Personal finance for dummies

Improving your financial literacy

Measuring your financial health

Managing where your money goes

Establishing and achieving goals

Dealing with debt

Reducing your spending

Trimming your taxes

Considering important investment concepts

Understanding your investment choices

Investing in funds

Investing in retirement accounts

Investing in taxable accounts

Investing for educational expenses

Investing in real estate : your home and beyond

Insurance : getting what you need at the best price

Insurance on you : life, disability, and health

Covering your assets

Working with financial planners

Using technology to manage your money

On air and in print

Survival guide for ten life changes

Ten tactics to thwart identity theft and fraud.

Part I. Assessing your financial fitness and setting goals. 1. Improving your financial literacy ; 2. Measuring your financial health ; 3. Managing where your money goes ; 4. Establishing and achieving goals

Part II. Spending less, saving more. 5. Dealing with debt ; 6. Reducing your spending ; 7. Trimming your taxes

Part III. Building wealth through investing. 8. Considering important investment concepts ; 9. Understanding your investment choices ; 10. Investing in funds ; 11. Investing in retirement accounts ; 12. Investing in taxable accounts ; 13. Investing for educational expenses ; 14. Investing in real estate: your home and beyond

Part IV. Insurance: protecting what you have. 15. Insurance: getting what your need at the best price ; 16. Insurance on you: life, disability, and health ; 17. Covering your assets

Part V. Where to go for more help. 18. Working with financial planners ; 19. Using a computer to manage your money ; 20. On air and in print

Part VI. The part of tens. 21. Survival guide for ten life changes ; 22. Ten tactics to thwart identity theft and fraud.

Part 1: Getting started with personal finance. Improving your financial literacy ; Measuring your financial health ; Managing where your money goes ; Establishing and achieving goals

Part 2: Spending less, saving more. Dealing with debt ; Reducing your spending ; Trimming your taxes

Part 3: Building wealth through investing. Considering important investment concepts ; Understanding your investment choices ; Investing in funds ; Investing in retirement accounts ; Investing in taxable accounts ; Investing for educational expenses ; Investing in real estate : your home and beyond

Part 4: Insurance : protecting what you have. Insurance : getting what you need at the best price ; Insurance on you : life, disability, and health ; Covering your assets

Part 5: Where to go for help. Working with financial planners ; Using technology to manage your money ; On air and in print

Part 6: The power of tens. Survival guide for ten life changes ; Ten tactics to thwart identity theft and fraud.

Intro

Title Page

Copyright Page

Table of Contents

Introduction

About This Book

Foolish Assumptions

Icons Used in This Book

Beyond the Book

Where to Go from Here

Part 1 Getting Started with Personal Finance

Chapter 1 Improving Your Financial Literacy

Talking Money at Home

Identifying Unreliable Sources of Information

Understanding the dangers of free financial content online

Recognizing fake financial gurus

Publishers pandering to advertisers

Jumping over Real and Imaginary Hurdles to Financial Success

Discovering what (or who) is holding you back

Developing good financial habits

Chapter 2 Measuring Your Financial Health

Avoiding Common Money Mistakes

Determining Your Financial Net Worth

Adding up your financial assets

Subtracting your financial liabilities

Crunching your numbers

Interpreting your net worth results

Examining Your Credit Score and Reports

Understanding what your credit data includes and means

Obtaining your credit reports and score

Improving your credit reports and score

Getting credit report errors corrected

Knowing the Difference between Bad Debt and Good Debt

Consuming your way to bad debt

Recognizing bad debt overload

Assessing good debt: Can you get too much?

Playing the credit-card float

Analyzing Your Savings

Evaluating Your Investment Knowledge

Assessing Your Insurance Savvy

Chapter 3 Managing Where Your Money Goes

Examining Overspending

Having access to credit

Misusing credit cards

Taking out car loans

Bending to outside influences and agendas

Spending to feel good

Analyzing Your Spending

Tracking spending the "low-tech" way

Tracking your spending on "free" websites and apps

Chapter 4 Establishing and Achieving Goals

Creating Your Own Definition of Wealth.

Acknowledging what money can't buy

Managing the balancing act

Prioritizing Your Savings Goals

Knowing what's most important to you

Valuing retirement accounts

Dealing with competing goals

Building Emergency Reserves

Saving to Buy a Home or Business

Funding Kids' Educational Expenses

Saving for Big Purchases

Preparing for Retirement/Financial Independence

Figuring out what you need for retirement/ financial independence

Understanding retirement building blocks

Crunching numbers for your retirement

Making up for lost time

Part 2 Spending Less, Saving More

Chapter 5 Dealing with Debt

Using Savings to Reduce Your Consumer Debt

Understanding how you gain

Finding the funds to pay down consumer debts

Decreasing Debt When You Lack Savings

Reducing your credit card's interest rate

Understanding all credit-card terms and conditions

Cutting up your credit cards

Discovering debit cards: The best of both worlds

Turning to Credit Counseling Agencies

Beware biased advice at credit counseling agencies

Ask questions and avoid debt management programs

Filing Bankruptcy

Understanding bankruptcy benefits

Coming to terms with bankruptcy drawbacks

Deciphering the bankruptcy laws

Choosing between Chapter 7 and 13

Seeking bankruptcy advice

Stopping the Spending/ Consumer Debt Cycle

Resisting the credit temptation

Identifying and treating a compulsion

Chapter 6 Reducing Your Spending

Unlocking the Keys to Successful Spending

Living within your means

Looking for the best values

Eliminating the fat from your spending

Turning your back on consumer credit

Budgeting to Boost Your Savings

Reducing Your Spending

Managing food costs

Saving on shelter

Cutting transportation costs

Lowering your energy costs

Controlling clothing costs.

Repaying your debt

Indulging responsibly in fun and recreation

Lowering your phone bills

Technology: Spending wisely

Curtailing personal care costs

Paring down professional expenses

Managing medical expenses

Eliminating costly addictions

Keeping an eye on insurance premiums

Trimming your taxes

Chapter 7 Trimming Your Taxes

Understanding the Taxes You Pay

Focusing on your total taxes

Recognizing the importance of your marginal tax rate

Defining taxable income

Being mindful of the second tax system: Alternative minimum tax

Analyzing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act

Trimming Employment Income Taxes

Contributing to retirement plans

Shifting some income

Increasing Your Deductions

Choosing standard or itemized deductions

Purchasing real estate

Trading consumer debt for mortgage debt

Contributing to charities

Remembering auto registration fees and state insurance

Deducting self-employment expenses

Reducing Investment Income Taxes

Investing in tax-free money-market funds and bonds

Selecting other tax-friendly investments

Making your profits long term

Does funding retirement accounts still make sense?

Enlisting Education Tax Breaks

Getting Help from Tax Resources

Obtaining IRS assistance

Consulting preparation and advice guides

Using software and websites

Hiring professional help

Dealing with an Audit

Getting your act together

Surviving the day of reckoning

Part 3 Building Wealth through Investing

Chapter 8 Considering Important Investment Concepts

Establishing Your Goals

Understanding the Primary Investments

Looking at lending investments

Exploring ownership investments

Shunning Gambling Instruments and Behaviors

Forsaking futures, options, and other derivatives

Ditching day trading.

Understanding Investment Returns

Sizing Investment Risks

Comparing the risks of stocks and bonds

Focusing on the risks you can control

Discovering low-risk, high-return investments

Diversifying Your Investments

Spreading the wealth: Asset allocation

Allocating money for the long term

Sticking with your allocations: Don't trade

Investing lump sums via dollar-cost averaging

Acknowledging Differences among Investment Firms

Focusing on the best firms

Places to consider avoiding

Seeing through Experts Who Predict the Future

Investment newsletters

Investment gurus

Leaving You with Some Final Advice

Chapter 9 Understanding Your Investment Choices

Slow and Steady Investments

Transaction/checking accounts

Savings accounts and money-market funds

Bonds

Building Wealth with Ownership Vehicles

Socking your money away in stocks

Investing internationally in stocks

Generating wealth with real estate

Investing in small business (and your career)

Off the Beaten Path: Investment Odds and Ends

Precious metals

Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies

Annuities

Collectibles

Chapter 10 Investing in Funds

Understanding the Benefits of Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds

Exploring Various Fund Types

Money-market funds

Bond funds

Stock funds

Balancing bonds and stocks: Hybrid funds

U.S., international, and global funds

Index funds

Specialty (sector) funds

Selecting the Best Funds

Reading prospectuses and annual reports

Keeping costs low

Evaluating historic performance

Assessing fund manager and fund family reputations

Rating tax friendliness

Determining your needs and goals

Deciphering Your Fund's Performance

Dividends

Capital gains

Share price changes

Evaluating and Selling Your Funds.

Chapter 11 Investing in Retirement Accounts

Looking at Types of Retirement Accounts

Employer-sponsored plans

Self-employed plans

Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs)

Annuities: An odd investment

Allocating Your Money in Retirement Plans

Prioritizing retirement contributions

Setting up a retirement account

Allocating money when your employer selects the investment options

Allocating money in plans you design

Transferring Retirement Accounts

Transferring accounts you control

Moving money from an employer's plan

Chapter 12 Investing in Taxable Accounts

Getting Started

Paying off high-interest debt

Taking advantage of tax breaks

Understanding Taxes on Your Investments

Fortifying Your Emergency Reserves

Bank and credit union accounts

Money-market mutual funds

Investing for the Longer Term (Several Years or Decades)

Defining your time horizons

Bonds and bond funds

Certificates of deposit (CDs)

Stocks and stock funds

Annuities

Real estate

Small-business investments

Chapter 13 Investing for Educational Expenses

Figuring Out How the Financial Aid System Works

Treatment of retirement accounts

Treatment of money in the kids' names

Treatment of home equity and other assets

Strategizing to Pay for Educational Expenses

Estimating college costs

Setting realistic savings goals

Tips for getting loans, grants, and scholarships

Investing Educational Funds

Good investments: No-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds

Bad investments

Overlooked investments

Chapter 14 Investing in Real Estate: Your Home and Beyond

Deciding Whether to Buy or Rent

Assessing your timeline

Determining what you can afford

Calculating how much you can borrow

Comparing owning versus renting costs

Considering the long-term costs of renting.

Personal Finance For Dummies, 7th Edition; About the Author; Contents at a Glance; Table of Contents; Introduction; About This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; What You Can Skip or Skim; Foolish Assumptions; How This Book Is Organized; Icons Used in This Book; Where to Go from Here; Part I: Assessing Your Financial Fitness and Setting Goals; Chapter 1: Improving Your Financial Literacy; Talking Money at Home; Identifying Unreliable Sources of Information; Jumping over Real and Imaginary Hurdles to Financial Success; Chapter 2: Measuring Your Financial Health.

Avoiding Common Money MistakesDetermining Your Financial Net Worth; Examining Your Credit Score and Reports; Knowing the Difference between Bad Debt and Good Debt; Analyzing Your Savings; Evaluating Your Investment Knowledge; Assessing Your Insurance Savvy; Chapter 3: Managing Where Your Money Goes; Examining Overspending; Analyzing Your Spending; Chapter 4: Establishing and Achieving Goals; Creating Your Own Definition of "Wealth"; Prioritizing Your Savings Goals; Building Emergency Reserves; Saving to Buy a Home or Business; Funding Kids' Educational Expenses; Saving for Big Purchases.

Preparing for RetirementPart II: Spending Less, Saving More; Chapter 5: Dealing with Debt; Using Savings to Reduce Your Consumer Debt; Decreasing Debt When You Lack Savings; Turning to Credit Counseling Agencies; Filing Bankruptcy; Stopping the Spending/Consumer Debt Cycle; Chapter 6: Reducing Your Spending; Unlocking the Keys to Successful Spending; Budgeting to Boost Your Savings; Reducing Your Spending; Chapter 7: Trimming Your Taxes; Understanding the Taxes You Pay; Trimming Employment Income Taxes; Increasing Your Deductions; Reducing Investment Income Taxes.

Enlisting Education Tax BreaksGetting Help from Tax Resources; Dealing with an Audit; Part III: Building Wealth through Investing; Chapter 8: Considering Important Investment Concepts; Establishing Your Goals; Understanding the Primary Investments; Shunning Gambling Instruments and Behaviors; Understanding Investment Returns; Sizing Investment Risks; Diversifying Your Investments; Acknowledging Differences among Investment Firms; Seeing through Experts Who Predict the Future; Leaving You with Some Final Advice; Chapter 9: Understanding Your Investment Choices; Slow and Steady Investments.

Building Wealth with Ownership VehiclesOff the Beaten Path: Investment Odds and Ends; Chapter 10: Investing in Funds; Understanding the Benefits of Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds; Exploring Various Fund Types; Selecting the Best Funds; Deciphering Your Fund's Performance; Evaluating and Selling Your Funds; Chapter 11: Investing in Retirement Accounts; Looking at Types of Retirement Accounts; Allocating Your Money in Retirement Plans; Transferring Retirement Accounts; Chapter 12: Investing in Taxable Accounts; Getting Started; Understanding Taxes on Your Investments.

""Personal Finance For Dummies®""; ""Eric Tyson�s Keys to Personal Financial Success""; ""Praise for Eric Tyson""; ""More Bestselling For Dummies Titles by Eric Tyson""; ""About the Author""; ""Dedication""; ""Acknowledgments""; ""Contents at a Glance""; ""Table of Contents""; ""Introduction""; ""Part I: Assessing Your Fitness and Setting Goals""; ""Chapter 1: Improving Your Financial Literacy""; ""Talking Money at Home""; ""Identifying Unreliable Sources of Information""; ""Jumping over Real and Imaginary Hurdles to Financial Success""; ""Chapter 2: Measuring Your Financial Health""

""Avoiding Common Money Mistakes""""Determining Your Financial Net Worth""; ""Examining Your Credit Score and Reports""; ""Knowing the Difference between Bad Debt and Good Debt""; ""Analyzing Your Savings""; ""Evaluating Your Investment Knowledge""; ""Assessing Your Insurance Savvy""; ""Chapter 3: Determining Where Your Money Goes""; ""Examining Overspending""; ""Analyzing Your Spending""; ""Chapter 4: Establishing and Achieving Goals""; ""Creating Your Own Definition of “Wealth�""; ""Prioritizing Your Savings Goals""; ""Building Emergency Reserves""; ""Saving to Buy a Home or Business""

""Funding Kids� Educational Expenses""""Saving for Big Purchases""; ""Preparing for Retirement""; ""Part II: Saving More, Spending Less""; ""Chapter 5: Dealing with Debt""; ""Using Savings to Reduce Your Consumer Debt""; ""Decreasing Debt When You Lack Savings""; ""Turning to Credit Counseling Agencies""; ""Filing Bankruptcy""; ""Stopping the Spending/Consumer Debt Cycle""; ""Chapter 6: Reducing Your Spending""; ""Finding the Keys to Successful Spending""; ""Budgeting to Boost Your Savings""; ""Reducing Your Spending""; ""Chapter 7: Trimming Your Taxes""; ""Understanding the Taxes You Pay""

""Trimming Employment Income Taxes""""Increasing Your Deductions""; ""Reducing Investment Income Taxes""; ""Enlisting Education Tax Breaks""; ""Getting Help from Tax Resources""; ""Dealing with an Audit""; ""Part III: Building Wealth with Wise Investing""; ""Chapter 8: Considering Important Investment Concepts""; ""Establishing Your Goals""; ""Understanding the Primary Investments""; ""Shunning Gambling Instruments and Behaviors""; ""Understanding Investment Returns""; ""Sizing Investment Risks""; ""Diversifying Your Investments""; ""Acknowledging Differences among Investment Firms""

""Seeing through Experts Who Predict the Future""""Leaving You with Some Final Advice""; ""Chapter 9: Understanding Your Investment Choices""; ""Slow and Steady Investments""; ""Building Wealth with Ownership Vehicles""; ""Off the Beaten Path: Investment Odds and Ends""; ""Chapter 10: Investing in Funds""; ""Understanding the Benefits of Mutual Funds""; ""Exploring Various Fund Types""; ""Selecting the Best Mutual Funds""; ""Deciphering Your Fund�s Performance""; ""Evaluating and Selling Your Funds""; ""Chapter 11: Investing in Retirement Accounts""