Complete Idiot's Guide to Personal Finances in your 20's and 30's, 2E

by Fisher, Sarah Young; Shelly, Susan

• ISBN13: 9780028643748
• ISBN10: 0028643747
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2002-04-01
• Publisher: DK Publishing, Inc.

Summary

The Complete Idiot's Guide® to Personal Finance in Your 20s and 30s, Second Edition gives readers an edge in getting through financial hardships, investing in the future, and saving money for the long haul. The Second edition will include new coverage of: taxes, stock market investing, other investment opportunities, borrowing money and interest rates, and technology.

Table of Contents

The Real World	p. 1
Personal Finance: The Stuff They Didn't Teach You in College	p. 3
Exactly What Is Personal Finance?	p. 4
Why Don't I Already Know This Stuff?	p. 5
Money's Not a Dirty Word	p. 8
Personal Finance Is for My Parents	p. 9
How Hard Is This Gonna Be?	p. 10
Let's Get Started	p. 11
You're Out Here--Now What Are You Gonna Do?	p. 13
Hey! Nobody Told Me It Was Gonna Be Like This!	p. 14
A Look at Where You Are	p. 16
A Look at Where You're Going	p. 18
A Personal Finance Test	p. 20
Taking a Look at Your Bank Accounts	p. 27
Do You Have the Accounts You Need?	p. 28
All Banks Are Not Created Equal	p. 34
Another New Bank Fee?	p. 37
Stop at the ATM, I Need More Cash	p. 38
Credit Cards and Debt	p. 41
Everybody Wants a Credit Card--Until They Have One	p. 42
How Many Credit Cards Does One Person Need?	p. 46
Keeping Your Credit Cards Safe	p. 47
Keep It (Your Credit Card) in Your Pants	p. 48
Finding a Better Deal on Your Credit Cards	p. 50
Timeliness Is Next to Godliness: Paying Off Your Debt	p. 53
Finding a Place with the Right Zip Code	p. 55
Doing the Apartment Thing	p. 56
Full House	p. 63
What Am I Gonna Sleep On?	p. 64
I Gotta Pay for That, Too?	p. 66
Road Rules	p. 69
Cruising the Auto Industry Landscape	p. 70
Planes, Trains, and Automobiles	p. 71
The Great Debate Buying or Leasing	p. 73
New or Used, Big or Small?	p. 79
Your Car Costs You More Than You Think	p. 80
On Your Own and Loving It	p. 85
What Do You Have?	p. 87
Living With the Job You've Got	p. 88
Looking at Your Options	p. 89
There's More to a Job Than the Money	p. 94
Assessing Your Assets	p. 96
Your Secret Stash	p. 99
What Do You Need?	p. 103
Your Financial Lifestyle	p. 104
Evaluating Your Expectations	p. 105
Looking at What You Need and What You Don't	p. 107
The B Word: Budgets	p. 113
Why Budgets Have Such a Bad Rep	p. 114
Everybody Needs a Budget	p. 114
What Your Budget Should Include	p. 115
Trimming the Fat: Analyzing Your Expenses	p. 120
One Job, Two Jobs, Three Jobs, Four	p. 123
Sticking With It	p. 125
Software and Websites for Budgeting	p. 125
Getting Into the Swing of Savings	p. 129
Are You a Saver or a Spender?	p. 130
A Penny Saved Is More Than a Penny Earned	p. 134
Getting Into a Savings Mindset	p. 136
Tips for Saving Money on Almost Everything	p. 139
Your Credit: Use It, Don't Abuse It	p. 145
Building a Credit History	p. 146
Knowing When Enough Is Enough	p. 147
Oops! I Think I'm in Trouble	p. 147
Your Credit Report and Credit Score	p. 152
Coasting Along	p. 157
Movin' On Up	p. 159
Emergency Funds	p. 160
Finding Another Car	p. 161
Back to School	p. 164
Life Is Better in the Tropics	p. 166
Aren't These Computers Cool?	p. 167
Getting Your Own Place	p. 168
What's All This Talk About Investments?	p. 171
Starting Small	p. 172
Mutual Funds	p. 174
Money Markets	p. 177
CDS--We're Not Talking Compact Discs	p. 178
401(k)s	p. 180
A Taxing Topic	p. 187
What's Your Taxable Income?	p. 188
How to Make Less of Your Income Taxable	p. 190
Fitting In: Tax Brackets	p. 195
Preparing Your Tax Returns	p. 196
Websites and Software That Can Help You Prepare Your Taxes	p. 199
Looking Out for What You Have	p. 201
Welcome to the Insurance Jungle	p. 202
Insurance 101	p. 203
Sometimes You Need It, Sometimes You Don't	p. 204
My Mama Told Me: You Better Shop Around	p. 215
What Do You Mean I'm Not Covered?	p. 216
To Everything There Is a Season	p. 219
The Game of Life	p. 221
Footloose and Fancy-Free	p. 222
She (Gulp!) Wants Me to Move in with Her!	p. 224
Will You Marry Me, Bill?	p. 226
Uh, Could You Sign Here, Please?	p. 228
Goin' to the Chapel and We're Gonna Get Married	p. 229
Not Your Father's Pension Plan: Retirement Funds in the Modern World	p. 235
Is Retirement Planning Your Top Priority? It Should Be	p. 236
What's Out There?	p. 240
Doing It on Your Own	p. 244
So Where Should My Retirement Money Go?	p. 248
Early Withdrawal Penalties	p. 249
Investing Beyond Retirement Accounts	p. 251
When Is the Best Time to Start Investing?	p. 252
What Kind of Investor Do You Want to Be?	p. 253
You Can't Tax That! Can You?	p. 256
Show Me the Way to the Investment Store	p. 258
Where to Learn About Investments	p. 261
Investment Options	p. 265
How Does the Stock Market Work?	p. 266
Mutual Funds	p. 273
Understanding the Risks	p. 275
Where to Invest Your Money	p. 277
We All Need Somebody to Lean On	p. 281
Know Thy Finances, Know Thy Advisor	p. 282
Do I Need a Financial Advisor?	p. 283
The Who's Who of Financial Advisors	p. 284
Finding a Reputable Financial Advisor	p. 286
Places and People to Avoid	p. 289
Things Your Investment Advisor Should Never Do	p. 292
So, You're Thinking of Buying a House	p. 295
There's No Place Like Home	p. 297
It's the American Dream--But Is It Right for Everyone?	p. 298
How Much House Can You Afford?	p. 300
The All-Important Down Payment	p. 303
Choosing the Right Real Estate Agent	p. 305
The Great House Hunt Begins	p. 307
Pier One, Here We Come	p. 310
We'd Like to Borrow Some Money, Please	p. 313
Just What Exactly Is a Mortgage?	p. 314
Getting the Mortgage That's Best for You	p. 315
Alternative Types of Mortgages	p. 322
Where to Go to Get Your Mortgage	p. 323
Getting Your Mortgage Approved Faster	p. 324
What Happens at Settlement?	p. 325
Paying It Off, Little by Little	p. 327
How Quickly Should You Pay Your Mortgage?	p. 328
Put Your Money Where Your Mortgage Is	p. 334
What If I Can't Make a Payment?	p. 335
Putting Money in an Escrow Account	p. 338
How Owning a Home Affects Your Taxes	p. 341
Tax Benefits of Owning a Home	p. 342
You Wanna Play House? You Gotta Pay Taxes	p. 347
Home-Equity Loans and Lines of Credit	p. 348
Weighing the Tax Advantages Against the Disadvantages	p. 350
Homeowner's Insurance	p. 351
Nobody Should Be Without Homeowner's Insurance	p. 352
Personal Property Coverage	p. 355
Liability Insurance	p. 358
Insuring Against Natural Disasters	p. 358
The Best Places to Buy Homeowner's Insurance	p. 360
Appendixes
Additional Resources	p. 363
Show Me the Money Glossary	p. 367
Index	p. 383
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