Description
Book SynopsisMorningstar's Director of Personal Finance, Christine Benz, gives you the tools for tackling your money challenges. This practical guide breaks down important financial tasks into digestible, doable chunks-each task taking just 30 minutes or less.
Trade Review“This book isn't one that requires you to read it all the way through, as the author freely admits. But if you have a question about retirement plans, emergency funds, 529 plans or the right stock/bond mix, among many other subjects, it's a fine financial road map. Benz's conversational, straightforward make this a pleasant and very useful read.”
—Associated Press, January 2010
Table of ContentsForeword xi
Preface xiii
Acknowledgments xix
Part one: Find your baseline 1
Chapter 1: Calculate Your Net Worth 5
Chapter 2: See Where Your Money Goes 11
Chapter 3: Set Your Financial Goals 17
Chapter 4: Create a Budget 23
Part two: Get organized 29
Chapter 5: Create a Bill-Paying System 33
Chapter 6: Create a Filing System 37
Chapter 7: Create a Master Directory 43
Part three: Find the best use of your money 47
Chapter 8: Determine Whether to Pay Down Debt or Invest 51
Chapter 9: Decide Where to Invest for Retirement 59
Part four: Get started in investing 65
Chapter 10: Create an Emergency Fund 69
Chapter 11: Find the Right Stock/Bond Mix 75
Chapter 12: Create an Investment Policy Statement 81
Chapter 13: Invest for Short- and Intermediate-Term Goals 89
Chapter 14: Create a Hands-Off Long-Term Portfolio 97
Part five: Invest in your company retirement plan 105
Chapter 15: Determine How Good Your Company Retirement Plan is 109
Chapter 16: Decide between a Traditional and Roth 401(k) 117
Chapter 17: Select the Best Investments for Your Company Retirement Plan 125
Chapter 18: Make the Most of a Subpar 401(k) Plan 131
Part six: Invest in an IRA 137
Chapter 19: Determine What Type of IRA is Best for You 143
Chapter 20: Identify the Best Investments for Your IRA 147
Chapter 21: Determine Whether to Convert Your IRA 155
Chapter 22: Roll Over Your Retirement Plan into an IRA 163
Part seven: Invest for college 169
Chapter 23: Find the Right College Savings Vehicle 173
Chapter 24: Find the Right 529 Plan 181
Chapter 25: Select the Right Investments for Your College Savings Plan 187
Part eight: Invest in your taxable account 197
Chapter 26: Identify the Best Investments for Taxable Accounts 201
Chapter 27: Manage Your Portfolio for Tax Efficiency 209
Chapter 28: Harvest Tax Losses 215
Part nine: Invest during retirement 223
Chapter 29: Determine Your Portfolio Withdrawal Rate 227
Chapter 30: Build an In-Retirement Portfolio 233
Chapter 31: Find the Right Sequence of In-Retirement Withdrawals 241
Part ten: Monitor your investments 245
Chapter 32: Conduct a Portfolio Checkup 249
Chapter 33: Rebalance Your Portfolio 257
Part eleven: Cover your bases on estate planning 263
Chapter 34: Get Started on Your Estate Plan 269
Chapter 35: Handle Beneficiary Designations 275
Chapter 36: Create a Personal Legacy 281
About the author 285
Index 287
