Your Money: The Missing Manual (e-book)

Your Money: The Missing Manual (e-book) - Opis

Keeping your financial house in order is more important than ever. But how do you deal with expenses, debt, taxes, and retirement without getting overwhelmed? This book points the way. It's filled with the kind of practical guidance and sound insights that makes J.D. Roth's GetRichSlowly.org a critically acclaimed source of personal-finance advice.You won't find any get-rich-quick schemes here, just sensible advice for getting the most from your money. Even if you have perfect credit and no debt, you'll learn ways to make your rosy financial situation even better.Get the info you need to make sensible decisions on saving, spending, and investingLearn the best ways to set and achieve financial goalsSet up a realistic budget framework and learn how to track expensesDiscover proven methods to help you eliminate debtUnderstand how to use credit wiselyWin big by making smart decisions on your home and other big-ticket itemsLearn how to get the most from your investments by avoiding rash decisionsDecide how -- and how much -- to save for retirement Spis treści:
Your Money: The Missing Manual
A Note Regarding Supplemental Files
The Missing Credits
About the Author
About the Creative Team
Acknowledgements
Introduction
About This Book
About the Outline
About MissingManuals.com
Safari Books Online
I. Blueprint for Financial Prosperity
1. Its More Important to Be Happy Than to Be Rich
How Money Affects Happiness
The Fulfillment Curve
Caught Up in the Rat Race
How Much Is Enough?
Understand your goals and (...) więcej values
Practice conscious spending
Reduce clutter
Seek balance
Its Not About the Money
Living a Rich Life
2. The Road to Wealth Is Paved with Goals
The Road to Success
The Importance of Passion
Setting SMART Goals
Tools and Resources to Help You Achieve Your Goals
Accountability Partners
Web-Based Tools
Old-School Tools
Coping with Mistakes and Setbacks
Final Thoughts on Pursuing Goals
3. Budget Is Not a Four-Letter Word
Mapping Your Financial Future
Building a Budget That Works
Simple Budget Frameworks
Budgeting in Practice
Sticking to a Budget
Tracking Your Spending
Envelope Budgeting
Think Yearly
Automating Your Budget
Desktop Software
Web-Based Tools
Why Budgets Fail
4. Defeating Debt
The Power of Positive Cash Flow
Cash Flow Basics
The Basics of Debt Reduction
Stop Accumulating Debt
Establish an Emergency Fund
Destroy Existing Debt
Destroying high-interest debt first
Destroying low-balance debt first
Other approaches
Other Tips and Tricks
Curbing Compulsive Spending
Where to Find Help
Debtors Anonymous
Consumer credit counseling
Financial Peace University
Start Now
II. Laying the Foundation
5. The Magic of Thinking Small
Why Frugality Matters
The Power of Small Change
Frugal Tactics Anyone Can Use
Eat Well for Less
Supermarket savings
Dining out
Greens from the garden
Pay Less for Power
The electric company
The phone company
The cable company
Doctors and Drugs
Maximum Fun at Minimum Cost
Save While Shopping
The Tyranny of Stuff
Leading a Rich Life on a Budget
6. How to Make More Money
Working for Others
For Love or Money: Which Career Should You Choose?
Starting on the Right Foot: Salary Negotiations
How to Ask for a Raise
Moving On
Taking a Second Job
Working for Yourself
The Pros and Cons of Entrepreneurship
Resources for Entrepreneurs
Money-Making Hobbies
Do what you love
Be creative
Dont expect too much
Dont underestimate yourself
Market yourself
Hone your skills
Choose carefully
Other Ways to Make Money
Selling Stuff
Selling on eBay
Holding a yard sale
Posting items on Craigslist
Donating to Charity
Earning Extra Cash in Your Spare Time
Research studies
Tutoring
Mystery shopping
Renting out a spare room
Unclaimed property
Blogging
Other ideas
A Pep Talk
7. Banking for Fun and Profit
Choosing a Bank
Types of Banks
Traditional banks
Credit unions
Online banks
The Right Bank for You
Finding Accounts That Meet Your Needs
Types of Accounts
Checking accounts
Savings accounts
Money market accounts
Certificates of Deposit
Choosing Accounts
Making the Most of Your Accounts
Finding the Best Rates
Keeping Your Accounts Optimized
Getting Fees Waived
Switching Banks
Avoiding Overdraft Fees
Targeted Savings Accounts
Building a CD Ladder
Protecting Yourself with Parallel CDs
Get in the game
8. Using Credit Wisely
Credit Cards
Why Use a Credit Card?
Choosing a Card
Using Credit Without Getting Burned
Disputing Charges
How and When to Cancel a Card
Your Credit Report
Getting a Free Credit Report
Your Credit Score
The Anatomy of a Credit Score
How to Get Your Credit Score
Boosting Your Score
Final Thoughts on Credit
9. Sweating the Big Stuff
Counting the Dollars
Buying a Car
The Wrong Way to Buy a Car
The Right Way to Buy a Car
Buying New
Money matters
Do your homework
Take your time
Go for a test drive
Research prices
Make a deal
Close the deal
Take delivery
Sell your old car separately
Buying Used
Selling a Car
Reducing Your Cost of Ownership
Lowering maintenance costs
Saving on gas
Car-Free Living
Finding Deals on Vacation and Travel
Travel for the Adventurous
Hospitality exchanges
Volunteer tourism
Travel Tools
Hometown Vacations
Cash Is King
10. House and Home
The Eternal Question: Rent or Buy?
Tips for Renters
Buying a Home
How Much House Can You Afford?
Choosing a Home
Getting pre-approved
Making a list
Shopping smart
Picking a Mortgage
Closing the Deal
Owning a Home
Saving Money through Regular Maintenance
Making Mortgage Payments
Private Mortgage Insurance
Should you prepay your mortgage?
Strategies for prepaying your mortgage
11. Death and Taxes
An Introduction to Insurance
General Insurance Tips
Car Insurance
Homeowners Insurance
Life Insurance
How much life insurance do you need?
What You Need to Know About Taxes
How Income Tax Works
Tax-Trimming Tips
Know what you owe
Shift income and expenses
Hire a pro
Dont cheat
Other moves
What To Do If You Cant Pay Uncle Sam
The Pros and Cons of Refunds
Where to Get More Tax Info
A Brief Overview of Estate Planning
Drawing up a Will
III. Building a Rich Life
12. An Intro to Personal Investing
Why Invest?
How Much Do Stocks Actually Earn?
Average is not normal
The future is not the past
The Tools of Investing
Stocks and Bonds
Mutual Funds
Index funds
Being on Your Best Behavior
Know Your Goals
Think Long Term
Keep Costs Low
Keep It Simple
Dont Follow the Herd
Ignore the Financial News
Common-Sense Investing
Lazy Portfolios
The Couch Potato Portfolio by Scott Burns
The Second-Grader Portfolio by Allan Roth
The No-Brainer Portfolio by William Bernstein
The Coffeehouse Portfolio by Bill Schultheis
Other lazy portfolios
Single-Fund Portfolios
Lifecycle funds
All-in-one funds
Getting Started with Systematic Investing
Discount brokers
Employer-sponsored plans
Mutual fund companies
Make it automatic
Conduct an annual review
Action beats inaction
13. Retirement: The Final Frontier
What Will Retirement Look Like?
Figuring Out How Much to Save
A Better Way
Retirement Calculators
Why You Should Start Saving Today
The Power of Compounding
A Brief Guide to Retirement Accounts
Funding Your Future with a 401(k)
Advantages of 401(k)s
Disadvantages of 401(k)s
Learning to Love Roth IRAs
Roth IRA rules and requirements
How to open a Roth IRA account
Extreme Retirement Saving
Early Retirement and Other Dreams
The Final Frontier
14. Friends and Family
Financial Blueprints
Friends with Money
Handling Peer Pressure
Lending and Borrowing
Love and Money
The Importance of Teamwork
Joint or Separate Finances?
Kids and Money
Raising money-smart kids
Allowances
Church, Charity, and Community
Social Capital
True Wealth
Index
About the Author
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