Description
Book SynopsisSolid financial guidance for anyone looking to build and protect their wealth Every day, nationally recognized financial advisor Alan Haft helps his clients reach their financial goals and increase their standard of living.
Table of ContentsPreface vii
Acknowledgments ix
Disclaimer x
Introduction: Hollywood and the Art of Investing 1
Chapter 1 The Top 10 Lessons Hollywood teaches us about investing 7
Lesson 1: Diversification is the key to success 7
Lesson 2: It doesn’t have to be complicated for it to be effective 8
Lessons 3: It’s the details that count 8
Lessons 4: Costs are critical 9
Lesson 5: Planning is key 9
Lesson 6: Cut the losers, ride the winners 10
Lesson 7: Experts focus on reducing risk; Novice focus on return 11
Lesson 8: Don’t reinvent the wheel 11
Lesson 9: Complacency is the mother of all disasters 12
Lesson 10: Defy conventional wisdom and take smart risks 12
And one more for the road: if there’s a will there’s a way 13
Chapter 2 To Beat the Market, Be the Market 15
What Billy the Bully teaches us about investing 17
Going down? 18
Swing easy 20
Diversification 21
Off to the races: An introduction to asset allocation 22
Stocks, funds, or indexes 31
The index advantage 44
Building the house 53
How to pick a stock like Warren Buffett 64
A simpler way to pick individual stocks 67
Real-world sample portfolio 68
How to beat Wall Street in nine seconds flat 71
Lifestyle funds 74
The fine art of buying low and selling high 76
Wrapping it up 87
How much should I be saving 88
Chapter 3 Reliable Returns 93
Generating reliable returns 94
The most dangerous game 96
The numbers don’t lie 99
How to avoid the most dangerous game 101
Are you playing the most dangerous game? 102
Stock Market Stan teaches us a lesson 108
Getting away from the most dangerous game 111
Bonds 114
Individual bonds versus Bond Mutual funds 118
Bond ladders 120
Final points on bonds 126
Preferred stocks 130
Dividend stocks 135
The Great Wallendas teach us a lesson 153
Investing in the markets with safety nets beneath you 154
Annuities: Aren’t they bad? 156
Variable Annuities 159
Certificates of deposit: When 6 percent = 0 percent 169
Index Annuities 172
Real Estate 175
Chapter 4 Adding a Little Life to your Life 179
Why would I buy life insurance 180
Term versus permanent life insurance 181
Adding instant wealth to your estate 184
Profiting from selling your life insurance policy 184
Tax-free retirement income 187
Long-term care benefits 188
Spend all your money and still leave it all behind 189
Have someone else pay the tax 191
Doubling your income at retirement: The private pension 194
The private pension and IRAs 205
One million dollars- for free? 206
Life insurance: Conclusion 213
Chapter 5 A break in the action 215
Chapter 6 Individual retirement accounts (IRAs) 219
IRAs: defined 220
IRAs: Frequently asked questions 221
IRAs: Conclusion 241
Chapter 7 A few words on Taxes 243
How your investments are taxed 244
Dividend tax 245
Oridinary income 246
Capital gains 248
Summarizing the three most common taxes 251
The mutual fund tax problem 252
Solving the mutual fund tax problem 253
The one time receiving money from someone is a terrible thing 255
Conclusion 258
Chapter 8 The Bottom of the Ninth 259
What’s the worst that could happen? 260
Anatomy of a living trust 264
Five estate planning blunders to avoid 266
Chapter 9 Support and Maintenance 277
Qualifications 278
Interviewing your potential advisor 280
10 things some advisors would rather you didn’t know 282
Investment clubs 291
Chapter 10 Conclusion 293
Bibliography 299
Internet Resources 301
Index 303
