Introduction |
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3 | (1) |
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Part 1: Understanding Financial Security |
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Chapter 1 Navigating the (Bumpy) Road to Financial Independence |
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Reaching for Financial Security |
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8 | (5) |
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8 | (2) |
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10 | (1) |
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Grasping financial lingo and trends |
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Trying not to avoid money |
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Making use of insurance: A necessary evil |
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Everyone faces challenges, obstacles, and setbacks |
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Making Decisions Based on Changing Circumstances |
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Chapter 2 Understanding Capitalism and Economic Downturns |
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Understanding Our Economic System |
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18 | (7) |
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Capitalism strengths and criticism |
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18 | (4) |
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History of growth and downturns |
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22 | (3) |
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Touring Past Crises: What Happened and Why |
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Why pilot training has relevance for your tour |
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25 | (1) |
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26 | (1) |
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27 | (2) |
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Arab oil embargo and Watergate/Nixon's resignation |
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9/11 terrorist attacks and recession |
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30 | (1) |
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31 | (1) |
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Mistakes Made...and Lessons to Carry With You |
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Chapter 3 Coping with Personal Crises |
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39 | (14) |
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When a Crisis Comes Calling |
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40 | (9) |
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Losing your job or a significant source of income |
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40 | (3) |
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43 | (1) |
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Caring for elderly parents unexpectedly |
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44 | (2) |
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Splitting from your spouse |
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46 | (1) |
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Coping with the death of a spouse |
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47 | (1) |
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Dealing with a natural disaster |
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48 | (1) |
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Success Plans for Personal Crises and Life Changes |
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49 | (6) |
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Keeping your big picture in mind |
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Considering a comprehensive checklist |
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Part 2: Crisis Mode: Accessing Safety Nets And Emergency Measures |
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53 | (34) |
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Chapter 4 Your Safety Nets |
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55 | (12) |
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Taking Stock of Your Resources |
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Surveying your accessible money and spending options |
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56 | (1) |
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Finding assistance from family |
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57 | (1) |
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Ensuring adequate insurance coverage |
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58 | (1) |
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Surveying Societal Safety Nets |
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59 | (8) |
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Health insurance subsidies |
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59 | (4) |
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Unemployment insurance benefits |
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63 | (1) |
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Federal refundable tax credits |
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64 | (1) |
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65 | (1) |
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For more information on safety net programs |
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66 | (1) |
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Chapter 5 Digging Out and Forging Ahead |
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Turning Your Eye toward Recovery |
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67 | (3) |
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Knowing how long it will take to regain stable financial footing |
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68 | (1) |
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Coping with frustration and moving on |
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69 | (1) |
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Thinking (and Researching) Before Making Financial Moves |
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Wise financial actions to take |
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70 | (1) |
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Boneheaded financial actions to avoid |
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70 | (1) |
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Leaning on an Expert for Help |
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Knowing how experts can help |
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72 | (1) |
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Being careful in a time of need |
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72 | (1) |
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Finding financial advisors and planners |
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72 | (3) |
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Being aware of budget counselors |
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75 | (1) |
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Investing in investment managers |
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76 | (1) |
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Looking into real estate agents |
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77 | (2) |
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Making note of tax preparers and advisors |
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79 | (1) |
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Dealing with insurance agents |
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80 | (1) |
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80 | (1) |
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Minding Your Media Intake |
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Example 1: The Covid-19 pandemic |
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Example 2: The 2008 Financial Crisis |
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Example 3: Corporations not paying income taxes |
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Lessons learned and keys to remember |
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86 | (1) |
Part 3: Being A Smart Consumer Of Economic Information |
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Chapter 6 So Many Numbers! Making Sense of Economic Reports |
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89 | (20) |
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Keeping Economic Reports in Perspective |
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90 | (3) |
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Reports are a (small) snapshot in time |
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90 | (1) |
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Beware annualized numbers |
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91 | (1) |
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Take a long-term view of the numbers |
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92 | (1) |
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Sleuthing Through Economic Reports |
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93 | (9) |
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93 | (2) |
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95 | (1) |
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96 | (1) |
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97 | (2) |
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Consumer prices (also known as inflation) |
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99 | (1) |
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The reports you can mostly ignore |
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100 | (2) |
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Interpreting Media Coverage of Economic Data |
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102 | (7) |
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Understanding the short-term and provocative focus |
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102 | (1) |
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Keeping an eye out for biases |
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102 | (1) |
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Example 1: The Covid-19 pandemic |
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Example 2: The 2008 financial crisis |
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105 | (4) |
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Chapter 7 Says Who? Weighing "Expert's" Advice |
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Understanding Why Particular Pundits Get Attention |
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110 | (8) |
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Important things to know about the "news" media |
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110 | (2) |
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Getting media attention is a competitive business |
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112 | (1) |
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Controversial points of view often attract |
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112 | (2) |
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Political partisans can be hazardous to your wealth |
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114 | (4) |
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Uncovering Gurus' Agendas |
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118 | (2) |
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Figuring out what they're really selling |
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118 | (1) |
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Checking out their qualifications and track records |
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119 | (1) |
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Deciding Whether Hiring an Advisor Is the Right Choice |
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120 | (1) |
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Chapter 8 Following Financial Markets |
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121 | (12) |
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Understanding Stocks and Bonds |
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122 | (1) |
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Making Informed Investing Decisions |
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123 | (6) |
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Connecting corporate profits to stock prices |
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124 | (1) |
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Looking at financial market efficiency |
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125 | (1) |
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Focusing on interest rates, inflation, and the Federal Reserve |
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126 | (3) |
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Challenging Financial Markets During Changing Times |
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129 | (6) |
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What really moves financial markets (in the short term) |
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130 | (1) |
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Why market timing is so hard to do |
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Part 4: Keeping Your Personal Finance House In Order |
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133 | (90) |
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Chapter 9 Getting on the Right Road with Spending and Saving |
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135 | (26) |
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Getting a Handle on Your Spending |
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136 | (9) |
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Differentiating necessities from luxuries |
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136 | (1) |
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Reducing your expenditures |
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137 | (6) |
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Setting and following a budget |
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143 | (1) |
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Some final spending reminders |
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144 | (1) |
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Saving: Necessary Rocket Fuel |
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145 | (6) |
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Understanding compounded returns |
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146 | (1) |
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Considering your short- and long-term personal and financial goals |
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146 | (3) |
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Noting the power of tax-deferred retirement accounts |
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149 | (2) |
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151 | (1) |
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152 | (6) |
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Knowing your income tax rate |
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152 | (1) |
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Using your income tax rate |
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153 | (3) |
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Taxing issues regarding children |
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156 | (1) |
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Making quarterly tax filing requirements |
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157 | (1) |
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Ouch! Dealing with Major Medical Bills |
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158 | (3) |
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Reviewing your billing statements for accuracy |
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158 | (1) |
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Negotiating with providers or an insurance company |
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158 | (3) |
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Chapter 10 Investing Wisely and Securely |
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Checking Out All the Places You Can Invest Your Money |
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161 | (15) |
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Noting how investment types differ from one another |
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162 | (2) |
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Understanding the major investments |
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164 | (1) |
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Building wealth with stocks |
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165 | (6) |
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Locating money through real estate |
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171 | (3) |
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Turning to small business options |
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174 | (1) |
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Searching for safe money investments |
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175 | (1) |
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Cultivating Good Investing Habits |
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176 | (6) |
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177 | (1) |
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Managing monitoring and trading your investments |
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178 | (2) |
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Keeping your emotions from following market trends |
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180 | (1) |
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Dealing with investment setbacks |
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181 | (1) |
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Developing a Personal Investing Plan |
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182 | (6) |
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183 | (1) |
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Assessing your current portfolio |
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183 | (2) |
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185 | (3) |
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Selecting the Best Mutual Funds and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) |
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188 | (3) |
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Investing in stock and bond funds |
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189 | (2) |
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191 | (1) |
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Seizing Investment Opportunities During Tough Times |
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191 | (4) |
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Cashing in on reduced stock and real estate prices |
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192 | (1) |
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Mustering the courage to buy when more people are selling |
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193 | (2) |
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Chapter 11 Getting and Maintaining Proper Insurance |
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195 | (28) |
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Being Prepared: A Quick Lesson on Insurance |
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196 | (3) |
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Don't sweat the small losses |
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196 | (1) |
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197 | (1) |
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198 | (1) |
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Insurance worth purchasing |
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199 | (1) |
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199 | (5) |
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Reviewing your current health insurance |
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200 | (1) |
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Saving tax dollars with health savings accounts |
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201 | (1) |
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Maximizing your personal health |
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202 | (2) |
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Securing Your Income-Earning Ability |
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204 | (5) |
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Long-term disability insurance |
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204 | (3) |
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207 | (2) |
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209 | (8) |
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210 | (3) |
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213 | (4) |
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Excess liability insurance |
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217 | (1) |
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Will, Trusts, and Estate Planning |
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217 | (2) |
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217 | (1) |
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Preparing other useful legal documents |
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218 | (1) |
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Considering your preparation options |
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219 | (1) |
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Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft and Fraud |
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219 | (4) |
Part 5: Prepping For Future Armageddon |
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223 | (28) |
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Chapter 12 What Pundits Scare People About |
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225 | (16) |
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Fearmongers Have Been Scaring Folks for Generations |
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226 | (7) |
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Case study: Peter Schiff has been scaring investors for generations |
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227 | (4) |
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Understanding what pundits are trying to sell you |
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231 | (1) |
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Seeing why fearmongers' predictions are often wrong |
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232 | (1) |
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Surveying the Leading Worries Being Pitched Today |
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233 | (8) |
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Excessive government debts |
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233 | (4) |
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High inflation and worthless currencies |
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237 | (1) |
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Anarchy and the breakdown of society |
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238 | (3) |
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Chapter 13 Preparing Yourself for Unexpected Future Crises |
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241 | (10) |
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What Possible Future Crises Should You Be Prepared For? |
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242 | (7) |
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Dangers of excessive dependence upon technology and internet |
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243 | (1) |
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Hazards of faster and inaccurate "news" flow |
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243 | (2) |
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245 | (1) |
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Climate change (also known as global warming) |
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245 | (2) |
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Power grid failures and resource shortages |
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247 | (1) |
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Solvency of Social Security |
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248 | (1) |
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Preparing Financially and Otherwise for New Future Crises |
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249 | (2) |
Part 6: The Part Of Tens |
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251 | (14) |
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Chapter 14 Tens Ways to Improve Your Personal Safety |
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253 | (6) |
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Combine Your Instincts with Proven Strategies |
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253 | (1) |
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What You Don't Know Can Hurt You |
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254 | (1) |
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Do Unto Others As You Would Have Others Do Unto You |
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254 | (1) |
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Err on the Side of Caution |
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255 | (1) |
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There's (Some) Safety in Numbers, But There May be a Weak Link |
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255 | (1) |
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If It Looks Too Good to Be True, It Probably Is |
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255 | (1) |
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Don't Assume "Lightning Never Strikes Twice" |
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256 | (1) |
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Don't Judge a Book by Its Cover |
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257 | (1) |
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257 | (1) |
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Share Your Concerns with Someone You Trust |
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257 | (2) |
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Chapter 15 Ten Ways to Address Over-Saving |
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259 | (6) |
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Understanding the Over-Saver Mindset |
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259 | (2) |
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Balancing Spending and Saving |
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261 | (1) |
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Keeping Money Accumulation in Proper Perspective |
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261 | (1) |
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Giving Yourself Permission to Spend More |
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262 | (1) |
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Doing Some Retirement Analysis |
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262 | (1) |
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Getting Smart about Investing Your Money |
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262 | (1) |
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262 | (1) |
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Treating Yourself to Something Special |
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263 | (1) |
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Buying More Gifts for the People You Love |
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263 | (1) |
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Going Easy When It Comes to Everyday Expenses |
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263 | (2) |
Index |
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