Contents

Chapters in this book

1. Frontmatter i
2. Contents v
3. Figures and Tables vii
4. 1. Introduction and Overview 1
5. Part I. Expenditure Decisions
6. 2. “Day- Old Bread” Is Worth $20,000 a Year 15
7. 3. Managing Your Credit and Your Cash 32
8. 4. To Rent or to Buy: That’s the Question 49
9. 5. How Much Insurance Should Noah Have Carried on His Ark? 73
10. 6. The Most Expensive U.S. Colleges Are the Best Bargains 98
11. 7. Minimizing the Bites of the Tax Collectors 119
12. 8. Bernie Madoff: Mugger, Con, or Scam Artist? 131
13. Part II. Investment Decisions
14. 9. The Merrill Lynch Hustle: Can You Trust the Brokers? 145
15. 10. Why Are There 10,000 Mutual Funds in America and Only Two and a Half Automobile Firms? 176
16. 11. If You Won $100,000 in the Lottery, How Should You Invest the Money? 206
17. Part III. Financial Planning Decisions
18. 12. An Overview of Financial Planning 249
19. 13. Your Social Security Benefits Could Be Worth $300,000 263
20. 14. If You Don’t Know How Much to Save for Retirement, You Won’t Save Enough 279
21. 15. Three Plans So You Won’t Outlive Your Assets 300
22. 16. A Cruel Choice: Paying for Medical Recoveries or Health Care 328
23. 17. You Can’t Take Your Money with You, But You Can Say Where It Goes 343
24. 18. Ciao and Shalom 359
25. Glossary 363
26. Index 379