The Complete Idiot's Guide to Investing for Women

by Sander, Jennifer Basye; Alpha Development Group; Boutin, Anne; Brown, Jim

ISBN13: 9780028629421

ISBN10: 0028629426

Format: Paperback

Pub. Date: 1999-01-01

Publisher(s): Alpha Books

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Summary

You're no idiot, of course. You've balanced a checkbook, paid the bills on time, and saved enough money for a nice vacation. But when it comes to dealing with stockbrokers and choosing a retiremnet plan, you feel a little like June Cleaver. Don't hide your money in a cookie jar just yet! The Complete Idiot's Guide to Investing for Women will show you how to plan a secure financial future without buying a bigger cookie jar. In this Complete Idiot's Guide, you get:

Author Biography

Jennifer Bayse Sander is the author of ten books, including co-authoring a motivational money book for women, The Millionaires Across the Street and The Complete Idiot's Guide to Getting Published. The owner of Big City Books, a book packaging firm, Jennifer lives in Granite Bay, California. Anne Boutin is a vice president and senior financial consultant at a top brokerage house, where she has been since 1979. She manages 110 million dollars in assets. Anne works with families across the country, helping them preserve wealth from one generation to the next. She has become acutely aware of the many challenges that face women on the path to investment security. Anne lives in Northern California. Jim Brown is a freelance writer and editor specializing in business, government, and health care. He lives in Sacramento, California.

Focus on Your Finances--Now!	p. 1
What, Me Worry?	p. 3
But I'll Be Taken Care of...Won't I?	p. 3
Bursting Out of Your Financial Cocoon	p. 4
Uh, Did We Lose You Already?	p. 4
Taking Charge of the Rest of Your Life	p. 5
Money Motivators	p. 5
Married...With Children	p. 5
Just How Do We Do It?	p. 6
Anyone Else?	p. 6
Ah...the Relief Team Has Finally Arrived!	p. 7
Tax Time	p. 7
No Shrinking Violets!	p. 7
Single, But Maybe	p. 7
On Your Own...Again	p. 8
Alone...and Grieving	p. 8
Graduating to the Real World	p. 9
Get With the Program!	p. 10
Ready to Make the Plunge?	p. 10
Gosh, Will They Let Me In? Isn't Investing a Boy's Club?	p. 13
Women's Wealth Is on the Move--Up!	p. 14
Who Decides Now?	p. 14
They Like Us, They Really Do!	p. 14
The Women of Wall Street	p. 16
The Face in Front of the Camera	p. 17
The Women With the Pen	p. 18
Well-known Women of Wealth	p. 18
Women of Really Independent Means	p. 19
Now Let's Start on You!	p. 20
The Money Under Your Mattress	p. 21
The Cash Stash	p. 21
Unscrambling the Nest Egg	p. 22
Returns to Lender	p. 22
Is That All There Is?	p. 23
So, How Do You Rate?	p. 23
Compound It!	p. 23
Attention Shoppers!	p. 24
Money In, Money Out	p. 24
Interesting Enough?	p. 25
Passbook Paralysis	p. 25
Save, Save, Save	p. 26
More Money, Maybe	p. 26
Lumping It All Together	p. 27
A Little Over Here, a Little Over There	p. 27
De-stress Tax Time	p. 28
And This Will Cost How Much?	p. 28
A Helpful Voice on the Phone	p. 28
Junk Mail and Other Stuff You Will Receive	p. 31
What, You Mean I Have to Read This Stuff?	p. 31
But Isn't That Obvious?	p. 32
Some of That Stuff Really Is Junk Mail	p. 32
From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankwiler	p. 32
But I Thought Records Went Out of Style	p. 33
Nontaxing Topics	p. 33
Show Me the Money	p. 34
But I'm Sure I Bought Some More Stock!	p. 34
Trade Talk	p. 35
Glossy Reports	p. 35
Quarterlies	p. 36
Proxy Syndrome	p. 36
The Replacements	p. 36
Memories	p. 37
And Your Point Is?	p. 37
Take Back the Streets!	p. 37
Getting Started Again	p. 38
Auto Pilot	p. 38
Start Your Garbage Cans Now!	p. 39
Can I Get Some Help With This?	p. 41
Shall I Go Stag, or Take a Date to the Prom?	p. 42
Taxes and Other Ugly Facts of Life	p. 42
The Bean Counters	p. 42
"Sign Here, Please"	p. 43
Just Walk Through the Door and	p. 44
Call in the Big Guns	p. 44
Wall Street Warriors	p. 45
How Do You Choose?	p. 46
The Alphabet Crew	p. 47
CFC--Chartered Financial Consultant	p. 47
CFP--Certified Financial Planner	p. 47
LUTCF--Life Underwriter Training Council Fellow	p. 47
How to Choose?	p. 48
I Owe, I Owe, It's Off to Work I Go	p. 51
Evaluating Your Net Worth	p. 53
Tuning in the Big Picture	p. 53
Home, Sweet Major Asset	p. 54
Take Your Statement	p. 54
The Rest of the Story	p. 55
Building Toward the Big Numbers	p. 55
The Java Savings Plan	p. 56
Are There Holes in Your Net?	p. 56
Another Net	p. 57
The Real Bottom Line	p. 57
Gaining Ground	p. 59
Status Seekers	p. 59
Here You Goal Again	p. 59
The American Dream--Long-Term Debt	p. 61
To Dream the American Dream	p. 61
How Much House Can You Really Afford?	p. 63
To Refinance or Not to Refinance--That Is the Question	p. 63
So, Why Would You Do This?	p. 64
Watch Your Step!	p. 64
A Thin White Line	p. 65
Lock Up Your House at All Times	p. 66
The Sheepskin in Wolf's Clothing	p. 66
Risky Business	p. 66
The Graduate	p. 67
Credit Card Bondage--Modern-Day Slavery	p. 69
The Credit Lure	p. 70
Oh Yeah Sure, That's Easy	p. 71
Who Thought These Up, Anyway?	p. 71
The Credit Bully Pulpit	p. 71
Back to Our Bully Pulpit	p. 72
Spoiled Food	p. 73
Break the Bonds!	p. 73
How Do You Rate?	p. 73
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due	p. 74
But on the Other Hand	p. 74
Surf's Up!	p. 75
How Low Can You Go?	p. 76
Livin' the Good Life	p. 76
Surprise--a New Card!	p. 76
Before We Move On	p. 77
Welcome to Big Al's Friendly Car Lot!	p. 79
Cadillac, Mercedes, Lexus, BMW	p. 79
"Your Lights Are On"	p. 80
Old Money, Seldom Used	p. 80
I Just Love That New Car Smell!	p. 81
Zero Percent Financing Available!	p. 81
Even More Costly	p. 82
Stop and Consider This	p. 83
Leasing Your Image	p. 83
Is It Big Enough to Live In?	p. 83
The Smart Woman's Choice	p. 84
Practicing What I Preach	p. 85
Call 'Em Up and Have 'Em Haul it Away!	p. 85
Let's Go Through This Again	p. 85
Get Rich Like Bill Gates Did!	p. 87
The World Is Your Rolex Oyster	p. 89
Owning a Piece of the Action	p. 90
Going to Market	p. 90
The Global Marketplace	p. 91
Taking Stock	p. 92
Does Owning Part of a Company Mean You're the Boss?	p. 92
What Do You Get From Owning a Share of Stock?	p. 92
What Is a Stock Worth?	p. 93
So, How Does the Price Get Set?	p. 93
Who Are You Buying From?	p. 94
How Does It Really Work?	p. 94
The Movers and the Shakers	p. 94
How Many Shares Should I Buy?	p. 94
Okay, So How Big a "Nest Egg" to Start?	p. 95
Being the Boss of Your Portfolio	p. 95
How to Manage "Your" Company	p. 96
A Game Plan for Creating Wealth	p. 97
Get Rich Slowly	p. 97
Bargains in the Basement	p. 98
Many Happy Returns	p. 98
Our Favorite Ratio Stations	p. 99
The Trend Is Your Friend	p. 99
Jumping In and Out	p. 100
More on the Market	p. 101
Like the Product? Buy It!	p. 101
Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is!	p. 102
Time After Time	p. 102
Optional Direct Purchase Plans	p. 103
Investing at the Margin	p. 103
Whoa, What Happened Here?	p. 104
Are You Exercising Your Options?	p. 105
How Equity Options Work	p. 105
Options Represent a Transfer of Risk for a Price	p. 105
Advanced Options Strategies	p. 106
Pull Out the Crystal Ball	p. 106
What Else Can You Invest In?	p. 107
Never a Borrower, But a Lender Be	p. 109
T-Bills (Not T-Bones) and Other Ways to Grow Your Stake	p. 110
And Where Does This Money Come From?	p. 111
Become a CD Player	p. 112
Corporate Raiders	p. 113
Who Deserves Your Money?	p. 113
Immature Money	p. 114
We Wouldn't Want That Job!	p. 115
Yippee--It's Tax-Free!	p. 116
Is the Feeling Mutual?	p. 119
An Investment Soup Pot	p. 120
Soup or Salad?	p. 120
Gumbo Is Gumbo--or Is It?	p. 121
Special Items on the Menu	p. 122
Let Someone Else Do the Cooking	p. 124
All in the Family	p. 124
Open Sunday, Closed Monday	p. 124
Do I Know the Chef?	p. 125
How Do I Order?	p. 125
Do I Tip the Waiter?	p. 126
How Big a Tip, Anyway?	p. 126
Maybe I'd Rather Have the White Wine	p. 126
Mints After Dinner?	p. 127
Recipes for Success	p. 127
If You'd Rather Switch Than Fight	p. 127
All Over the MIP	p. 127
A Trip Overseas	p. 128
Examining the Ingredients	p. 128
Is That a Fly in My Soup?	p. 129
The Capital Offense	p. 129
Driving With the Rearview Mirror	p. 129
Too Much Water in the Soup	p. 130
You Still Have to Pay Attention	p. 130
So Much Money, So Little Time	p. 131
Do You Still Own Your Money, or Does It Now Own You?	p. 133
Help--I'm Drowning in Paperwork!	p. 133
Headache-free?	p. 134
Filegate II	p. 134
Hold That Asset!	p. 135
Lump It All Together	p. 136
You Own Your Money--and Your Time, Too!	p. 136
Top Time-Saver	p. 136
So, More Is Less?	p. 137
Just One Short Week	p. 137
Warning, Warning!	p. 138
Too Much Time on My Hands	p. 138
Statement Overload	p. 139
Safe and Secure	p. 140
Software to the Rescue	p. 143
Can a Computer Help You Invest?	p. 143
Something Might Go Wrong!	p. 144
Press the Power Button	p. 144
Hunt and Peck	p. 144
Got One, Now What?	p. 145
Software, Software Everywhere and Not a Drop to Drink!	p. 146
Which Program Do I Really Need?	p. 146
And What's in It for Me?	p. 146
Click on Something	p. 147
Auto Pilot	p. 147
More Products From Microsoft	p. 148
Rev It Up!	p. 149
Taxing Topics	p. 149
Who Needs This?	p. 150
File Online	p. 151
Feeling a Little Insecure	p. 151
Code Breakers	p. 151
Storage Boxes	p. 151
I'm Ready for More!	p. 152
Info World	p. 153
And These Guys Want Your Money, Too!	p. 154
Logging on to Learn	p. 154
Investorama!	p. 156
Hot Tips and Hyped Stocks	p. 157
Push Button, Buy Stock	p. 158
What About the Big Guys?	p. 160
Cozy Bedtime Reading	p. 160
Magazines About Money	p. 160
Financial Newspapers	p. 161
The Financial Soaps	p. 162
And the Ladies of the Club...the Investment Club!	p. 165
A Short History Lesson	p. 166
The Ladies Club	p. 167
You Again?!	p. 167
Get Educated	p. 167
Goal Setting	p. 169
But How Can I Find One, and Will I Get In?	p. 169
Check 'Em Out	p. 170
What If I Need the Money?	p. 170
Now That I Belong, Can I Stop All My Other Trading?	p. 171
Move over Beardstown Ladies--Here Come the Sand Dollars!	p. 172
Sounds Great--I'm Calling All My Friends to Start a Club!	p. 173
From Investment Club to Country Club	p. 174
When I Am an Old Woman, I Shall Wear Purple Cashmere	p. 177
Basic Retirement Planning	p. 179
The Stronger Sex	p. 179
Lighten Up!	p. 180
Work Without End	p. 180
Will My Costs Go Down?	p. 181
Social Security--Save Me!	p. 181
Should You Go With the Flow?	p. 181
More Water Under the Bridge	p. 182
Priming the Pump	p. 183
Area 51	p. 183
The Good Life--Is It Guaranteed?	p. 184
No More Bills to Pay!	p. 184
The Old Family Home	p. 185
Taking the Plunge	p. 185
Back to the Sink	p. 186
Taxing Matters	p. 186
Meet Your New Friends--the Roth Family!	p. 186
All About Employer-Sponsored Plans	p. 189
Say Goodbye to the Old Company Pension	p. 190
Designing a Better Way	p. 190
401(k), the King of Plans	p. 191
Who's Putting Up the Money?	p. 191
The Power of Your Money	p. 191
What You Contribute	p. 192
Max Out!	p. 193
How to Invest Your Contribution	p. 193
Spread the Risk	p. 194
This Money Belongs to You	p. 195
Stiff Penalties Ahead	p. 195
Penalty-Free!	p. 195
Dealing with Risk	p. 196
More Ways to Drive a Retirement Vehicle	p. 197
Individual Retirement Account	p. 198
Flex Time	p. 198
Make a Choice	p. 198
Two Types of IRAs	p. 199
Pay the Tax Man Now Instead of Later	p. 199
IRA du Jour	p. 200
Looking Through the Keogh	p. 200
The Old-Fashioned Way	p. 201
Simple Is as Simple Does	p. 201
What Else Can I Do?	p. 202
Inside an Annuity	p. 202
Inside-Out Insurance?	p. 203
How to Choose?	p. 203
Fixed-Rate Annuity	p. 203
Variable Annuity	p. 204
Other Bells and Whistles	p. 204
Access to Funds	p. 204
Payout Options	p. 205
The Best Thing to Grow--Long-Term Gains!	p. 209
Starving the Tax Man	p. 209
Chunks and Chunks of Stock	p. 210
Just Hold On!	p. 210
Long Term Versus Tax-Deferred	p. 211
The Highest Returns	p. 211
The True Cost	p. 211
File This, Too	p. 212
Another Damn Form?	p. 212
Buying Into a Good Thing	p. 213
More Good Things	p. 213
Tax Time	p. 213
Strong Performers	p. 214
Diversity	p. 214
Mutual of Oh My--Look at This Tax Bill!	p. 214
Fear of Crowds	p. 214
Taxation Without Representation	p. 215
Even More to Gain	p. 215
But Then	p. 216
A Time to Sell	p. 216
Passing It Along	p. 217
Keeping Track	p. 217
Everybody Dies--Why Not Have a Plan?	p. 219
Where There's a Will, There's a Way	p. 221
Will I?	p. 221
Can You Do It Yourself?	p. 222
But Should You Do It Yourself?	p. 223
Post This Warning	p. 223
Intestate and Other Bad Trips for Your Heirs	p. 223
The Designated Hitter	p. 225
How Do You Choose? Who Do You Choose?	p. 225
Psst...Look in the Top Left-Hand Drawer	p. 226
Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes	p. 226
The Philanthropic Life	p. 227
Estate Planning and Living Trusts	p. 229
Your Will--Distribution or Retribution?	p. 229
Mother Always Liked You Best	p. 230
Ruling From the Grave	p. 230
Five Steps to Planning an Estate	p. 231
Formulating Goals	p. 231
Taking an Inventory	p. 232
Deciding Who Gets What	p. 232
Minimizing Taxes	p. 233
Maybe a Trust?	p. 234
All a Matter of Trust	p. 234
Gee, Thanks for the Tax Bill, Ma!	p. 235
Update It!	p. 236
Keeping It All in the Family	p. 237
Building the Old Family Estate	p. 237
Tantalizing Trust Techniques	p. 238
What Married Folks Do	p. 239
Who Would You Rather Give It To?	p. 239
Choose Wisely	p. 240
Further Strategies	p. 240
Government Bailout	p. 240
Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust	p. 240
Intricate Matters	p. 241
Government Generosity	p. 241
Take Your Lumps	p. 241
For Immediate Distribution	p. 242
Meet the Players	p. 242
Trusting Blindly	p. 243
Probate Means Prove	p. 243
Take a Pass on This One	p. 243
Many Roads, One Destination	p. 244
Worthy Heirs	p. 244
Cultivate Worthy Heirs	p. 244
Not Really Dead, Only Mostly Dead	p. 247
Your Most Expensive Week	p. 247
A Most Serious Business	p. 247
Sign Here, Dear	p. 248
You Need a Plan	p. 249
Free to Be	p. 249
But That's Not What She Told Me!	p. 249
Write It Down!	p. 250
Get a Good Agent	p. 250
Trust Us on This One	p. 250
Setting Limits	p. 251
Run It to the Limit!	p. 251
Amy's Plan	p. 252
Long-Lived Women	p. 252
Believe in Yourself!	p. 255
More Women With Money and Power	p. 256
In Good Company	p. 257
Back to the Beginning	p. 257
Major Reasons to Invest	p. 258
Hanging on When the Market Gets Tough	p. 259
Yes, You Can!	p. 260
Teach Your Children Well	p. 261
And We Want You To!	p. 262
Appendices
How to Read a Company's Financial Report	p. 263
What Are These Reports?	p. 263
It's Show Time	p. 263
The Positive Spin	p. 264
And Now, the Numbers	p. 264
Incoming ...!	p. 265
A Balanced Approach	p. 265
Great, But What If I Don't Own the Company?	p. 266
The Daily Dose: How to Read the Financial Pages	p. 267
Do I Need the Journal?	p. 267
What's the Recipe for a Good Stock Page?	p. 267
All the News Fit to Print	p. 268
The Averages	p. 268
The Market Summary	p. 268
The Listings	p. 269
Reading From Left to Right	p. 269
Glossary	p. 273
Index	p. 276
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.