Firms

162

(2)

Some Smart Choices

164

(1)

Reinvest Dividends

164

(1)

Dollar-Cost Average

165

(1)

Your Path to Investment Prosperity

166

(4)

Save the Minimum Amounts Needed

167

(1)

Build a Core of Mutual Funds

167

(1)

Buy Stock in Name-Brand Companies

168

(1)

Look for Buying Opportunities

168

(1)

Discover the Companies of the Future

169

(1)

7. Investing to Retire

170

(10)

Think About Retirement Now

170

(2)

Put Time on Your Side

170

(1)

Minimize Taxes

171

(1)

Benefit from Matching Contributions

172

(1)

Types of Retirement Accounts

172

(5)

Individual Retirement Accounts(IRAs)

173

(1)

Traditional

173

(1)

Roth

174

(1)

Simplified Employee Pension(SEP)

174

(1)

Choosing the Right One

175

(1)

Company Retirement Plans

175

(1)

401(k)

176

(1)

403(b)

177

(1)

Social Security

177

(1)

How Much to Invest for Retirement

178

(2)

8. All About Insurance

180

(20)

The Right Way to Handle Insurance

180

(4)

Premiums and Deductibles

181

(2)

Don't Waste Money on Small Items

183

(1)

Get as Much Coverage as Possible

183

(1)

Insuring What You Own

184

(5)

Automobile Insurance

184

(1)

The Four Types of Coverage

184

(1)

How to Save on Auto Insurance

185

(1)

Homeowner's or Renter's Insurance

186

(1)

Three Components

186

(1)

Dwelling Coverage

187

(1)

Personal Property Coverage

187

(1)

Liability Coverage

188

(1)

How to Save on Homeowner's Insurance

188

(1)

Umbrella Insurance

188

(1)

Insuring Yourself and Your Family

189

(11)

Health Insurance

189

(1)

Fee-for-Service and Managed Care

189

(2)

Getting the Best Value on Health Insurance

191

(1)

Consider Outpatient Clinics

192

(1)

Disability Insurance

193

(1)

How Much for How Long

193

(1)

Employer Plans

194

(1)

Individual Plans

194

(1)

How to Save on Disability Insurance

195

(1)

Life Insurance

196

(1)

Term Life Insurance

197

(1)

Permanent Life Insurance

197

(2)

How to Save on Term Life Insurance

199

(1)

9. Taxes, Toddlers, and Tools

200

(13)

Cut Your Taxes

200

(3)

Don't Get a Refund

200

(1)

Start a Business

201

(2)

Contribute More to Retirement

203

(1)

Stop Worrying About Audits

203

(1)

Teach Your Toddlers About Money

203

(1)

Tools to Help You Get Ahead

204

(9)

Banking and Credit Unions

205

(1)

Books

205

(1)

Buying a Home

205

(1)

Community Organizations

206

(1)

Credit Cards

206

(1)

Credit Reports

206

(1)

Debt

207

(1)

Discount Brokerage Firms

207

(1)

Free Mutual Fund Trading, Fairly Cheap Stock Trading

207

(1)

Dirt Cheap Stock Trading

207

(1)

Insurance

208

(1)

Long-distance Phone Companies

208

(1)

Mail-order Companies

209

(1)

Neatest Little Publications

209

(1)

Personal Finance Software

210

(1)

Student Loans

211

(1)

Superstores and Wholesale

212

(1)

10. Aloha!

213

Net Worth Worksheet

214

(2)

Monthly Expenses

216

(2)

Yearly Expenses

218

Amazon no longer offers textbook rentals. We do!

The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance

The Neatest Little Guide to Personal Finance

9780452280618

0452280613

Summary

Table of Contents

Supplemental Materials

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