You and Your Money: A No-Stress Guide to Becoming Financially Fit

Contents......Page 8
Foreword......Page 17
Preface......Page 19
Acknowledgments......Page 21
About the Authors......Page 22
PART I: MAINTAINING A POSITIVE OUTLOOK......Page 24
1 THE RIGHT STUFF......Page 26
Following in Their Footsteps......Page 28
Tapping Into Your Own Life Values......Page 30
2 THE “NEW” AMERICAN DREAM......Page 36
Heeding the Signals of the Twenty-First Century......Page 37
Character Traits of Financially Competent People......Page 38
American Life on the Edge and Beyond......Page 39
What Is Financial Competence?......Page 42
Thinking Clearly, Spending Mindfully......Page 43
Don’t Worry, Get Educated Instead......Page 45
The Land of Opportunity......Page 46
3 HOW WE DECIDE......Page 48
Our Deeper Life Values......Page 49
Learning About Your Life Values......Page 52
Learning Secrets of the Marketplace......Page 55
4 YOUR LIFE VALUES PROFILE......Page 56
Your Life Values Profile......Page 57
5 MOVING TO SECURE MONEY MANAGEMENT......Page 74
Motivating Yourself......Page 75
Competing Values......Page 76
Your Eureka Moment......Page 77
Learning Can Be Fun......Page 79
Sharing Goals......Page 81
Communicating Through Differences......Page 82
The Knowing-Doing Gap......Page 84
6 A WORD ABOUT FEAR......Page 86
Generalizing Our Financial Fears of the Past......Page 88
Replacing Fear with Curiosity, Determination, and Focused Passion......Page 93
Transforming Fear......Page 94
PART II: BEING ACTIVE IN FINANCIAL AFFAIRS......Page 98
7 WHO’S IN CHARGE OF YOUR FINANCIAL WELL-BEING?......Page 100
How Advertisers and Retailers Target You......Page 102
Spending Behaviors and Decision-Making......Page 105
Searching for What You Really Value......Page 107
The Payoffs of Becoming Financially Competent......Page 110
8 BECOMING A SAVVY CONSUMER......Page 112
Choosing to Spend Wisely......Page 113
Being Engaged......Page 118
Managing Your Own Health Care......Page 120
9 GETTING AND KEEPING GOOD CREDIT......Page 126
Charge Cards......Page 127
Stored Value Cards......Page 128
Our Credit Society—A Way of Life......Page 129
The Upside—and Downside—of Credit......Page 130
Why Do We Fall for Fraud and Scams?......Page 142
Is Anyone Looking Out for Your Interests?......Page 152
11 COMMITTING TO A SAVINGS PLAN......Page 156
When “Trouble” Is Our Teacher......Page 157
It Is All About Attitude......Page 158
Education—You Can Never Be Too Smart......Page 162
Developing a Spending Plan—The B-Word—As Part of an Overall Savings Strategy......Page 164
PART III: BUILDING A FINANCIAL SUPPORT SYSTEM......Page 168
12 COMMUNICATING ABOUT MONEY—COUNT THE WAYS......Page 170
The Three R’s and the All-Important “C”......Page 172
Communicating and Interacting About Money......Page 173
Steps Toward Building Financial Communication Competence......Page 175
13 TAPPING INTO THE FINANCIAL MARKETPLACE......Page 188
Mission Possible......Page 189
The Financial Regulatory Environment......Page 190
Finding the Right Financial Professionals......Page 193
Committing to Positive Action......Page 201
14 BUILDING YOUR ASSETS......Page 204
Money in the Bank—Climbing the Savings and Investment Ladder......Page 205
Stocks, Bonds, and Mutual Funds......Page 207
Retirement Assets......Page 211
Rewards of Real Estate Investing......Page 212
Risk and Return......Page 214
Asset Allocation and Diversification—The 20% Rule......Page 219
Taxes: Taming the Inevitable......Page 220
Investment Clubs......Page 221
15 CHOOSING HOUSING WISELY......Page 224
Making Housing Decisions Is Personal......Page 225
Being Open About Housing Values......Page 226
Move Now or Stay Put for the Long Haul?......Page 227
Buyers and Sellers Beware......Page 232
Refinancing Your Home......Page 234
Investing in Real Estate......Page 238
Using “The System” to Your Best Advantage......Page 240
PART IV: COPING WELL WITH CHANGE AND LOSS......Page 244
16 PLANNING FOR LIFE TRANSITIONS......Page 246
I Do, Until Divorce Does Us Part......Page 249
Your Children’s College Education......Page 252
Caring for Aging Parents......Page 254
Retirement......Page 257
17 PREPARING FOR DISASTERS......Page 262
Develop Your Financial Awareness......Page 265
18 RECOVERING FROM ADVERSITY......Page 276
It’s Not Just the Money......Page 277
Dealing with Tough Times......Page 280
19 FINDING THE HELP YOU NEED......Page 288
Knowledge Is Power—Get Educated and Stay Aware!......Page 289
Resources......Page 290
Appendix: PERSONAL FINANCE EDUCATION INTERNET SITES......Page 300
Endnotes......Page 316
A......Page 322
C......Page 323
E......Page 325
F......Page 326
H......Page 327
I......Page 328
M......Page 329
N......Page 330
P......Page 331
Q–R......Page 332
S......Page 333
V......Page 334
Y-Z......Page 335