The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance

by Kenneth M. Morris; Alan H. Siegel

• ISBN13: 9780743216968
• ISBN10: 0743216962
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-11-29
• Publisher: Fireside

Summary

The Wall Street Journal Guide to Understanding Personal Finance gives you clear, simple explanations of the complextities you face every day in your financial life. This revised and updated edition also includes the information you'll need to make smart decisions about -- and avoid the pitfalls of -- banking, credit, home finance, financial planning, investing and taxes.

Author Biography

Kenneth M. Morris is the chairman and CEO of Lightbulb Press, a print and Internet publishing company he founded in 1990. One of the nation's leading experts in simplified communications, Ken created the first easy-to-read documents for the brokerage, banking, and telecommunications industries, as well as the 1040EZ for the IRS. He is now spearheading the development of point-of-need online products for websites and interactive devices.

Ken is the coauthor of The Wall Street Journal guides and other Lightbulb books, and serves on the boards of the Electronic Document Systems Foundation (EDSF), the Information Design Journal, and Visible Language.

A graduate of Cornell University, he holds a PhD from Columbia University.

Table of Contents

BANKING
Banking	6	(2)
Banking Opportunities	8	(2)
Checking	10	(2)
How Checking Works	12	(2)
Checking Variety	14	(2)
Special Checks	16	(2)
ATMs: Automatic Tellers	18	(2)
The Monthly Statement	20	(2)
CD: Certificate of Deposit	22	(2)
Savings	24	(2)
Technology: New and Old	26	(2)
Banking Online	28	(2)
CREDIT
Using Credit	30	(2)
Credit Cards	32	(2)
Understanding Card Credit	34	(2)
What Cards Cost	36	(2)
Protecting Your Card Rights	38	(2)
Loans	40	(2)
The Substance of a Loan	42	(2)
The Cost of a Loan	44	(2)
How Repayment Works	46	(2)
Loan vs. Lease	48	(2)
Credit Histories	50	(2)
Reading a Credit Report	52	(2)
Coping with Debt	54	(2)
HOME FINANCE
The Roof over Your Head	56	(2)
Can You Buy?	58	(2)
Buying a House	60	(2)
Finding a Mortgage	62	(2)
Dealing with the Lender	64	(2)
Surviving the Closing	66	(2)
The Cost of a Mortgage	68	(2)
Mortgage Rates	70	(2)
Refinancing	72	(2)
Your Home as Investment	74	(2)
Home Equity Borrowing	76	(2)
Insuring Your Home	78	(2)
Selling Your Home	80	(2)
Figuring Your Profit or Loss	82	(2)
FINANCIAL PLANNING
Financial Planning	84	(2)
Making a Financial Plan	86	(2)
Managing Your Cash Flow	88	(2)
Your Net Worth	90	(2)
The Cost of a College Education	92	(2)
Financial Aid	94	(2)
Planning for Retirement	96	(2)
IRAs: What They Are	98	(2)
Salary Reduction Plans	100	(2)
Annuities	102	(2)
Social Security	104	(2)
Life Insurance	106	(2)
Types of Life Insurance	108	(2)
Long-Term Care	110	(2)
Estate Planning	112	(2)
Making a Will	114	(2)
Trusts	116	(2)
INVESTING
Investing	118	(2)
Risk vs. Reward	120	(2)
Figuring Your Return	122	(2)
Diversifying Your Portfolio	124	(2)
Investing in Stocks	126	(2)
The World of Stocks	128	(2)
Tracking Your Investments	130	(2)
Tricks of the Trade	132	(2)
Taking Stock of Your Investments	134	(2)
Investing in Bonds	136	(2)
The Value of Bonds	138	(2)
Special Types of Bonds	140	(2)
It's a Fund-Filled World	142	(2)
Investing in Mutual Funds	144	(2)
Anatomy of a Prospectus	146	(2)
Tracking Mutual Fund Performance	148	(2)
Futures and Options	150	(2)
Investing in Real Estate	152	(2)
TAXES
Paying Taxes	154	(2)
The Tax Brackets	156	(2)
The Reporting System	158	(2)
Completing a Return	160	(2)
Withholding---Prepaying as You Go	162	(2)
Tax Planning Is a Must	164	(2)
January Reading: The W-2	166	(2)
Keeping Records	168	(2)
Tax Help	170	(2)
The Dreaded Audit	172