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Personal Financial Planning

theDoc — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 15:57:37 +0000

Financial Peace: Putting Common Sense Into Your Dollars and Cents

theDoc — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:57:37 +0000


A practical and spiritual guide on how to become free from financial stress draws on biblical wisdom to discuss how to get out of debt, simple rules of investing, using the principle of contentment, and more. Read by Dave Ramsey.

Special People, Special Planning: Creating a Safe Legal Haven for Families With Special Needs

theDoc — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 15:57:37 +0000

The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate in California: A Step-by-step Plan to Protect Your Assets, Limit Your Taxes, and Ensure Your Wishes Are Fulfilled for California Residents (Back-To-Basics)

theDoc — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

What happens to your estate after you are gone is very much within your control. Estate planning is not only for the wealthy; it is for everyone. It is simply the process of deciding where your assets are to be distributed after your death. For those people who wish to preserve their assets for designated purposes such as family or special charities it becomes necessary to make special advance preparations. To ensure your assets are protected and final wishes are carried out, there are some common actions that should be taken now. Proper estate planning allows you to plan for yourself and your loved ones without giving up control of your affairs. Your estate plan should also allow for the possibility of your own disability. It should detail what you own and whom you want to leave it to at a time of your choosing and the way you want. Your estate plan should include fully disclosed, controlled costs for you and your loved ones. The last thing you want to worry about is having your estate drained of value through taxes and legal costs. The right plan can protect the value of your estate and spare your loved ones unnecessary hassles and legal conflicts. The Complete Guide to Planning Your Estate in California will help you glide through this complicated process. This new book has been adapted to offer Ohio residents state-specific advice for estate planning. Co-authors Margo Pierce and Linda C. Ashar, attorneys at law, have crafted an estate planning primer, allowing California residents to become more informed and more involved during the process. Many books on estate planning indicate you do not need the services of an attorney, but this book highly recommends using an attorney versed in this area: You should not go through the process alone. This book is intended explain the complicated issues, terminology, and planning strategies of estate planning so when you do meet with a qualified attorney, you will be well prepared. You will understand the legal terms and be ready to discuss issues and strategies with familiarity, saving you time and legal fees and ensuring peace of mind. California -specific information is offered throughout this book, including: California s probate code; California rules, regulations, and laws specific to estate planning; elements of a valid California will; planning your living will in California; explanations of In California diana laws regarding durable health care power of attorneys, do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, and directives to withhold CPR. The book s easy-to-understand context clarifies this complicated and sensitive subject and gives readers the power to take control of their future. This book also offers an overview of abatement rules, settlement costs, guardianship and minor children, executors and trustees, life insurance, potential long-term care needs, marital deductions, types of trusts, gift splitting, survivorship deeds, 529 plans, reducing or eliminating estate taxes, avoiding tax on life insurance, using insurance to pay estate taxes, gift tax issues, generation skipping transfer tax, and tax-deferred accounts. Estate planning should be a positive experience. It involves reviewing your situation and planning for your future. Although few people want to think about the possibility of disability or disease, advance planning is also a way to show your love and to reduce potential distress later. Other books offer a non-state-specific overview of estate planning, causing many readers to be misinformed about rules and regulations particular to their state; but, this new book provides information California residents need to know. Do not get outdated or wrong information that does not pertain to you specifically. Use this new book to craft an estate plan that is not only legally sound but also fully carries out your last wishes and protects your loved ones.

Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People

theDoc — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

Are you too busy to pay much attention to your money? Do you worry that maybe you haven't been doing the right things? This book is for you, from Jane Bryant Quinn, the most trusted voice in personal finance today. Her classic bestseller, Making the Most of Your Money, guided a generation toward smart and sensible financial choices. Here she strips away the extras, choosing the best financial ideas and products available today. They're all you need to create a successful and long-lasting financial plan. It's money management the No Worry way.To start with, she tells you to forget all the complicated stuff the financial industry sells. You don't need it, it costs too much, and some of it is downright bad. It's designed to make the banks, brokers, and insurance companies rich, not you.The best ideas (a super-short list!) are simple, low in cost, and easy to use. They're also sophisticated and smart. The strategies shown here are followed by some of the most successful planners and money managers around today, yet they're something everyone can understand. They'll give you what you need from your money -- regular savings, financial security, long-term investment growth, personal control, and best of all, peace of mind. Once you've set up a No Worry plan, you won't have to pay much attention to it. The choices you'll find here are all good ones. All you have to do is arrange for automatic payments and contributions and then get on with the rest of your busy life. You can focus your energies on your job, family, leisure, and friends, secure in the knowledge that your finances are okay.Here's what you'll do on the No Worry plan: Save more money without feeling pinched Get rid of debt the automatic way Keep yourself safe, with the right amount of insurance at the lowest cost Zero in on the right mortgage, every time Pick the best college savings plan for your kids Understand your finances, in ways you never did before Find the smartest and simplest ways of investing money, to earn superior returns over the long run The investment ideas alone will open your eyes to the newest strategies for accumulating wealth (without making big mistakes!). Jane Bryant Quinn will change the way you think about money. She has the answers busy people need.

Investiphobia: You Can Invest Without Fear!

theDoc — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

When markets fall dramatically, it is natural for investors to experience fear. But for some, the fear never goes away. They develop fear so powerful, they are unable to make sound decisions about their investments. Based on over twenty years in the financial services industry, Paul Puckett identifies the fears that lead to the paralyzing condition called investiphobia. Investiphobia is the abnormal, paralyzing, and irrational fear of anything relating to investing, investment professionals, and investment products. It is characterized by the inability to make sound investment decisions which results in poor investment performance. In simple language, Paul shows how fear makes you susceptible to bad decisions, bad products, and unscrupulous professionals. The book also provides extensive guidance in the selection of your financial provider. Investiphobia uses humor in covering a serious subject that is critical to the success of any investor. You can invest without fear!

Real Life Financial Planning: An Easy-to-understand System to Organize Your Financial Plan and Prioritize Financial Decisions

theDoc — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

There is an abundance of information out there on financial planning - tips on general investment strategies, methods for portfolio diversification, steps to turn hundreds into thousands - but these don't always incorporate sound, experience-related, applicable advice. In Real Life Financial Planning CFP Todd Bramson strives to impart the knowledge he has gained from 20+ years working directly with individuals, customizing their financial plans and addressing their specific questions. Contrary to most financial planning publications and plans themselves, which assume everyone lives a long life and saves a good portion of their income through quality investments, this book addresses issues that arise in real life - those both expected and unforeseen - and stresses the importance of working with a trained professional to develop and implement a financial plan that meets individual goals and objectives. At its core, this title sets forth practical methodology for understanding, organizing and prioritizing financial decisions, whatever the intended outcome may be. You will learn how to prioritize your many competing financial decisions and manage your complex financial life. The result is a financial plan that decreases worry and stress, knowing that you are in control and are systematically building and protecting your wealth. There is an amazing amount of practical advice packed into this book based on the wisdom gained from over 10,000 individual meetings that Todd has had with his clientsÃ�â�¦people just like you. You will learn to: organize your financial affairs to meet your needs; prioritize decisions so that you know what to do when; maximize financial security with correct insurance and asset protection strategies; get control of your financial life; begin a path toward financial independence, and much, much more!

ESPlannerTM 2000: Revolutionary Financial Planning Software – CD-ROM edition

theDoc — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

"...if you demand the deepest and most powerful planning engine, look no further." -- The Washington Post ESPlanner, developed by Economic Security Planning, Inc., revolutionizes financial planning. Traditional financial planning makes you set your own saving and life insurance targets. This is hard and, if you set your targets too low, dangerous. ESPlanner finds your targets for you by doing life cycle consumption smoothing--finding the most you can spend today without suffering a drop in living standard tomorrow. ESPlanner not only calculates your family's highest sustainable living standard, it also determines the amounts of saving and life insurance you need to maintain and protect that living standard through time. ESPlanner delivers its findings in the form of annual spending, saving, and insurance recommendations. Whether you're working or retired, maximizing and smoothing your household's living standard isn't easy. Many factors are involved, including your household composition, assets, earnings, retirement ages, housing expenses and plans, special expenditures, estate plans, pensions, tax-favored assets, federal and state income taxes, payroll taxes, Social Security retirement and survivor benefits, desired changes in living standard, economies in shared living, and borrowing constraints. ESPlanner considers these and a host of other factors, including contingent plans and the fact that survivors may have different needs and incomes. ESPlanner also lets you vary key inputs, such as the ages at which you'll retire, collect Social Security retirement benefits, and start to withdraw tax-deferred assets, to determine how these choices affect your maximum sustainable living standard. Although its calculations are complex, ESPlanner's interface is user-friendly, and its recommendations are easy to follow. System requirements: Runs on Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT v.4.0 with Service Pack 4. Minimum requirements: IntelÂ® PentiumÂ® II or faster processor (266 MHz) with 32 MB of RAM. Recommended: IntelÂ® PentiumÂ® II or faster processor (400MHz) with 64MB RAM. Here's what's new in ESPlanner2000: Â· Updated Federal Income Tax Provisions and More Accurate Calculation of Taxes on Long-term Capital Gains Â· Updated Social Security Benefit Provisions, including Pending Changes in the Earnings Test Â· Updated Social Security Tax Provisions Â· Updated of all State Income Tax Provisions and Much More Refined Treatment of Itemized Deductions Â· Simplified Controls for Inputting Dates Â· Ability to Save Results to Excel and Use Excel to Chart Results Â· Revised Manual and Tutorial

How to Survive (and Perhaps Thrive) on a Teacher’s Salary

theDoc — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

According to a 2006 study done by the National Education Association, 50% of teachers leave the profession within five years because of poor working conditions and low salaries. Yet, according to the 2006 General Social Survey, teaching ranks among the Top 10 most gratifying jobs with 69% of teachers reporting they were very satisfied with their jobs. A low salary should not be the reason stop molding young minds and influencing lives for the betterment of our society. Learn to: Retire with a sizeable nest egg Teach in a foreign country Own all of your possessions including your cars and house Invest in Roth IRAs and 403bs Establish a weekly 'budget' Live a financially secure life on a teacher s salary! Use author Danny Kofke's easy-to-use tips to equip you and your family to not only survive, but live happily within your means, multiply your funds and invest in your future.

Living Life After Divorce & Widowhood: Financial Planning, Skills, and Strategies for When the Unthinkable Happens

theDoc — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 15:57:37 +0000

The massive change in your life after a spouse leaves can be overwhelming, both emotionally and financially. With a divorce rate holding steady at 36 percent per capita, according to the National Center for Health Statistics, and the wide range of individuals stricken by their spouse's early death, the dilemma of having to handle your own finances and relearn the single lifestyle can be a heavy blow. With this book, you will learn not only how to pick up the pieces and once again live alone, but how to successfully organize your finances, run your life, and keep yourself afloat. The first step in rebuilding and returning to the lifestyle you have not lived in years is to analyze how you saved and ran your finances during marriage. You will learn how to sort through your existing finances and how to redefine what kind of financial risk you present whether you are a saver or a spender, and how you can use this knowledge. You will learn when, and if, you should seek professional help in outlining your financial options and putting everything in order and how to do so. Every situation in which you find yourself alone again will affect your finances differently and so, a chapter has been provided that details how each different form of divorce and the death of a spouse directly affects you and your financial standing. You will learn how to reassess your assets and liabilities and what will have carried over from your spouse. The process of assessing your finances and looking at cash flow statements will be provided alongside a detailed walkthrough of the process involved in deciding how your future finances will be managed. The complex process of filing and filling out the necessary paperwork will be broken down into easy steps for every situation you might find yourself in, including the reallocation of powers of attorney, wills, and insurance coverage. You will learn how to reassess your career and how to restart your savings successfully, regardless of what happened. The reduction of debt and the management of existing investments are discussed in depth along with the detailed interviews and professional opinions of financial and legal experts in the field who provide tips and strategies for anyone trying to rebuild when single again. Finally, you will be shown how your restructuring can and will affect your children and why you should start planning as quickly as possible for their needs. If you have recently gone through a divorce or suffered the loss of your spouse, it can be a rough experience trying to rebuild your life, but this book will help you through the most meticulous and nerve wracking aspects step-by-step.