Money Management For Canadians All-in-One Desk Reference For Dummies

Money Management For Canadians All-In-One Desk Reference For Dummies® --
About the Authors --
About the Technical Editor --
Contents at a Glance --
Table of Contents --
Introduction --
Book I: Taking Stock of Your Financial Situation --
Chapter 1: Your Financial Snapshot --
Figuring Out What You're Worth --
Figuring Out What You Spend --
Identifying Your Money Personality --
Chapter 2: Setting Financial Goals --
What Are Your Goals: Then and Now --
Determining Your Goals: A Five-Year Plan --
Setting Priorities --
Forming Strategies for Success --
Write This Down! --
Chapter 3: Distinguishing Needs from Wants --
What I Really Need Is ... --
What I Really Want Is ... --
Making Good Choices --
Chapter 4: Saving Smartly --
The Benefits of Saving --
Tips for Saving Money --
Chapter 5: Spending Wisely --
Finding Alternatives to Spending --
Making Over Your Lifestyle --
Living on Less --
Hanging On to Your Found Money --
Earning Additional Income --
Book II: Money Management Basics --
Chapter 1: Getting Credit (Where Credit Is Due) --
The Pros and Cons of Credit --
Establishing Credit for the First Time --
Deciding on an Acceptable Level of Credit --
Avoiding the Credit Card Trap with the Two-Card System --
Understanding the Cost of Credit --
Chapter 2: Getting Into Debt --
Understanding Debts and Expenses --
Assessing Your Situation --
Chapter 3: Getting Out of Debt --
Putting Together a Budget --
Using Your Budget to Get Ahead of Your Debt --
Moving Money to Improve Your Debt Picture --
Filing for Bankruptcy Protection --
Chapter 4: Budgeting and Record Keeping --
Determining Your Essential Expenses: What You Need --
Determining Your Nonessential Expenses: What You Want --
Recognizing and Avoiding Hidden Expenses --
Factoring in Emergency Expenses --
Accounting for Taxes --
Paying Yourself First --
Setting Up a Basic Budget. Sticking to Your Budget: Be Disciplined --
Reining In Your Impulse Spending --
Rounding Up Your Support Team --
Dealing with Emergency Expenses --
Organizing Your Records --
Chapter 5: Planning for the Inevitable: Taxes --
Planning for Income Taxes --
Reducing How Much Tax You Pay --
Avoiding Tax Trouble --
Book III: Home Sweet, Home Free --
Chapter 1: Deciding to Buy --
Should You Buy Right Now? --
Getting Up Close and Personal with Your Finances --
Understanding the Types of Mortgages --
Mortgage Basics and Jargon 101 --
Mortgage-a-rama: All the Nifty Options --
Mortgage Insurance --
Who Ya Gonna Call? --
Chapter 2: Discovering Your Perfect Home --
Selecting Your Home-Buying Team --
Knowing What You Want in a Home --
Home Shopping Online --
Home Shopping Offline --
Chapter 3: Getting the Home You Want --
The Contract of Purchase and Sale --
The Ins and Outs of Inspections --
You Are the Owner of All You Survey --
Does This Come with a Warranty? --
Chapter 4: Deciding to Sell --
Good Reasons to Stay Put --
Good Reasons to Sell --
Timing: Sell First and Then Buy, or Vice Versa? --
Pricing Your Home to Sell --
Estimating the Costs of Selling --
Dealing with Your Current Mortgage --
Chapter 5: Preparing to Sell Your Home --
Identifying the Right Real Estate Agent --
Choosing to Go It Alone --
Hiring a Good Real Estate Lawyer --
Listing Contracts --
Disclosure Statements --
Chapter 6: Sealing the Deal --
Making Your House Shine --
Going to Market --
Recipe for a Successful Contract --
Controlling the Negotiating Process --
Mulling Over Multiple Offers --
Considering Backup Offers --
Book IV: Investment Fundamentals --
Chapter 1: Setting Realistic Goals and Expectations --
Understanding Risk and Reward --
Realizing Gains through Compounding --
Focusing on a Goal --
Starting Your Savings Now. Chapter 2: Your Savings Choices: Savings Accounts, Tiered Accounts, and GICs --
Starting with Savings Accounts --
Stacking Up Tiered Accounts --
Considering Guaranteed Investment Certificates --
Chapter 3: Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, and Real Estate --
Sizing Up Stocks --
Bantering about Bonds --
Defining Mutual Funds --
Investing in Real Estate --
Chapter 4: Monitoring Your Progress --
Checking Up on Savings Accounts and GICs --
Looking at Performance: The Indices --
Remembering That Performance Is Relative --
Looking Rationally at Market Highs and Lows --
Reaching Your Goals --
Knowing When to Sell --
Chapter 5: Becoming an Effective Investor --
Starting and Staying with a Diversified Investment Approach --
Developing a Dollar Cost Averaging Plan --
Investing with Your Eye on Taxes --
Book V: Making Your Investments Work for You --
Chapter 1: Buying Mutual Funds --
Checking Out Discount Brokers --
Dealing with Your Friendly Neighbourhood Bank --
Stockbrokers, Financial Planners, and Advisers Aplenty --
Buying Direct --
Chapter 2: Types of Mutual Funds --
Equity Funds: The Road to Riches --
Balanced Funds --
Bond Funds: Boring Can Be Sexy Too --
Money Market Funds: Welcome to Sleepy Hollow --
Examining Other Types of Funds --
Chapter 3: The Essentials of Stock Investing --
Understanding Stock Market Basics --
Knowing How to Pick Winners --
Matching Stocks and Strategies with Your Goals --
Investing by Time Frame --
Investing for a Purpose --
Investing for Your Personal Style --
Chapter 4: Before You Get Started with Stocks --
Reading (And Understanding) Stock Tables --
Understanding Why Closing and Dividend Dates Matter --
Going for Brokers --
Distinguishing between Full-Service and Discount Brokers --
Choosing a Broker --
Researching Online Investing Services --
Considering the Types of Brokerage Accounts --
Chapter 5: Buying and Selling Stocks. Checking Out Trading Orders --
Pass the Margin, Please --
Going Short and Coming Out Ahead --
Chapter 6: Investing in Bonds --
What Is a Bond? --
Knowing Why Strip Bonds Are a Good Choice --
Deciding between Short-Term and Long-Term --
How to Buy Bonds --
Remember the "No Free Lunch" Rule --
Chapter 7: Screening Mutual Funds Online --
What Am I Screening? --
How to Screen Mutual Funds Online --
Buying Mutual Funds Online: No Broker Needed --
Buying Mutual Funds Online: Using an Online Broker --
Selling Mutual Funds Online --
Chapter 8: Internet Stock Screening --
Finding the Best Stock Electronically --
Using Online Stock Screens --
Using Stock-Screening Software --
Using Those Terrific Prebuilt Stock Screens --
Chapter 9: Valuing Bonds Online --
Treasury Securities and You --
The Math of Bonds --
More Online Bond News, Rates of Return, and Advice --
Where to Buy Bonds --
Book VI: Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Retirement Planning --
Chapter 1: Getting Started with Your RRSP --
Basic Principles of RRSP Investing --
Excuses, Excuses --
Determine Your Maximum Contribution --
The Foreign-Content Factor: R.I.P. --
Monthly Contributions versus Lump-Sum Payments --
Claiming Your Deduction --
Chapter 2: What to Expect from Your RRSP --
Growth Expectations --
The Spectre of Inflation --
How Much Will You Need? --
Paying Attention --
Spousal RRSPs and Income Splitting --
Pledging Your RRSP as Collateral --
Leaving the Country --
Chapter 3: Your RRSP Strategy --
Investments Suitable for Your RRSP --
Matching Your Investment Mix to Your Goals --
Overcontributing and Undercontributing --
Review Your Progress --
How to Read Your RRSP Statement --
When It Makes Sense to Invest in Your Employer --
Chapter 4: Withdrawing Money from Your RRSP --
Why Your RRSP Is Not for a Rainy Day --
Combining RRSPs and RESPs --
The Lifelong Learning Plan and Your RRSP. The Home Buyers' Plan and Your RRSP --
Bowing Out Early --
Chapter 5: The Time Has Come to Cash In! --
The End of Your RRSP as You Know It --
Moving from RRSP to RRIF --
How an RRIF Works --
Looking at Other Options, Part I: Annuities --
Looking at Other Options, Part II: LIFs and L-RIFs --
Benefiting from Other Income Sources --
A Step-by-Step Approach to Making Decisions --
Book VII: Estate Planning --
Chapter 1: Estate-Planning Basics --
What Exactly Is Your Estate? --
Why Do You Need to Do Estate Planning? --
What Tools Are Used in Estate Planning? --
When Should You Make an Estate Plan? --
Should You Get Professional Help? --
Chapter 2: The Taxman Cometh: Taxes and Your Estate --
Taxes on an Estate --
Should You Leave Everything to Your Spouse? --
Should You Put Your Money into Your Principal Residence? --
Should You Give Things Away Now? --
Should You Freeze Your Estate? --
Should You Donate Something to Charity? --
When the Taxman Finally Arriveth ... With the Bill --
Chapter 3: Creating an Estate Plan --
Accounting for Your Beneficiaries --
Understanding Your Executor --
Looking Out for Your Children --
Protecting Your Business --
Chapter 4: Reading and Understanding a Will --
Get Ready, Get Set, Get Lost --
Taking a Close Look at a Will --
Chapter 5: Power of Attorney and Your Living Will --
Power of Attorney: The Solution to Your Management Problems --
Powers of Attorney Come in Different Models --
What's Involved in Preparing a Power of Attorney? --
Making Your Wishes Known through a Living Will --
Book VIII: Taking Care of Business --
Chapter 1: Show Me the Money: Sourcing Financing for Your Business --
Your Business Needs Capital --
Your Business Needs Operating Funds --
Locating Sources of Financing for a Start-up Operation --
Chapter 2: So Long and Thanks for All the Cash --
Don't Panic! --
Taking Your First Step.