What Will This Workbook Accomplish for You?
How to Use This Workbook
How This Workbook Is Organized
Special Features of This Workbook
SECTION I: Getting Started
The Investment Policy Statement (IPS)
The Financial Success Diet
Mental Accounting
What Lifestyle Stage Are You In?
How Much Money Will You Need?
What Kind of Investor Are You?
The Five Personalities
The Lifeboat Drill
Recognizing Your Constraints
What Is Your Time Horizon?
Liquidity
Tax Rates
Legal Considerations
Unique Circumstances
Recap
SECTION II: The Rules of the Game
The Rules
The Six Concepts
Concept One: The Importance of Asset Allocation
Concept Tw Understanding Diversification
Concept Three: Combining Dissimilar Investments
Concept Four: Adding Time to Your Investment Program
Concept Five: The Magic of Compounding
Concept Six: Understanding Asset-Class Investing
How to Invest in These Asset Classes
Understanding the Vehicles Mutual Funds
Understanding Your Instruction Manual The Prospectus
Other Things You Should Know About Mutual Funds
How Do the Various Mutual Fund Parties Work Together?
Major Types of Mutual Funds
How to Read Newspaper Mutual Fund Tables
What If You've Bought a Bad Fund?
Exchange Traded Funds
Individually Managed Accounts
Investing Directly in Stocks
Understanding Fixed Income Securities
Investing Directly in Bonds
Investment Vehicles That Are Sheltered from Tax
Retirement Plan Vehicles
Concepts That Are Least Effective
SECTION III: Applying A Disciplined Strategy
Completing Your Investment Policy Statement
What's a Reasonable Growth Rate of Return?
The Impact of Taxes
What Investments Are Appropriate?
Should You Do It Yourself or Work with an Advisor?
Questions to Ask an Advisor
Selecting a Financial Advisor
How Do Advisors Get Paid?
Doing It Yourself