Kobliner - Get a financial life: personal finance in your twenties and thirties

If youve read through this entire tome, congratulations! You have all the basic information you need to have a prosperous financial life. If you are a glutton for punishment, below are some very selective recommendations. These are the books I would tell my friends to read if they wanted to know more about various topics. I have also included magazines, web pages, and pamphlets that may interest you. Some of the publications listed here are mentioned in the individual chapters, while others are not.

BOOKS

Investing

Christopher L. Jones. The Intelligent Portfolio: Practical Wisdom on Personal Investing from Financial Engines. Hoboken: Wiley, 2008. Sound advice from a top portfolio guru.

Burton G. Malkiel. A Random Walk Down Wall Street. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. This updated classic is a must-read for anyone who wants to lean more about investing.

. The Random Walk Guide to Investing. New York: W.W. Norton, 2007. Provides the tools for individual investors to apply the random walk philosophy to their own portfolios.

David F. Swenson. Unconventional Success: A Fundamental Approach to Personal Investment. New York: Free Press, 2005. Yale Universitys chief investment officer set out to tell investors how they could beat the market, only to conclude that they cant. Heavy reading, but required if you really want to delve into this topic and get the inside scoop.

Andrew Tobias. The Only Investment Guide Youll Ever Need. San Diego: Harvest Books, 2005. An excellent (and witty) overview of key investment concepts.

Insurance

Jack Hungelmann. Insurance for Dummies. Hoboken: Wiley, 2001. A good one-stop guide to all the major areas of insurance, how to shop for them, and what to watch out for.

Lee and Carla Rowley. Cheap Insurance for Your Home, Automobile, Health & Life: How to Save Thousands While Getting Good Coverage. Ocala: Atlantic Publishing, 2008. Probably the best one-stop guide to all the major areas of insurance out there at the moment.

Taxes

The following three books are excellent tax guides. Make sure to get the most current edition!

Peter W. Bernstein, ed. The Ernst & Young Tax Guide. New York: Vanguard Press, 2007.

The J.K. Lasser Institute. J.K. Lassers Your Income Tax. Hoboken: Wiley, 2007.

Eric Tyson, Margaret Munro, and David J. Silverman. Taxes for Dummies. Foster City: IDG Books, 2007.

General Personal Finance

Jane Bryant Quinn. Making the Most of Your Money: Smart Ways to Create Wealth and Plan Your Finances in the 90s. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997. Although its 900-plus pages may be a bit overwhelming, and some of it will be irrelevant to people in their twenties and thirties, this encyclopedic guide is the best.

Miscellaneous

American Bar Association. The American Bar Association Guide to Credit & Bankruptcy. New York: Random House Reference, 2006.

Denis Clifford. Nolos Simple Will Book. Berkeley: Nolo Press, 2007. A good resource if youre thinking of writing a will.

Kalman Chany with Geoff Martz. Paying for College Without Going Broke. New York: Random House/Princeton Review, 2008. A comprehensive primer on college financing issues.

PERSONAL FINANCE MAGAZINES

Kiplingers

Money

SmartMoney

BLOGS AND MESSAGE BOARDS

Get Rich Slowly. Created by a self-described average guy who took control of his finances and worked his way out of debt, this site now provides smart coverage on a variety of money topics. (www.getrichslowly.org)

The Simple Dollar. Another motivational blog created by a young guy who dug himself out of debt and now wants to help other people do the same. (www.thesimpledollar.com)

I Will Teach You to Be Rich. A blog with tips about banking, saving, and investing. (www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com)

Wesabe.com. One of the biggest personal finance message boards out there, this site gives you a chance to share tips and information with over 100,000 other people.

FREE PAMPHLETS AND COMPANY PUBLICATIONS

All of these are available online; just search for the documents title on the relevant website.

Debt

Before You File for Personal Bankruptcy: Information About Credit Counseling and Debtor Education, available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Building a Better Credit Report, available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Choosing a Credit Card: The Deal Is in the Disclosures, available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Consumer Handbook to Credit Protection Laws , available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Credit Repair: Self-Help May Be Best , available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

How to Dispute Credit Report Errors , available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Keys to Vehicle Leasing , available from the Federal Reserve (www.federalreserve.gov/pubs/leasing).

Understanding Credit Reports and Scores , available from Fair Isaac Corp. (www.myfico.com).

Insurance

Consumers Guide to Auto Insurance , available from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (www.naic.org).

Consumers Guide to Home Insurance , available from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (www.naic.org).

Guide to Individual Disability Insurance , available from Americas Health Plans (www.ahip.org).

Questions and Answers about Health Insurance , available from Americas Health Plans (www.ahip.org).

Investing

Mutual Fund Investing: What to Consider When Choosing Your Mutual Funds , available from WISER, the Womens Institute for a Secure Retirement (www.wiserwomen.org).

Mortgages

Buying a Home , available online from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (www.hud.gov/buying).

Mortgage Servicing , available from the Bureau of Consumer Protection (www.ftc.gov).

Whats the Point of Points? , available from HSH Associates (www.hsh.com/pointofpoints.html).

Retirement

Maximizing Your Company Savings Plan , available from the Employee Benefit Research Institute (www.choosetosave.com).

Taking the Mystery Out of Retirement Planning and What You Should Know About Your Retirement Plan , both available from the Pension and Welfare Benefits Administration (www.dol.gov/dol/pwba).

Taxes

Guide to Free Tax Services , available from the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov).

Your Federal Income Tax , Publication 17, available from the Internal Revenue Service (www.irs.gov).

E VERY VERSION OF Get a Financial Life has been an enormous team effort. Beginning on Acknowledgments, Ive listed nearly 700 sources to whom I turned for expertise in both the original and current editions of the book. This special section, however, acknowledges those people who have made contributions above and beyond the call of duty.

First, the financial experts who have given generously of their time in helping me prepare all three versions of Get a Financial Life . Special thanks go to investment advisors Lew and Karen Altfest; student loan advisor and president of Campus Consultants Kalman Chany; fee-only insurance consultant Glenn Daily; professor of bank management at the University of Virginia Richard DeMong; Credit.com credit advisor Gerri Detweiler; communications consultant of the Consumer Bankers Association Fritz Elmendorf; vice president at HSH Associates Keith Gumbinger; executive director of the Womens Institute for a Secure Retirement Cindy Hounsell; life insurance actuary with the Consumer Federation of America James Hunt; director of consumer affairs at the Insurance Information Institute Jeanne Salvatore; and president of CNW Marketing Research Art Spinella.

I also owe a debt of gratitude to the following people, whose expertise was invaluable in putting together this new edition of the book: associate director for external relations at the Center for Retirement Research Andrew Eschtruth; consumer advocate buyers agent of CarQ.com Linda Lee Goldberg; publisher of FinAid.org and director of advanced projects at FastWeb.com Mark Kantrowitz; senior financial analyst of Bankrate.com Greg McBride; senior public affairs specialist at the National Association of Realtors Walter Molony; loan officer at Stratis Financial Marty OMalley; consumer services manager at Consumer Action Joseph Ridout; retirement expert and fellow of the Employee Benefit Research Institute Jack VanDerhei; public affairs manager of Fair Isaac Corp. Craig Watts; vice president of financial literacy at Money Management International Catherine Williams; financial planner Rolf Winch; and fee-only insurance advisor Scott Witt.