Eric Tyson - Investing All-in-One For Dummies

Investing All-in-One For Dummies

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John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
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Copyright 2017 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey

Published simultaneously in Canada

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Library of Congress Control Number: 2017934298

ISBN 978-1-119-37662-0 (pbk); ISBN 978-1-119-37663-7 (ebk); ISBN 978-1-119-37664-4 (ebk)

1. Table of Contents

Successful investing takes diligent work and knowledge, like any other meaningful pursuit. Investing All-in-One For Dummies presents basic investing topics such as building an emergency fund, determining your financial goals, and choosing a broker (if youre not a do-it-yourself investor) but also introduces some slightly more advanced subjects, like fundamental analysis, that can enhance your investing strategies. In between, we explain the basics of investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and real estate.

This book can help you avoid the mistakes others have made and can point you in the right direction as you build you portfolio. Explore the pages of this book and find the topics that most interest you within the world of investing.

In all the years that weve counseled and educated investors, the single difference between success and failure, between gain and loss, has boiled down to two words: applied knowledge. Take this book as your first step in a lifelong learning adventure.

To build wealth, you dont need a fancy college or graduate-school degree, and you dont need a rich parent, biological or adopted! What you do need is a desire to read and practice the many simple yet powerful lessons and strategies in this book.

This book is designed to give you a realistic approach to making money. It provides sound, practical investing strategies and insights that have been market-tested and proven from more than 100 years of stock market history. We dont expect you to read it cover to cover. Instead, this book is designed as a reference tool. Feel free to read the chapters in whatever order you choose. You can flip to the sections and chapters that interest you or those that include topics that you need to know more about.

Investing intelligently isnt rocket science. By all means, if youre dealing with a complicated, atypical issue, get quality professional help. But educate yourself first. Hiring someone is dangerous if youre financially challenged. If you do decide to hire someone, youll be much better prepared if you educate yourself. Doing so can also help you focus your questions and assess that persons competence.

No matter your skill or experience level with investing, you can get something out of Investing All-in-One For Dummies . We assume that some readers havent invested in anything other than baseball cards or Pez dispensers and have no clue of where to even start. If that describes you, the first part of the book is custom-made for you and takes extra care to step through all the key points in as much plain English as possible. (When we have no choice but to use investing jargon, we tell you what it means.) But we also assume that more advanced investors may pick this book up, too, looking to discover a few things. The book takes on more advanced topics as you progress through it.

Here are some assumptions we made about you as we crafted this book:

• You have about seven cents in your checking account and youre working to pay off credit card debt or student loans (or both), but you know you need to start saving for the future.
• Youre debt-free, and youd like to start a portfolio.
• You may have some investments, but youre looking to develop a full-scale investment plan.
• Youre tired of feeling overwhelmed by your investing choices and stressed out by the ever-changing economic and investing landscape, and you want to get more comfortable with your investment selections.
• You want to evaluate your investment advisors advice.
• You have a company-sponsored investment plan, like a 401(k), and youre looking to make some decisions or roll it over into a new plan.

If one or more of these descriptions sound familiar, youve come to the right place.

Throughout this book, icons help guide you through the maze of suggestions, solutions, and cautions. We hope the following images make your journey through investment strategies smoother.

We use this icon to highlight an issue that requires more detective work on your part. Dont worry, though; we prepare you for your work so you dont have to start out as a novice gumshoe.