Standard & Poor's Guide To Personal Finance

Commonsense strategies for improving your personal cash flow and building long-term wealth The best person to straighten out your financial house is you, and the best time to start is right now. The Standard & Poor's Guide to Personal Finance provides you with step-by-step guidelines for making the right decisions on everything from insurance and investments to credit cards, college and retirement savings plans, and other important day-to-day money issues. Combining real-world examples and insights with Standard & Poor's knowledge and expertise, this bottomline book tells you everything you need to know to: bull; bull;Manage your good debt and eliminate your bad debt forever bull;Create and easily follow an innovative, two-step budgeting process bull;Control stock market risk through asset allocation and dollar cost averaging bull;Ensure that 401(k)s, IRAs, and other retirement plans will meet your needs bull;Build a substantial, tax-advantaged college savings plan bull;Leave your estate to your heirs instead of the IRS bull;Minimize your short- and long-term mortgage costs bull;Get the insurance you need without spending a fortune Your ability to manage money wisely can have a dramatic effect on your personal and financial success. The Standard & Poor's Guide to Personal Finance contains scores of skill-building tips and guidelines, and provides you with the tools you need to make every financial decision a smart, profitable financial decision.Downey, Tom is the author of 'Standard & Poor's Guide To Personal Finance ', published 2005 under ISBN 9780071447416 and ISBN 0071447415.